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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The business climate in Texas has been consistently |
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ranked as the best in the United States, and the state's economy |
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regularly outpaces the rest of the nation; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas produces approximately 60 percent of all |
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chemicals manufactured in the United States, as well as 30 percent |
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of the nation's natural gas and 20 percent of its oil; in addition, |
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the state leads the nation in overall electricity production, and |
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its competitive wholesale power market is among the most robust and |
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demand-responsive in the country; and |
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WHEREAS, The manufacturing sector contributes $96 billion |
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annually to the Texas economy and employs more than one million |
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Texans at some of the highest salaries in the state; the continued |
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economic health of the state is dependent on this vital sector, and |
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Texas is competing globally to protect existing business investment |
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and attract new jobs; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas has not been immune to the global economic |
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recession; over the past two years, some manufacturers have shut |
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down and there have been significant job losses; yet in spite of |
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this challenging business climate, the Environmental Protection |
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Agency has moved forward with the regulation of greenhouse gas |
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emissions from stationary sources such as refineries, chemical |
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plants, power plants, and other commercial establishments; and |
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WHEREAS, The Environmental Protection Agency claims that |
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greenhouse gas emissions are air pollutants under Section 202(a) of |
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the Clean Air Act, but that act was designed to regulate |
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conventional pollutants, such as ozone and particulate matter, that |
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create local air quality problems, and not unconventional |
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pollutants, such as greenhouse gases, which are found in |
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essentially equal concentrations around the globe; in formulating |
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its plan to regulate greenhouse gases, the Environmental Protection |
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Agency failed to identify cost-effective technology to meet the |
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demands of such regulation and instead invoked the legal doctrine |
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of "absurd results," essentially admitting that implementing the |
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new rules would overwhelm the administrative capabilities of state |
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permitting authorities and the agency itself; and |
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WHEREAS, Congress and the scientific community continue to |
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engage in vigorous, legitimate, and substantive debate regarding |
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the regulation of greenhouse gases; meanwhile, the Environmental |
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Protection Agency has acted on its own to institute a backdoor |
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regulatory regime, an abuse of power with serious implications; |
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these regulations are projected to cost Texas more than 300,000 |
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jobs because of increased energy prices, compliance with required |
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greenhouse gas permit conditions, and greater competition from |
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overseas manufacturers that have lower energy costs; furthermore, |
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as it has communicated to the Environmental Protection Agency, the |
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State of Texas does not have the legal authority to regulate |
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greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources in the manner |
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proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency; and |
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WHEREAS, The Environmental Protection Agency's regulation of |
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greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources will prove highly |
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detrimental to the manufacturing and energy sectors in an already |
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struggling economy and will cause additional job losses that the |
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nation can ill afford; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to take |
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such actions as are necessary to prevent the Environmental |
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Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions from |
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stationary sources; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to the |
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president of the Senate and speaker of the House of Representatives |
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of the United States Congress, and to all the members of the Texas |
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delegation to Congress with the request that this resolution be |
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entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of |
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the United States of America. |
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