David Thomas: “I rise in support of S. 343, and appreciate the comments of my friend from Oklahoma who talked a lot about the details…”

“I rise in support of S. 343, and appreciate the comments of my friend from Oklahoma who talked a lot about the details that are very important here, the reason for this bill. We have talked about it now for a good long time, as almost is always the case here. Nearly everything has been said, I suppose, in terms of the detail, in terms of the bill. But I would like to talk just a little bit about the fact that it is so important for us to deal with this question of regulation, overregulation. Clearly, at least in my constituency in Wyoming, the notion of regulation and the overregulation, and the cost of regulation and the interference of regulation, is the item most often mentioned by constituents that I talk to. There is no question, of course, that we need regulation. There will continue to be regulation. And, indeed, there should be regulation. Obviously that is one of the functions of government. The question is not whether we have regulation or not. And I wish to comment a little, one of our associates this afternoon rose and indicated that in his view the idea of having some kind of cost-benefit analysis meant that we would no longer have clean water, that we would no longer have clean air. I disagree with that thoroughly. I do not even think that is the issue.”