The House of Representatives passed H.R. 2401, the Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act (TRAIN Act), this afternoon on a vote of 249 to 169.  Importantly, a total of 19 Democrats supported final passage of the legislation. To see how your Member of Congress voted, click here.

Earlier today, the House also adopted an amendment to the bill sponsored by Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY) that would impose additional delays on the ability of the EPA to implement the Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) and the proposed Utility MACT rule.  The Whitfield amendment passed on a vote of 234 to 188, with 15 Republicans voting NO and 13 Democrats voting YES.

The TRAIN Act and the Whitfield amendment are key legislative priorities for NMA.  We engaged in an aggressive and comprehensive advocacy campaign to ensure passage of both the Whitfield amendment and the underlying bill, including direct lobbying, grassroots advocacy, coalition efforts with allied organizations, media engagement and advertising.  The legislation will now be sent to the Senate, where our efforts will continue to advance it, either as a stand-alone bill, or in the context of other must-pass legislati

Anyone who questions whether the regulatory state has anything to do with why the American economy is dying should consider one tiny part of the regulatory adventure businesses face.

In January 2010, with the country reeling from recession, President Obama's Environmental Protection Agency proposed tighter air quality standards.

By MARK HEMINGWAY

Remember how Obama recently waived new ozone regulations at the EPA because they were too costly? Well, it seems that the Obama administration is would rather make people with Asthma cough up money than let them make a surely inconsequential contribution to depleting the ozone layer:

Asthma patients who rely on over-the-counter inhalers will need to switch to prescription-only alternatives as part of the federal government's latest attempt to protect the Earth's atmosphere.

The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday patients who use the epinephrine inhalers to treat mild asthma will need to switch by Dec. 31 to other types that do not contain chlorofluorocarbons, an aerosol substance once found in a variety of spray products.

The action is part of an agreement signed by the U.S. and other nations to stop using substances that deplete the ozone layer, a region in the atmosphere that helps block harmful ultraviolet rays from the Sun.

But the switch to a greener inhaler will cost consumers more. Epinephrine inhalers are available via online retailers for around $20, whereas the alternatives, which contain the drug albuterol, range from $30 to $60.

The Atlantic's Megan McArdle, an asthma sufferer, noted a while back that when consumers are forced to use environmentally friendly products they're are almost always worse:

 

We've always said the EPA's extra-legal attempt to rewrite the 1970 Clean Air Act to twist it into a greenhouse gas law -- cap-and-trade by other means -- would be a disaster. Up to now, EPA tried to claim it would only apply permitting requirements to large industrial facilities. Now it is finally telling the truth -- that applying the Clean Air Act as written will force permitting for even small commercial facilities, schools, hospitals, churches, restaurants that use natural gas as a cooking fuel, and even larger single family homes.

In a court filing last week, EPA quantified the vast new army of federal bureaucrats it will need to process millions of new permits under the Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Title V permitting process. A shocking 230,000 new EPA bureaucrats at a cost of $21 billion -- more than tripling the EPA's total budget. In the filing EPA says it will reach these levels by April 30, 2016.

Based on the historical relationship between the number of federal regulators and private sector employment recently quantified by the Phoenix Center the addition of 230,000 federal bureaucrats would destroy 22.5 million private sector jobs.

By George F. Will, Published: September 23

PHOENIX
Cindy Vong is a tiny woman with a problem as big as the government that is causing it. She wants to provide a service that will enable customers “to brighten up their days.” Having fish nibble your feet may not be your idea of fun, but lots of people around the world enjoy it, and so did some Arizonans until their bossy government butted in, in the service of a cartel. Herewith a story that illustrates how governments that will not mind their own business impede the flourishing of businesses.