Foreign Emissions and Nonattainment Clarification for Economic Stability Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. BIGGS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6409, the FENCES Act.

Washington has ignored a simple fact that every Arizonan knows firsthand. Eighty percent of the air pollution in Maricopa County, Arizona's largest county, with a population of approximately 5.5 million people, is caused by natural phenomena or international transport.

Wildfire smoke from California, Canada, and Mexico, dust storms across the desert, and emissions drifting in from China and Mexico are all outside our control. Yet Arizona was penalized with stricter Federal mandates, threatening jobs and growth in one of the fastest growing regions in America.

That makes no sense because Arizona--and Maricopa County specifically--is home to economic and technological development that will better the lives of Arizonans and Americans nationwide.

From semiconductor manufacturing to aerospace and national defense facilities, Arizona is building the industries that keep America competitive.

These employers depend on fair, predictable permitting, not rules that punish us for pollution blowing in from another country.

Arizona's leaders have invested in real outreach and compliance tools that have cut controllable emissions by 50 percent since 2000, but no State should be forced to impose more regulations on families and small businesses for pollution that they did not cause nor can they remedy. That is exactly where the FENCES Act is necessary.

The FENCES Act restores the original intent of the Clean Air Act by making clear that all foreign emissions, natural or man-made, are excluded when EPA conducts air quality reviews.

Democrats would continue to penalize States like Arizona for these uncontrollable sources. Democrats want to continue to impose costly delays, Federal sanctions, and unnecessary burdens on manufacturers, communities, and States.

Earlier this year, President Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin recognized the impact of these onerous rules and stopped their negative effects in Maricopa County, but no State should have to rely on the unpredictability and capriciousness of any administration.

Congress must act so that no future EPA can arbitrarily punish Arizona or any State for emissions beyond our borders.

The FENCES Act is grounded in sound science and common sense. It protects jobs, supports investment, and ensures environmental rules focus on what States can actually control.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the FENCES Act. Let's pass it today.

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