House Halts Obama-Era Emissions Restrictions On Kiln, Brick Industries

"The House on Wednesday continued to pick apart Obama-era environmental regulations, taking aim at a pair of rules limiting emissions from the brick industry and on indoor wood heaters.

In a 234-to-180 vote that included seven Democrats joining with the GOP, the House late Wednesday afternoon cleared a measure to delay implementation of harsher emissions limits on wood heaters until 2023. The rule was scheduled to take effect in 2020, and heater manufacturers had warned Congress they would be unable to comply with the new threshold in time to meet the deadline initially set by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2015.

The House-passed measure also suspended new emissions limits on brick and clay kilns until all lawsuits and judicial proceedings related to the rule are completed, meaning the regulation is on hold indefinitely."

Ben Wolfgang reports for the Washington Times March 7, 2018.