Regulations and the 112^th Congress:
Restoring the regulatory oversight power of the House 

February 13, 2012

*LIST OF NEW REGULATIONS FOR 2012 ATTACHED*

Regulations by the Numbers for 2012:

391 Days:      Since the President’s Executive Order on Regulations

218 Days:      Since the President’s Executive Order on Regulations for Independent Agencies

0 Rules:         Economically significant rules repealed this year

69 Rules:      Regulations deemed significant under Executive Order 12866

$13.7B:          Cost of regulatory burdens from new rules for the year

7516 Pages:   Pages of regulations in the Federal Register so far this year

38.5 Million:  Hours of annual paperwork burden.

 

SAN ANTONIO EXAMINER: White House, EPA Actions Could Lead to Texas Power Outages: In 2010, ERCOT announced Texas was only 300-400 megawatts away from suffering rolling blackouts. This was very close to the rolling outages that were executed last February during a period of “extreme cold.” EPA’s new regulations will force a reduction of 1,200 – 1,400 megawatts of electricity during the peak summer months, more than three times the amount that would have forced rolling blackouts in the summer of 2011, projects ERCOT.(February 9, 2012)

 

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to finalize the Utility MACTrule on Thursday, February 16, 2012. The rule has been characterized as the most expensive rule ever imposed by the agency on the power sector. In the Fact Sheet it issued to accompany the rule, EPA estimates the total national annual cost of the rule will be $9.6 billion.

 

INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY: The Burden Of Federal Rules: Our Other Trillion-Dollar Debt: As evidence of the centrality of regulation, Congress passed and the president signed 217 bills in 2010, and "just" 81 by my count in 2011; but meanwhile, agencies finalized 3,780 rules of varying impact and consequence in 2011 alone. They do the bulk of the lawmaking now, it would seem.(February 7, 2012)

 

WASHINGTON POST: The GOP’s New Push to Defang the CFPB: Under the new bills, Cordray would be removed from his new seat on the board of the FDIC, and the bureau would be subject to the regular appropriations process under the Treasury Department – handing the purse strings over to Congress. There’s also a bill to ensure that information collected by the bureau is subject to attorney-client privilege.(February 8, 2012)

 

THE HILL: Federal Regulators Taking a Hard Look at $3.6 Billion Verizon Cable Deal: Verizon's $3.6 billion deal with a coalition of cable companies is raising eyebrows in Washington and could come under intense regulatory scrutiny.The Justice Department has acknowledged it is conducting its own probe of the agreements, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is gathering evidence to decide if it should block the transfer of the airwave licenses. (February 4, 2012)

 

House GOP Solutions toJob Killing Regulations

Congressman Jeff Fortenberry introduced a billthat would exempt detasseling from proposed Department of Labor rules limiting youth involvement in certain agricultural work. 

 

Congressman Rick Berg announced the introductionof the “Generator Regulatory Relief Act,” which would stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from imposing new costs on small businesses, schools and energy providers though the overregulation of generator use.

Congressman Tom Latham supports the traditionof Iowa’s family farms as bureaucrats at the U.S. Department of Labor push to restrict the ability of youth to do farm work.

 

Congressional Review Act Challenges

February 13, 2012
Nullify NLRB “Ambush Elections” Rules
Cosponsor Congressional Review Act Disapproval Resolution
Deadline for Original Cosponsors: Wednesday, February 15 at 12:00 pm

Current Cosponsors: Kline (MN), Akin (MO), Bilirakis (FL), Black (TN), Blackburn (TN), Boustany (LA), Brooks (AL), Broun (GA), Bucshon (IN), Burton (IN), Calvert (CA), Canseco (TX), Carter (TX), Coble (NC), Cole (OK), Conaway (TX), Culberson (TX), DesJarlais (TN), Duncan (SC), Duncan (TN), Gohmert (TX), Gosar (AZ), Gowdy (SC), Graves (GA), Harris (MD), Huelskamp (KS), Huizenga (MI), Jenkins (KS), Jones (NC), King (IA), Landry (LA), Lankford (OK), Latta (OH), Long (MO), Mack (FL), Marchant (TX), Miller (FL), Mulvaney (SC), Myrick (NC), Nunnelee (MS), Olson (TX), Paul (TX), Quayle (AZ), Ribble (WI), Roby (AL), Roe (TN), Rooney (FL), Schweikert (AZ), Stivers (OH), Walberg (MI), Walsh (IL), Westmoreland (GA), Wilson (SC),  Yoder (KS)