Senate Hearing to Bring Some Sanity to the Debate Over Federal Regulatory Policy

Tomorrow, a new panel in the Senate Judiciary Committee - the Subcommittee on Oversight, Federal Rights, and Agency Action - will bring some much-need sanity to the discussion of federal regulatory policy when it holds a hearing entitled "Justice Delayed: The Human Cost of Regulatory Paralysis." What's so refreshing about this hearing is that it starts from the premise that blocked and delayed safeguards are a problem that needs to be solved. Crucially, this hearing will provide an opportunity to shine a light on the costs that are imposed on the public when regulations aimed at protecting people and the environment are unnecessarily delayed. These costs represent real harm to real people - and they are by definition preventable. Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Previously, in this space, I examined the costs to the public that would result from the new delays to three rules that were announced in the Spring 2013 Regulatory Agenda. These included at least 300 premature deaths from the delay of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Rearview Mirror Rule and at least 1,000 premature deaths and 1,467 non-fatal heart attacks that would result from the delay of the EPA's updated ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). All of these costs are preventable, but not prevented. Several of the scheduled witnesses for tomorrow's Senate Judiciary hearing will help to provide a clear picture of what the costs of regulatory delay entail. CPR President Rena Steinzor will testify about how environmental regulations have benefited the public greatly, and how the continued delay of several pending safeguards - such as the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) rules to control disposal of hazardous coal ash waste and to require cleaner-burning automobile fuel - produce great harm. Tomorrow's hearing is a welcome development, because when it comes to the issue of federal regulatory policy, sanity has been in short supply on Capitol Hill for the last four-plus years. And the timing of the hearing couldn't be better, as it takes place during what House Republicans are calling "Stop Government Abuse Week," a week dedicated to bashing public servants and voting on ill-conceived bills, including the REINS Act and the Energy Consumers Relief Act, which if passed, would make it all but impossible for the EPA and other agencies to carry out their congressionally mandated missions of safeguarding the public.