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Statement by Ron Paul on the Resignation of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

May 01, 2012


"If I am elected President, I will end the EPA's harassment of Texans, and all Americans, on my first day in office." - Ron Paul

LAKE JACKSON, Texas- Congressman and GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul issued the following statement regarding the resignation of Al Armendariz from the position of Region VI Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Mr. Armendariz's jurisdiction included Texas, and his resignation follows a public outcry over remarks comparing the EPA to Roman soldiers, who would "crucify" American businesses that did not obey EPA dictates.

See comments below:

"Last week, I joined my GOP colleagues in the Texas delegation in calling for Mr. Armendariz's removal. So I am pleased with his resignation. However, I do not expect Mr. Armendariz's resignation to change anything at the EPA.

"Actions speak louder than words, and the EPA's actions toward small businesses, farmers, and local communities in Texas clearly show that Mr. Armendariz's desire to figuratively crucify Americans with excessive regulations is an agency-wide sentiment.

"For example, Matagorda County, in my congressional district, is currently battling the EPA over its claim that the county is an 'Ozone Nonattainment Region,' even though emissions from the county have declined in recent years! This is just one of many examples of how the EPA has abused its authority by imposing onerous, job-destroying regulations on Texas' communities, businesses, and individuals.

"Obviously, the EPA's harassment of Texans will continue if President Obama is reelected. However, there is little in the record, as opposed to the rhetoric, of Governor Mitt Romney to suggest that he will act aggressively to rein in the administrative state.

"If I am elected President, I will end the EPA's harassment of Texans, and all Americans, on my first day in office. My Plan to Restore America not only cuts one trillion dollars of spending and balances the budget by the third year of my presidency, while cutting taxes, but it also imposes a moratorium on all new federal regulations.

"The people of Texas know better than anyone else in the nation that I am the only candidate they can trust to Restore America Now by cutting the federal government down to constitutional size."

Ron Paul, Statement by Ron Paul on the Resignation of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/301126

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