EPA Overreach to Double Energy Costs

Drowning In A Costly, Intrusive Federal Regulatory Flood

Regulation: That wave fast approaching the U.S. is not the tide coming in. It's a wall of rules issued by the White House that will hit the economy and private lives with the force of a killer tsunami.

The federal regulatory machine is coming not only for power plants, as the president promised while campaigning in 2008. It also has its eye on controlling private property.

Earlier this week, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, which has a long history of highlighting Washington's regulatory excess, said that during the first week of December, "95 new final regulations were published in the Federal Register," which followed "77 new final rules" published the previous week. It's "the equivalent of a new regulation every one hour and 46 minutes."

According to the Daily Caller, the Environmental Protection Agency alone will be responsible for 134 new rules issued by the White House in its late 2013 regulatory dump. The goal is to achieve President Obama's ambition to stop the construction of new coal-fired power plants. But that's only a start.

"Next year," reports the Daily Caller, "the agency will move to limit emissions from existing power plants — which could put more older coal plants out of commission."

More regulation will, of course, send Americans' power bills higher, as other, more costly sources are used to generate electricity. But who cares when a political agenda has to be carried out and a constituency pleased?

Don't think the EPA's regulatory push is a problem just for wicked burners of fossil fuel. The humble property owner whose land puddles in a hard rain could also be affected. The EPA, the Daily Caller says, also wants "a rule that would expand the definition of 'waters of the U.S.' ... to include water on private property."

Texas Republican Rep. Lamar Smith says this "could be the largest expansion of EPA regulatory authority ever" and warns the agency will be free to "regulate virtually every body of water in the United States, including private and public lakes, ponds and streams." CEI estimates that the regulatory machine already costs the private economy $1.8 trillion a year.

How much more painful will it be in 2014 if power plants are squeezed? And what is the dollar figure that can be placed on the lost use of private land if Washington expands the definition of "waters of the U.S."?

The federal regulatory apparatus has long been out of control, killing growth and jobs. But don't expect relief from Washington. That's why the next two elections will be so important.

Source:  Investor's Business Daily: http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/121213-682769-new-wall-of-regulation-is-coming-hard.htm#ixzz2nJUqLmQx 

Comments:

EPA Regulations are based on junk science, global warming and declaring that carbon is a pollutant.  Congress needs to stop this nonsense.  If they fail, State Legislators need to nullify these Regulations.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader