Recent Press Releases

Thune Comments on Newly-Revealed Internal Obama Administration Memo Warning of EPA Extremism

--Concerns Regarding Impact on the Economy Were Ignored--

May 12, 2009

Washington, D.C. —  Senator John Thune today commented on a memo compiled by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) which warns of the negative economic consequences of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recently released "endangerment finding," which would pave the way for the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. In particular, the memo warns of severe impacts on small, rural communities.

"This newly-revealed White House memo exposes the extreme dangers associated with the EPA's aggressive regulatory agenda," said Thune. "This memo underscores the costly impact that the Obama administration's goals for greenhouse gas regulation would have and also highlights the need for my bipartisan legislation preventing the imposition of a `cow tax' which would tax agricultural producers for naturally occurring livestock emissions, the cost of which will be passed along to consumers.

"The EPA's decision to target greenhouse gasses without Congressional instruction is a direct threat to families and businesses in South Dakota, as well as the agricultural sector. The potential `cow tax' and the EPA's indirect land use proposal to count carbon outputs in other countries against American ethanol's carbon score are direct threats to our rural economy, and it appears the Administration is aware of the repercussions.

"This memo demonstrates that the Obama administration's budget office knows the EPA's agenda will have devastating economic consequences for American families, be it through higher energy costs or higher food prices."

Earlier this year, Senator Thune was joined by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) in introducing bipartisan legislation (S. 527) prohibiting the EPA from taxing naturally occurring livestock emissions. Senator Thune has also introduced legislation prohibiting the EPA from using carbon measures as a result of international indirect land use against ethanol's carbon score, which would have a devastating impact on efforts to reduce our nation's dangerous dependence on foreign sources of oil.