The Going-Out-of-Business Myth

The public needs regulatory safeguards to protect our health, safety, environment, civil rights, and welfare. Corporate special interests, however, have an interest in avoiding spending a single dime to improve their destructive behavior. Again and again, when new regulatory protections have been proposed, corporate lobbyists have argued that business would be bankrupted and forced to go out of business. Again and again, they have been proven wrong. Download our fact sheet "The Going-Out-of-Business Myth" to learn just how wrong they have been time and time again.

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The latest bad news

  • BushGreenWatch is reporting that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a permit last week that will allow the Coeur d'Alene mining company to discharge mining waste from a proposed gold mine into a lake in the Tongass National Forest near Berner's Bay in Southeast Alaska, paving the way for mining companies all over the country

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EPA's Lead Poison Prevention Program: From Bad to Worse

Only a few months ago, EPA href="/article/blogs/entry/729/23">replaced plans for developing enforceable standards for lead poisoning prevention in home renovation with a plan for voluntary guidelines. EPA touted the voluntary plan as more flexible for remodeling and renovation companies, and concerned citizens decried the plan as a weakening of congressionally mandated public protections. Now EPA has taken yet another step in the wrong direction: withdrawing its plans for the voluntary standard completely. EPA now has no plans for protecting children and construction workers from lead

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Unified Agenda out today

The semiannual Unified Agenda is available in today's Federal Register. It will eventually be available in database form on this site; until then, here are links to the PDFs of the agendas for certain key agencies:
  • Consumer Product Safety Commission
  • EPA
  • HHS
  • Interior
  • Labor
  • Nuclear Regulatory Commission
  • Transportation
  • USDA

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EPA To Roll Back Lead-Based Paint Protection

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) recently released internal EPA documents that show that Environmental Protection Agency acting administrator, Stephen Johnson, plans to replace a regulation under development by EPA requiring certification of construction workers renovating buildings that may contain lead paint with a voluntary compliance standard. This move to a voluntary standard significantly weakens the regulation and puts more workers and children at risk for lead exposure from dust and debris. From the press release:

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EPA Ignores Cost-Benefit Analysis on Mercury Rule

From the Washington Post: When the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a rule last week to limit mercury emissions from U.S. power plants, officials emphasized that the controls could not be more aggressive because the cost to industry already far exceeded the public health payoff. What they did not reveal is that a Harvard University study paid for by the EPA, co-authored by an EPA scientist and peer-reviewed by two other EPA scientists had reached the opposite conclusion.

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OIRA releases final hit list and new reg report

Wednesday was a big day for OIRA: the office released both the final selections from the industry-nominated hit list and this year's annual draft report on the costs and benefits of regulations. Hit List: What the White House released is a selection of 76 out of the original 189 anti-reg nominations for the hit list. These are the hit list suggestions that the White House and the agencies are endorsing as anti-regulatory priorities.

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EPA's Rigged Use of Cost-Benefit Analysis

EPA's use of cost-benefit analysis in developing proposed mercury control regulations was deeply flawed, according to a GAO report released yesterday. The report examined how EPA used different variables when comparing different proposals so that the cost-benefit analysis was weighted towards the industry-preferred cap-and-trade method. GAO identified "four major shortcomings in the economic analysis underlying EPA's proposed mercury control options:"

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More cuts in agency budgets?

All eyes are glued to the upcoming budget release, coming out on Monday. The Associated Press got a preview of some of the contents, which include a $450 million cut in EPA's budget. Check in with OMB Watch's budget program for other updates and developments. Keep in mind that there are anti-regulatory developments coming in the budget, and even more during the month of February. Click here to learn more.

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State of the union: Small biz, blah blah blah

This text is expected in the State of the Union address: To make our economy stronger and more competitive, America must reward, not punish, the efforts and dreams of entrepreneurs. Small business is the path of advancement, especially for women and minorities, so we must free small businesses from needless regulation and protect honest job-creators from junk lawsuits.

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