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RICHMOND — The House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday night that would delay new rules to control pollution from industrial boilers and incinerators, part of a Republican effort to roll back or repeal federal regulations that they consider harmful to the economy.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, would require the Environmental Protection Agency to rewrite boiler emissions rules and would give businesses and other users at least five years to comply with new, "achievable" standards. The bill, dubbed the EPA Regulatory Relief Act of 2011, has 126 House co-sponsors, including 25 Democrats. The House passed the bill by a vote of 275-142.

Without the legislation, Republicans said, many businesses, hospitals and universities could be saddled with excessive costs to upgrade boilers after pending EPA rules take effect in 2012. An executive with Celanese Corp. told a House subcommittee last month that new rules could force the company to scale back operations at its Narrows acetate plant, the largest employer in Giles County.

"The investments required by these rules are irreversible," Griffith said in a statement after the vote. "For those businesses that decide to stop producing their product at a particular location, the job losses are also irreversible. The good news here is that excessive regulations are reversible and fixable."

Democratic opponents argued that the legislation is the latest in a series of Republican-led efforts to chip away at Clean Air Act protections for the environment and public health. The White House indicated last week that the bill would be vetoed if it reaches President Barack Obama’s desk.

It’s unclear whether the legislation will get a vote in the Democratic-controlled Senate. A similar Senate bill has been introduced, and Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., is a co-sponsor.

Acting under a court-ordered deadline, EPA issued revised rules in February that call for boilers and incinerators to have "maximum achievable control technology" to curb emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants. The agency later announced a temporary stay of the rules to seek additional public comment and said it would issue final rules in April 2012.

Celanese operates seven coal-fired boilers at its Narrows plant and six other boilers and furnaces that burn natural gas. The company would have to add emissions controls to its coal-fired boilers or convert them to natural gas under pending EPA rules, general manager Todd Elliott told a House subcommittee last month.

"This legislation provides sufficient time for the government to get the rules right and come up with a more reasonable and truly achievable approach that protects the public without imposing unnecessary costs on businesses that employ thousands of hard-working Americans," Griffith said.

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