Regulatory Sanity

From 2009-17, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) carried out “a regulatory spree unprecedented in U.S. history”—in scope, stringency, and costs, and with highly questionable justification. The costs of EPA rules dwarf the costs of all other executive branch agencies by a huge margin, accounting for $23 billion of $26 billion total regulatory costs in 2010. … the national economy has been impaired…

What to Know: A new EPA policy actually makes sense.

“Aiming to erase the ‘fuzzy math’ past administrations used to hide the costs of politically favored policies, the Environmental Protection Agency is pulling back the curtain on costs and benefits, and planning to kill regulations that are out of whack,” the Washington Examiner reports. “’It hopefully will take away some of the fuzzy math that administrations have done in the past on justifying regulations,’ said EPA Administrator Andrew R. Wheeler of his new policy. And, he added, it will set a new bottom-line for all regulations in the rules heavy agency. ‘If the costs are too high we should change the regulatory approach. We shouldn’t be having regulations that cost more than the benefits they provide,’ he said in an interview.”

The TPPF Take: Federal agencies should always know—and disclose—the real costs of regulations.

“It’s refreshing and encouraging to see a federal agency pull back the curtain and allow the American people to learn how and why their hard-earned money is being spent,” said TPPF’s Jason Isaac. “Environmental policies should always be based on sound science and economics and treat the taxpayers with respect. This move rightfully gives the public more opportunities to have a say.”

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