OAN’s James Meyers
8:11 AM – Friday, February 23, 2024
The Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has put a new law into regulation that could potentially cut one million jobs across the country and could stop new efforts to build new manufacturing facilities.
President and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, Jay Timmons, called out the Biden administration in his annual state of manufacturing address on Thursday in Roseville, Michigan, according to Fox Business.
“In his State of the Union Address next month, President Biden will probably take credit for what manufacturers have achieved. That’s fair. I know he cares deeply about manufacturing,” Timmons explained. “As he often says on the road, ‘This nation used to lead the world in manufacturing, and we’re going to do it again.’”
“But what he won’t tell you is that his federal agencies are, at this very moment, working to undermine his manufacturing legacy – those agencies are undermining your success. In fact, just two weeks ago, they announced one big regulation that could wipe out up to 1 million jobs,” Timmons warned. “It’s referred to as National Ambient Air Quality Standards or PM2.5.”
“It’s not the name that matters. It’s the consequences. It’s stricter than the rules they have even in Europe. And in vast portions of the country, we will barely be able to build new manufacturing facilities as a result,” Timmons added.
The move comes after the EPA initially proposed the regulation in January 2023 and issued a final version of the law on February 7th. The new law tightens the NAAQS for fine particle pollution, which will lower the air quality standard from 12 micrograms per cubic meter.
Additionally, EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in announcing the law that the “final air quality standard will save lives and make all people healthier, especially within America’s most vulnerable and overburdened communities.” The EPA also says the revision will prevent “up to 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost workdays, yielding up to $46 billion in net health benefits in 2032.”
Timmons reiterated that manufacturing could increase more “due to Artificial Intelligence.”
“Artificial intelligence may unlock new superpowers for American workers. We might reach a point where no other country can keep up with our productivity or the pace of innovation. Manufacturing investment could flock to our shores even faster,” he added.
Despite issues such as trade barriers and tax hikes, Timmons remained steadfast on the state of manufacturing.
“That is why I can report that the state of manufacturing in America today remains strong and resilient but under threat,” Timmons explained.
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