"Gale's philosophy would be not to let polluters off the hook," he said, but to give industries a chance to comply with regulations before acting to enforce them.
Ms. Nichols defended the state's approach to compliance saying the plan would give industries a chance to "become partners in the effort".
"I'm pleased to support this bill, which shows that this Tea Party Congress will make the tough choice to keep children's birthday parties on schedule and give industries that rely on helium the lift that they deserve," sniped Representative Hank Johnson of Georgia.
She argues that it's "important to do this in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, and give industries - including tourism, upon which many coastal regions rely - time to adapt".
The antitrust laws are meant to protect "free and fair competition in the marketplace" and prohibit practices that may give industries or businesses an unfair advantage over their competitors.
Pivotal to the plan is a cap-and-trade program that will cover 85% of the state's GHG emissions and give industries a financial incentive to reduce those emissions.
