NEWS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Ed Whitfield (KY-01) voted on Thursday in favor of H.R. 4557, the Blocking Regulatory Interference from Closing Kilns Act of 2016, or the BRICK Act. This bill would protect the American brick manufacturing industry from being required to comply with an estimated $100 million dollar annual EPA regulation before the completion of judicial review. Whitfield released the following statement upon passage:
“To the 7,000 direct employees and owners in the industry, this is a very important piece of legislation. These regulations would impose an average of $4 million per facility with 2 kilns, forcing many plants to operate less or shut down. This is on top of costly regulations that this industry has already fallen victim to and complied with, only to find that the initial regulation was indeed illegal. I am pleased to support this bipartisan and common sense legislation to protect this industry and put American jobs across the country first.”