The never-ending saga of the Boiler MACT issue may finally be coming to an end – or, if you prefer, a new beginning. Last week the Senate voted on amendments (30 of them!) to the Highway Bill (S. 1813). The 30 amendments had been reduced from a higher number based on the leaders of both parties agreeing to limit eliminate those issues that had nothing to do with transportation. Imagine that!
By a vote of 52-46 – with 60 votes needed for passage – the EPA Regulatory Relief Act (AKA the Collins Amendment to the Highway Bill of 2012) was defeated in the US Senate. With this defeat, the current EPA rulemaking on the ICI-BMACT will finally be issued this spring.
As any of you who have read this blog know, E-Tech, as a part of the ABMA, worked against the EPA Regulatory Relief Act in its varied incarnations be it as a stand-alone bill (HR 2250 & S-1392), an amendment to the Payroll Tax Holiday and now again with the Highway Bill.
However, the reality of this moment is the issue may yet appear again in another guise prior to the finalization of the rules by the USEPA at some time in the future. All that would yield is to step back a year or so in order to lead back to the exact point where we are today. That this is a waste of time for everyone involved is an obvious conclusion but that is not soon to stop Congress.
Keep in touch for further developments.
To end, here are two thoughts on politics.
"The Liberals are the flying saucers of politics. No one can make head nor tail of them and they never are seen twice in the same place." ~ John G. Diefenbaker, Canadian Prime Minister (1895 - 1979)
"Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives." ~ John Stuart Mill, English Philosopher (1806 - 1873)
PS – Because of upcoming travel schedules, the next edition of this blog will be posted in mid-April.
