Casperson calls on Congress to rein in EPA, USFS

Courtesy:  Senator Tom Casperson’s Office

Wisconsin Senator Tom Tiffany, R-Hazelhurst, and Michigan Sen. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, issued the following statement on the EPA and USFS:

“On Tuesday, voters sent a clear message across the country that impediments to job creation must be swept away.

“We are calling on all members of our congressional delegations, Republicans and Democrats alike, to reign in federal intransigence, in particular, by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United States Forest Service (USFS).

“There are thousands of jobs waiting to be created in northern Michigan and Wisconsin if the USFS simply permits the Allowable Sales Quantity (ASQ) to be harvested on federal lands. If the USFS is unable to complete the preparatory work to implement the ASQ, our states stand ready to help them fulfill their mission.

“There is no bigger threat to affordable, reliable electrical service to our districts than the EPA. The only electrical generating plant in the Upper Peninsula, the Presque Isle plant, may be forced to shut down if the EPA forces it out of business because of unrealistic performance standards. Likewise, the paper industry faces foreign competitive pressures. Mills should not have to worry about our own federal government forcing them to shut down or move overseas.

“As directed by Congress, agencies of the federal government should be coordinating their actions with state and local units of government. The states of Michigan and Wisconsin are ready to enact solutions that work for federal, state and local governments to balance the needs of our natural and human environment.”