PaperAge Magazine

AF&PA Applauds EPA Proposal to Balance Benefits and Costs of Air Quality Regulations

EPA clean air

June 5, 2020 - American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Heidi Brock issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) announcement of a proposed rulemaking (EPA-HQ-OAR-2020-00044) on how EPA considers benefits and costs in designing regulations under the Clean Air Act. The proposal requests public comment on how EPA can be more consistent and transparent in considering the best available scientific and technical information on societal benefits and costs when crafting its air quality regulations.

EPA is requesting public comment for 45 days from the publication of the proposed rule.

"For over 39 years, every president has directed important regulatory agencies such as EPA to carefully consider the best available information in designing regulations and to ensure that the benefits of those regulations justify the costs. We applaud this important EPA initiative to advance this longstanding, bipartisan principle when developing regulations to protect air quality. Common-sense regulatory policy that ensures regulations do more good than harm will protect the environment, strengthen regulatory certainty and economic recovery and create opportunities for all Americans, now and in the future. We look forward to working together with the administration and stakeholders to achieve these shared goals."

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) serves to advance a sustainable U.S. pulp, paper, packaging, tissue and wood products manufacturing industry through fact-based public policy and marketplace advocacy. AF&PA member companies make products essential for everyday life from renewable and recyclable resources and are committed to continuous improvement through the industry's sustainability initiative — Better Practices, Better Planet 2020.

The forest products industry accounts for approximately four percent of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP, manufactures approximately $300 billion in products annually, and employs nearly 950,000 men and women. The industry meets a payroll of approximately $55 billion annually and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 45 states. Visit AF&PA online at www.afandpa.org or follow us on Twitter @ForestandPaper.

SOURCE: AF&PA