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Oklahoma
State Senate
Communications Division
State Capitol
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105
For Immediate Release: April 20, 2010
Sen. Brian Bingman
Sen. Bingman Says New EPA Mandates Will
Hurt Oklahoma
Although the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
instituted new standards related to ground-level ozone just two
years ago, the federal agency has already proposed revisions to
those limits—revisions that could push every state in the
country into non-attainment status.
On Tuesday, State Sen. Brian
Bingman won approval for Senate Concurrent Resolution 51, which
is an attempt to allow for further analysis before the EPA can change
the standards yet again. Bingman said unchecked, the EPA’s
new regulations would be devastating to Oklahoma, forcing additional
costs for cities and private businesses already struggling because
of the national recession.
“We’re already struggling with their current unfunded
mandates and now they’re talking about placing an even larger
burden on our state,” said Bingman, R-Sapulpa. “Oklahoma
is doing its best to comply with the existing standards. It’s
punitive to our cities and to our private businesses—and it
could ultimately force some companies to consider locating elsewhere.”
Bingman, who also serves as chairman of the Senate Committee on
Energy and the Environment, said if the EPA’s proposed air
quality standards are changed again without regard to cost-benefit
for the states and additional necessary analysis, the end result
could be to further hamper Oklahoma’s economic recovery.
“Ultimately, Congress has the power to stop the EPA from implementing
these revised standards until we can further study the issue, including
cost-benefit analysis. Only now are parts of the nation beginning
to see some light at the end of this tunnel with small indications
the economy may be improving,” Bingman said. “If this
bureaucracy is allowed to shove through these new unfunded mandates,
we could well see that light snuffed out.”
For more information, contact:
Sen. Bingman: (405) 521-5528
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