The Biden administration claims its new climate regulations will help the economy, but others express concern and alarm about the impact on manufacturing and energy in the nation.

From Fox News. The Biden administration finalized regulations severely tightening restrictions on fine particulate matter that the manufacturing and energy sectors are legally allowed to emit, an action that industry said would have devastating economic consequences.

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled the regulations Wednesday morning in a joint announcement with environmental activists, saying limiting particulate matter known as PM2.5 or soot would have health benefits for Americans nationwide. The rulemaking lowers the annual PM2.5 standard from a level of 12 micrograms per cubic meter to a level of 9 micrograms per cubic meter.

“Today’s action is a critical step forward that will better protect workers, families and communities from the dangerous and costly impacts of fine particle pollution,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan told reporters in a call. “The science is clear. Soot pollution is one of the most dangerous forms of air pollution and is linked to a range of serious and potentially deadly illnesses, including asthma and heart attacks.” …

According to EPA, the regulations will prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost workdays while yielding up to $46 billion in net health benefits by 2032. And the agency further estimated that, for every $1 spent complying with the PM2.5 regulations, there could be up to $77 in human health benefits by 2032. …

However, industry associations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and American Petroleum Institute (API) have warned of the potentially wide-ranging impacts of more restrictive particulate matter restrictions. In a September letter to Regan, those groups and 30 other industry associations said the regulations could lead to onerous permitting requirements that would “freeze manufacturing and supply chain investments.”

They also pointed to a May 2023 study conducted by Oxford Economics and commissioned by NAM that concluded more restrictive PM2.5 regulations would threaten between $162.4 and $197.4 billion of economic activity while putting 852,100 to 973,900 current jobs at risk.

“Tightening the NAAQS PM2.5 standard will grind permits to a halt for a large portion of our country,” Marty Durbin, the senior vice president for policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said Wednesday. “EPA’s new rule is expected to put 569 counties out of compliance and push many others close to the limit, which threatens economic growth.” …

Durbin added that EPA should have maintained the previous standard of 12 micrograms per cubic meter and focused its attention instead on reducing non-industrial emissions. The regulations Wednesday, he said, punish counties and the private sector “for situations largely out of their control.”

The regulations, meanwhile, will make the U.S. PM2.5 standards among the world’s most burdensome. …

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(Excerpt from Fox News. Photo Credit: Backyard Productions/Canva Pro)