Mike Levin: “at the heart of this debate on the nomination of John Graham to be Administrator of the Office of Information and…”

“at the heart of this debate on the nomination of John Graham to be Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs is the issue of cost-benefit analysis and risk assessment in agency rule making. Some of the groups opposed to this nomination, I believe, are concerned that Dr. Graham will live up to his promise and actually require agencies to do competent and comprehensive cost-benefit analyses and risk assessments of proposed rules. I hope he will. The goal of competent cost-benefit analysis and risk assessment is to ensure that the public will be able to get the biggest bang for its buck when it comes to federal regulation and that the requirements agencies impose to protect the environment and public health and safety will do more to help than to hurt. That is what we should all want. I have been at odds over the past 20 years with some of my closest friends in the environmental, labor, and consumer movements over this notion of cost-benefit analysis. I have supported legislation to require cost-benefit analysis by agencies when issuing regulations since I first came to the Senate because, while I believe Government can make a positive difference in people's lives, I also know that Government can waste money on a good cause.…”