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Sunday, October 29, 2006

Reducing Burden Without Reducing Protections

The Small Business Administration launched a website last week to help businesses make their way through the regulatory maze. Business.gov is the first government website to bring all federal regulatory information under one roof. Over 20,000 compliance-related documents from 94 agencies are available at business.gov, and the website is fully searchable by industry or topic. Unlike industry efforts to weaken or eliminate regulations, compliance assistance can save businesses money while maintaining needed protections.

Industry groups often argue that regulatory protections should be weakened or eliminated because complying with the regulations is too onerous for small businesses, which do not have the time or money to weed through the complex matrix of applicable regulations. Well, industry's argument just got a little weaker.

Posted by Genevieve Smith, 11:57:19 PM

Friday, October 27, 2006

Bush Administration Files Anti-regulatory Brief

On Tuesday, the Bush administration filed a brief defending the EPA’s refusal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles, proving once again the administration is stuck in a Stone Age of environmental science.

The EPA is hiding behind a narrow interpretation of language in the Clean Air Act (CAA) to avoid taking meaningful steps toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The agency claims nuances in the legislation describe their role in curbing greenhouse gases as “nonregulatory,” thereby absolving them from responsibility. However, this is at odds with language elsewhere in the CAA:

The Administrator shall by regulation prescribe … standards applicable to the emission of any air pollutant from any class or classes of new motor vehicles or new motor vehicle engines, which in his judgment cause, or contribute to, air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare. [Section 202(a)(1)]

The growing presence of greenhouse gases is one of the gravest environmental threats of our time. EPA has a responsibility under the Clean Air Act to protect our health and environment from the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions. Industry alone cannot be expected to reduce emissions without regulatory intervention.

Posted by Matt Madia, 03:59:05 PM

Monday, October 23, 2006

Dudley Hearing Scheduled for Nov. 13

The Homeland Security and Goverment Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the White House's nomination of Susan Dudley to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on Nov. 13. During her time as head of regulatory policy for the Mercatus Center, Dudley racked up a pretty extensive anti-regulatory record, opposing regulations to get arsenic out of drinking water, reduce smog levels and make cars more fuel efficient.

You can help oppose the nomination of Susan Dudley by contacting your senators! Contact them today and tell them you oppose the nomination of Susan Dudley and they should too.

Find out more about how Susan Dudley could wreak havoc on the public protections you care about by reading our report, The Cost is Too High. You can also stay on top of the latest news on the nomination by visiting the DudleyWatch section of our website.

Posted by Genevieve Smith, 10:34:14 PM

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Recess Appointment for MSHA Head
As predicted, Bush appointed Richard Stickler to head the Mine Safety and Health Administration during recess. Stickler's nomination had been blocked by Sen. Robert Byrd from West Virginia, a state which saw several mining tragedies this year. The bad news is that for the time being, we have yet another fox in the henhouse. The good news is that a recess appointment ends with the next congressional session, unless the Senate chooses to take up the nomination.

More on Stickler.

Posted by Genevieve Smith, 11:23:44 PM

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Stop Susan Dudley Now!
The Bush administration is on the attack -- again. This time, it's with the nomination of Susan Dudley as administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). OIRA is an important regulatory agency that reviews everything from auto safety standards to limits on industrial chemicals and air and water pollutants.

Susan Dudley would cripple OIRA. As director of regulatory studies at the industry-funded Mercatus Center, she opposed countless environmental, health and safety rules, including:

EPA's attempts to keep arsenic out of drinking water and lower levels of disease-causing smog;
NHTSA's life-saving air bag regulations and the Department of Transportation?s hours-of-service rules to keep sleep-deprived truck drivers off the roads; and
energy regulation, the roll-back of which has led to skyrocketing prices.

Write your Representative and stop Susan Dudley now!

Posted by Genevieve Smith, 03:41:09 PM

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