Stephanie Salmon, Artemis Strategies; Jeff Hannapel & Christian Richter, The Policy Group, Washington, D.C. WASHINGTON ALERTMARKETING MATTERS
House Votes on Bill to Block EPA Climate Rules SENATE ALSO DEBATES AMENDMENTS TO SLOW EPA’S RULEMAKING AUTHORITY.
March to slash the U.S. Environ- mental Protection Agency’s (EPA) authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. Te bill, the Energy Tax Prevention Act (H.R. 910), would prevent EPA from imposing regulations that could significantly raise energy costs for metalcasters and hurt the country’s economic recovery. In the House, the Energy Tax
T
Prevention Act is championed by Energy and Commerce Com- mittee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.). In the Senate, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) is the chief sponsor. The legislation would
prevent EPA from regulat- ing greenhouse gas emissions without prior congressional approval. Metalcasting industry advocates believe the costs to comply with greenhouse gas regulations incurred by utili-
ON THE HILL
House & Senate Move to Repeal 1099 Tax Forms
On March 3, by a bipartisan vote of 314-112, the House approved the Small Business Paperwork Man- date Elimination Act. The bill elimi- nates a requirement from the health care law requiring businesses to file 1099 tax forms to the Internal Revenue Service on purchases they make in excess of $600. This action follows on the heels of the Senate’s February vote to do the same. The issue is unlikely to move
forward for now, as the House and Senate disagree over an accept- able way to offset the $19 billion in
lost revenues that would result from the repeal. The Senate proposes that the Office of Management and Budget find unspent federal funds to use as an offset. The House offset calls for an increase in the amount consumers would be required to repay if they receive excess tax sub- sidies in health reform’s insurance exchanges. The White House has also endorsed repealing the health reform provision but doesn’t agree with the House’s solution.
Bipartisan Group Wants to Permanently Extend R&D Credit
A group of House members introduced
legislation in March to expand and permanently extend the tax credit for research and development. The bill, the American Research and Competitiveness Act of 2011 (H.R. 942), was introduced by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) and John Larson (D-Conn.), with the following three colleagues as original cosponsors: Reps. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.). H.R. 942 would strengthen the R&D tax credit formula—the Alternative Simplified Credit (ASC)—from 14 to 20%.
For additional information, contact Stephanie Salmon, AFS Washington Office, 202/842-4864,
ssalmon@afsinc.org.
April 2011 MODERN CASTING | 17
he House Energy and Com- merce Committee voted in
ties, refiners and large manufacturers will be passed along to their custom- ers, including metalcasting facilities, increasing their fuel and energy costs. The House bill has more than
40 cosponsors and was expected to come before the full House the week
of March 28. The legislation is the latest effort by Republicans to limit EPA’s authority. A spending bill passed by the House in February would slash funding at the agency by $3 billion and prohibit funding for the agency’s climate regulations through the end of September. In the Senate in March,
Minority Leader Mitch Mc- Connell (R-Ky.) introduced an amendment to a small-business bill that is identical to the House’s Energy Tax Prevention Act. In addition, Sen. Jay Rock- efeller (
D-W.Va.) introduced an amendment that would delay EPA regulation of stationary source emissions of greenhouse gases for two years rather than fully remove its ability to regu- late them. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.)
Rep. Ed Whitfield
introduced an amendment that would codify EPA’s Tailoring Rule, which limits the applicability of the Clean Air Act’s prevention of significant deterioration permit- ting requirements.
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