Nick Rahall: “In recent weeks, the House of Representatives has taken up three major bills designed to address concerns about…”

“In recent weeks, the House of Representatives has taken up three major bills designed to address concerns about executive agency overreach in regulatory proposals. I supported the first two bills--H.R. 3010, the Regulatory Accountability Act, and H.R. 527, the Regulatory Flexibility Act. I believe they would have improved the current regulatory approval scheme. The bills alternatively would have codified the use of critical cost-benefit analyses and the consideration of less costly regulatory alternatives, and helped to ensure the opportunity for additional public participation, especially in regard to small businesses. Both bills contained provisions that would have helped to address the concerns of my State, which has felt under siege in recent months by a raft of regulatory actions affecting the coal industry and emanating from the Environmental Protection Agency. Today, the House is considering H.R. 10, the Regulations in Need of Scrutiny Act. This bill would require the Congress to approve all major rules projected to cost $100 million or more. I believe this is, at the very least, an impractical idea, given the number of rules that would have to be considered in the midst of other legislative business. It also raises serious questions about the legal status of rules promulgated by the executive agencies and approved by the Congress, subjecting even the least controversial rules to potential litigation in the courts.…”