8 ridiculous EPA rules polluting your life

#1 That companies who blend gas use a fuel that doesn’t exist.

The EPA attempted to create an industry from thin air by mandating that gas blenders use cellulosic biofuel, which doesn’t exist on any kind of commercial level. Then they mandated these blenders use the non-existent fuel at a level 60% higher than in 2012. There is no scientific basis for this determination and no sound data.  The outcome: refiners ultimately pay a hefty fine on a non-existent product. Source

 

What will this cost me? The refiners are forced to pay a fine for not using the non-existent product, which makes fuel more expensive for everyone who has to buy it. Look for prices on energy to go up.

 

#2 That carbon dioxide is a pollutant and therefore everything it touches needs to be regulated.

This specific rule, called the endangerment finding, is based on faulty science. The EPA determined that CO2 was a pollutant not because it was harmful to humans but because it is linked to rising sea levels, wildfires and other results of global warming – all of which have zero consensus in the scientific community.  Source

 

What will this cost me? Unless Congress prohibits the EPA’s regulatory assault on fossil fuels, Americans will suffer from dramatically higher energy costs and a slower economy—all for no noticeable change in the Earth’s temperature.  

 

#3 That ambulances buy new diesel engines that would shut the engine down if it wasn’t allowed to “regenerate”, even if it was on the way to the hospital.

When the D.C. fire department began buying these diesel engine ambulances a few years ago, officials knew they would have to manage them with a new emission control system that would automatically shut the engine down if it wasn’t allowed to do what’s called “regenerate.” They were transporting a gunshot victim to the hospital when the engine shut down in their ambulance and they had to wait several minutes for another to arrive. The victim died.Sources here and here

 

What will this cost me? Possibly your life if you have an emergency and are stuck with an EPA-regulated diesel engine ambulance that does not regenerate.

 

#4 That 15% of fuel can be ethanol, ultimately ruining engines.

The ethanol-gasoline blend E15 was approved by the EPA for vehicles manufactured after 2001, but a new report finds the 15% allowance of ethanol into the fuel might be gumming up engines. The report by the Coordinating Research Council ultimately found that some fuel pumps and level senders in car models made between 2001 and 2007 — representing 29 million cars — failed or showed negative effects due to the use of E15. Source

 

What will this cost me? The regulation could really mess up the engine of your car. You could well see hefty bills from the mechanic or may have to consider buying a new car.

 

#5 That the coal industry comply with several burdensome regulations, resulting in loss of jobs and higher electricity prices.

The EPA and other agencies have introduced a host of new rules that will increase the costs of mining coal, building new plants, and operating existing plants.  EPA regulations could take an additional 75 GWs of coal generation offline, which would significantly raise electricity bills for American consumers and threaten reliability of the electricity grid. Sources here and here

 

What will this cost me? These regulations are a doozy. They will destroy more than 500,000 jobs, cause of a family of four to lose more than $1,000 in annual income and increase electricity prices by 20%.

 

#6 That ozone rules be tightened so much so that even pristine locations like Yellowstone National Park would not be in compliance.

The logic behind these new rules is that tightening restrictions on ozone levels will increase public health but the restrictions are so rigid and illogical that even some of the nation’s cleanest and purest parks, like Yellowstone, will not comply, forcing them to close down. The EPA tried to update this rule in 2010 but it was rejected by President Obama because he said “that the rule could constitute a regulatory burden for the still-struggling economy.” But the EPA is scheduled to review the rule this year and propose standards that will be impossible to meet, with little to show for it. Sources here, here and here

 

What will this cost me? The EPA estimates this could go upwards of $90 billion a year, which would severely hinder the sluggish economy. Costs to consumers could be a loss of jobs, higher utility costs, and higher fees for local communities, governments and small businesses as the burden to comply will be shifted to them.  And, possibly cancelling your visit to Yellowstone and other beautiful parks.

 

#7 That new emission and fuel standards (aka Tier 3) be met by automobiles, hiking gas prices.

Taking rules from the California Air Resources Board, the EPA has proposed across-the-board sweeping regulations on fuel and emissions that will hike gas prices and raise the price on cars. In California, drivers have seen an increase already of 40 cents per gallon and because the new rules impose upwards of $10 billion on refiners, even higher gas prices are expected. The rules are meant to lower sulfur content in gasoline but studies have shown this will have few, if any, positive impacts on the environment. Sources here, here and here

 

What will this cost me? At least 9 cents more per gallon and if the EPA adds in a vapor requirement to the regulation, gas prices could rise 25 cents per gallon. 

 

#8 That 2025 model year cars and light-duty trucks have an average fuel economy of 54.5 miles per gallon (mpg), making new cars under $15K virtually extinct.

New fuel-efficiency standards mandated in October 2012 will add hundreds of dollars onto the sticker price of vehicles. While the federal government acknowledges the regulations will drive up the sticker price of vehicles, “consumers will likely realize only a fraction of the fuel savings that the government claims.” Source

 

What will this cost me? The average cost of new car will increase $3,000 and new cars under $15,000 will likely no longer exist. This can also force consumers into smaller, less-safe cars, causing needless injuries and deaths more per year.