[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7897]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                               CARBON TAX

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from West 
Virginia (Mr. Jenkins) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JENKINS of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, the House will vote this 
week on a resolution of disapproval on a carbon tax, a new tax that 
would greatly hurt my State of West Virginia.
  West Virginia is the second largest producer of coal in the United 
States. The coal mined in West Virginia made this country what it is 
today. It made the steel that built skyscrapers and the ships that won 
world wars.
  If a carbon tax would be imposed, all of this would change. According 
to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, a carbon tax would hurt 
our economy. It would raise prices and diminish people's purchasing 
power. It would reduce the number of hours people worked, resulting in 
lost wages. It would also disproportionately hurt low-income families 
and raise energy prices for seniors and families.
  West Virginia already has one of the highest unemployment rates in 
the Nation. What we need are policies that create more jobs, encourage 
companies to expand and hire, diversify our economy, and reinvest in 
our people.
  Our coal miners and our coalfields have suffered enough. They can't 
afford a tax on the very energy West Virginia produces.
  The message is clear: West Virginia needs more jobs and reinvestment, 
not a carbon tax.


                 Implementation of New Ozone Standards

  Mr. JENKINS of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, the EPA is at it again. It 
is writing yet another rule that will hurt our economy and could make 
it harder for us to build new roads and create jobs.
  In this economy, when West Virginia has one of the highest 
unemployment rates in the Nation, the last thing we need is more red 
tape. We don't need more bureaucrats getting in the way of our State's 
ability to develop our resources.
  The new ozone standards the EPA wants to impose on States would hurt 
manufacturing, drilling, mining, and agricultural operations, hurting 
the families who depend on these jobs.
  The EPA is ratcheting up its ozone standard on States. Most States 
and counties haven't even met the 2008 ozone standard, and now the bar 
is being raised again. This is unrealistic.
  Counties not in compliance with the new standard could find it even 
harder to attract and build new developments. In southern West 
Virginia, that means we might not be able to redevelop our former mine 
sites to their full potential. It could even halt the much-needed Hobet 
mine redevelopment.
  Noncompliant counties also might not be able to build new highways. 
For southern West Virginia, that could mean long planned highway 
projects are put on the back burner again.
  This week, we will vote in the House on a bill to put the brakes on 
the EPA's latest actions. We will give the States time to catch up 
before the EPA tries to impose yet another standard. We will protect 
public health while ensuring implementation of new ozone standards that 
don't cripple our economy.
  This is a commonsense bill that deserves bipartisan support.


  

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