LIEBERMAN CONDEMNS REVIEW OF FEDERAL
REGULATIONS
Focus Should Be on Identifying Weak Spots
WASHINGTON - Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe
Lieberman, D-Conn., Friday condemned a sweeping Bush
administration review of hundreds of federal regulations as an
effort to undermine environmental protections and the public’s
health and safety.
In a 162-page report issued by the Office of Management and
Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the
administration announced it would review over 300 rules and
regulatory policies identified as in need of overhaul, reform,
or elimination - including those governing air quality,
waterborne diseases, food quality, and pesticide exposure.
"This administration is conducting a campaign to
eliminate numerous environmental, health and safety
protections," Lieberman said. "We have seen - in the
face of several environmental rules the administration tried to
roll back two years ago - a disregard for the scientific record,
the value of public participation in rule-making, and for
established regulatory procedure.
"What the administration should really be spending its
time on is identifying weak spots in the regulatory fabric
instead of trying to immunize polluters and other wrongdoers
from important health, safety and environmental
protections."
In March 2002,OMB solicited suggestions for regulations that
needed changing. The administration received over 1,700
responses, many from regulated businesses. Now, OMB is
forwarding these suggestions to the agencies for their review
and consideration of whether the regulatory protections should
be changed or eliminated.
Targeted regulations and policies include over 60 issued by
the Environmental Protection Agency, including those that
protect the public against toxic chemicals. Other regulations
subject to review include rules to prevent the marketing of
contaminated food, protections of workers’ health and safety,
and the preservation of natural areas.
In October, Lieberman issued a report on three environmental
and health regulations the administration tried to undermine:
The Department of Agriculture’s rule prohibiting most road
construction and logging in roadless areas of national forests,
the Department of the Interior’s rule regulating hard rock
mining on public lands, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s
rule capping the permissible level of arsenic in drinking water.
The report tells a story of administration actions
characterized by a dismissive attitude toward long-established
regulatory procedures, the value of public input, and the
science or record supporting the rules under review
Rewriting the Rules
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