I just finished a great recess trip driving across the state from Kansas City to Great Bend, from Liberal to Abilene, and from Topeka to Wichita with stops in between. For the first half of the trip we had some beautiful spring weather making for excellent travel conditions. Then, out of nowhere, but typical of Kansas weather, we hit blizzards and ice storms.

The problems unpredictable weather can bring may best describe the difficulties I heard from many Kansans who have been trying to navigate a torrent of federal regulations pouring out of Washington.

The stories were very familiar, whether I was meeting with farmers and ranchers at the Kansas Commodity Classic in Great Bend or with health care providers at a forum I held in Topeka, pages of burdensome regulations pouring out of the Obama Administration are complicating the lives and livelihoods of too many.

What is most troubling to me is the damaging effect these regulations have on our struggling economy.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is often the worst culprit. Since last year, ten new regulations by the EPA have accounted for over $23 billion in new costs to the American taxpayer.

For example, as part of EPA’s review of the Clean Air Act, EPA is currently considering the most stringent regulations on farm dust that have ever been proposed. Yes, you read that right, dust.

Whether it’s cattle kicking up dust in a feedlot in Larned, or wheat being harvested on a hot June afternoon on the High Plains, dust is a naturally-occurring event. Standards beyond the current limit would be impossible to meet, particularly in the western portion of the nation where rainfall is often scarce.

It is critical to recognize that no one cares more about maintaining a clean environment than the American farmer and rancher. They know firsthand that clean air and water and healthy soil go hand-in-hand with a healthy economy. However, our producers deserve respect and appreciation from the EPA, not costly and redundant regulation.

Ironically, President Obama sees it the same way. Earlier this year, the president published an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal on his commitment to reviewing regulations: “...sometimes those rules have gotten out of balance, placing unreasonable burdens on business—burdens that have stifled innovation and have had a chilling effect on growth and jobs.”

The president then issued an executive order to review these regulations.

The problem is that many federal agencies claimed they already were in compliance with the executive order and that no review of their regulations was in order. What is most frustrating is that the new health care law and financial regulatory reform laws, and the regulations they put forth, are widely considered to be exempt from this review – although these regulations are the most likely to be felt in your pocketbook.

That’s why I have introduced a bill to enforce the executive order. Let’s give this executive order teeth. Let’s make it law. Let’s get rid of redundant, costly and burdensome regulations. To date, we have 30 Senators cosponsoring the legislation with more joining everyday.

To continue the charge, I am examining federal agricultural, environmental, health and financial regulations that damage different sectors of the economy. My goal is to really look at the size and scope of our government and return it to its role as a partner in America’s economic success rather than an obstacle to it. For information on this effort and more, please visit my website at roberts.senate.gov.