New Report Describes ‘Economy Derailed’

Following its 2011 report that described a potential “train wreck” from mounting EPA regulations, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) last month published a follow-up that gives new details on the consequences of regulatory action. The report, entitled Economy Derailed, describes a number of EPA regulations and provides state-by-state analysis of economic impacts.

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun a war on the American standard of living. During the past couple of years, the Agency has undertaken the most expansive regulatory assault in history on the production and distribution of affordable and reliable energy,” the report explains. “As of 2010, EPA regulations promulgated under the Obama Administration had already surpassed the Agency’s regulatory output in the entire first term of Bill Clinton, which, as the Wall Street Journal notes, was a period in which ‘the EPA had just been handed broad new powers’ under the 1990 revisions to the Clean Air Act. With 30 major regulations and more than 170 policy rules still being finalized in the next five years, the extent of EPA actions could surpass its entire 40-year history of regulation.”

Among the EPA regulations included in the report are Utility MACT, Boiler MACT, the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), coal ash regulations, Cooling Water Intake rules, ozone regulations, and Greenhouse Gas regulations for utilities.

In addition, ALEC’s report chronicles the improvement of key environmental quality measures in the United States over past decades, provides an exhaustive reference list of organizations and groups that oppose EPA’s overreach, and makes recommendations on how state legislators can play a role in maintaining state sovereignty over environmental protection.

Download the Full Report Here