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Regulations and the 112th Congress:
Washington, DC,
December 20, 2011
Regulations and the 112th Congress: December 20, 2011 Last Friday, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) released a report, “The United States of Regulation,” that details how small businesses are being hurt in each of America’s 50 states by Washington’s red tape. The full report is available here. Last week Business Roundtable released its Fourth Quarter 2011 CEO Economic Outlookwhich surveyed the greatest costs for businesses. Not surprisingly, regulations were cited as a top cost for businesses. Jim McNerney, CEO of The Boeing Company and Chairman of the Business Roundtable said, “I think regulatory is a slightly higher concern amongst businesses, in that for many of our members the regulatory process is a little more costly and onerous than it has been historically.” Regulations by the Numbers for 2011: 336Days: Since the President’s Executive Order on Regulations 162Days: Since the President’s Executive Order on Regulations for Independent Agencies 1 Rule: Repealed this year – spilled milk not considered an oil spill 796 Rules: Regulations deemed significant under Executive Order 12866 230.4B: Cost of regulatory burdens from new rules for the year 78464 Pages: Pages of regulations in the Federal Register so far this year 123.7 Million: Hours of annual paperwork burden REGULATIONS IN THE NEWS: WSJ EDITORIAL: The EPA’s Fracking Scare- More than one-third of all natural gas drilling now uses fracking, and that percentage is rising. If the EPA Wyoming study holds up under scrutiny, an industry that employs tens of thousands could be in peril. But does it stand up? (December 20, 2011) AP: EPA Rules Threaten Older Power Plants-More than 32 mostly coal-fired power plants in a dozen states will be forced to shut down and an additional 36 might have to close because of new federal air pollution regulations, according to an Associated Press survey. (December 19, 2011) WALL STREET JOURNAL: Regulation for Dummies: The White House is on the political offensive, and one of its chief claims is that it isn't the overregulator of business and Republican lore.The evidence is overwhelming that the Obama regulatory surge is one reason the current economic recovery has been so lackluster by historical standards. Anyone who thinks this has only minimal impact on business has never been in business. (December 15, 2011) TIMES: Congress Overturns Incandescent Light Bulb Ban:Congressional negotiators struck a deal Thursday that overturns the new rules that were to have banned sales of traditional incandescent light bulbs beginning next year. The spending bill… prohibit(s) the administration from spending any money to carry out the light bulb standards. (December 16, 2011) ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION: Georgia Power Girding for New EPA Rules: Southern estimates the cost for all of its utility companies to comply with the rules could cost between $13 billion to $18 billion through 2020. Georgia Power alone said complying with new regulations to cut toxic emissions will cost from $741 million to nearly $3 billion and lead it to close or refit six additional coal or oil-fired plants by 2015.(December 15, 2011) NATIONAL REVIEW: Obama’s Regulatory Burden: (W)hat’s clear today is that the current economic downturn and weakness is deeper and more prolonged than the Obama economic team predicted – another miscalculation that may have played into the decision to unleash these rules when our economy could afford them least. Yet even when the dire economic situation became clear, the regulatory juggernaut did not cease. (December 15, 2011) HOUSE GOP SOLUTIONS TO JOB-KILLING REGULATIONS:The House passes H.R. 3630, the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011, which includes a Keystone Pipeline provision, which will create 20,000 direct jobs and 100,000 indirect jobs and Boiler MACT, which protects hundreds of thousands of jobs from excessive EPA regulations. Rep. Berg (ND) introduces “The Generator Regulatory Relief Act”(H.R. 3616) The House passes Rep. Davis’s The Reins Act (H.R. 10)on Dec. 7 by a bi-partisan vote of 241-184. CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW ACTACTION:NEW REGULATIONS: The calm before the storm. Federal agencies were mostly quiet last week, with the delayed publication of EPA’s Boiler MACT and Air Toxics rules. There were several Dodd-Frank and health care rulemakings but few new cost burdens.
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