The BRICK act was introduced by Representative Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), who has been willing to stand up and protect the brick industry since he first met with Janet Kaboth of Whitacre Greer. Speaking before the Energy and Commerce committee Johnson said “Forcing brick and tile companies to comply with a costly, job-killing rule that is still pending in the courts makes no sense. The majority of U.S. brick plants are small, family-owned operations, often located in small communities that depend on the plant for good-paying jobs. However, in order to comply with these new EPA requirements, many brick companies – who are already struggling to find capital for plant modernization projects – would be forced to come up with millions of dollars to pay for control equipment that provides no return on investment.” Henry Brick’s Davis Henry and McAvoy Brick’s Creighton "Butch" McAvoy were invited to speak in front of the committee and let them know how the EPA is affecting their business. There was a lot of support for the BRICK Act and very few questions from those that were opposed to it. The bill left the committee with votes going along party lines and it would go before the entire House of Representatives. L: Davis Henry and John Shimkus R-IL; R: Ed Watson and Bruce Westerman R-AR.