WASHINGTON   –  U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) today urged 8th District businesses and government entities to issue comments on an EPA proposed rule to require the tracking of greenhouse gas emissions.  The rule has been cited as a first step toward the federal taxation on emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and other gases.

“Even a rule requiring the measurement of these gases will place a tremendous regulatory burden on many Southern Missouri businesses, from bakeries to manufacturers to energy producers.  It costs money to implement these procedures, and this rule opens the door to even more costly taxes and fines down the road,” Emerson said.

The Environmental Protection Agency is required to accept comments from the public on the proposed rule for 60 days after the its publication in the Federal Register, which occurred on April 10.

“The more companies and communities we have on the record, the better the case our rural district and its energy-intensive economy will be able to make to the EPA.  I fear there is a lack of information about how this emissions rule could affect rural communities.  The best remedy is the firsthand accounts of the employers in our area who would be affected and the cities and towns that want to keep them in business,” Emerson said.

The proposed rule and instructions on how to write comments to the EPA are available on the EPA website at www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgrulemaking.html.  The comment period on the rule-making is open until June 9.

“It only takes a few minutes to construct an argument about how this rule will affect Southern Missouri, but I assure you that the alternative – complying with this rule as it is written today – will be a far greater burden,” Emerson said.