On the recordMarch 1, 2017
This bill, again, requires the commission to identify regulations which should be repealed. The commission focuses on rules and regulations that are, again, out-of-date, no longer necessary, no longer useful, or otherwise obsolete. Regulations promulgated under the Clean Air Act need to be examined and updated just as much as any other regulations. Reviewing and revisiting regulations promulgated decades ago allows the opportunity to improve upon existing standards. According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Environmental Protection Agency regulations cost the public $353 billion a year. Given the high costs associated with EPA regulations, excluding these regulations from this review process just doesn't make any sense. $353 billion--more than one-third of a trillion dollars--needs review. Importantly, this bill has several significant procedural hurdles to pass before any regulation would be repealed: the commission must determine the regulation is no longer necessary; the commission must recommend repealing the regulation; and, most significantly, Congress would need to vote to get rid of the regulation. No regulation would be repealed without a vote by Congress. This is reinstating the authority that this body has, and for these foregoing reasons, Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.
