During a recent town hall meeting I held at Hannibal-LaGrange University, one thing was very clear: the people of Missouri’s 6th District are rightfully upset by government bureaucrats who are becoming increasingly aggressive in attacking our way of life. The biggest bully of the bunch, by far, is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The EPA acts as though everything under the sun must be regulated. First they tried to regulate farm dust and targeted every ditch and pond in our fields. Now they’re going after carbon emissions from existing coal power plants. You and I know there are already too many regulations, but the EPA has more coming every day with no end in sight.
It’s time to rein in this out-of-control government.
That is why I introduced the Stop the EPA Act. My bill allows Congress to be a roadblock for any of their senseless regulations. It requires the EPA to take a second look at regulations already on the books, deals with regulations currently coming down the pipe, and prevents further harmful regulations in the future. The bill also gives Congress, the voice of the people, a say in all EPA regulations by requiring an up or down vote on any regulation that has an economic impact over $50 million.
When it comes down to it, you elected me to represent you – not unaccountable bureaucrats at the EPA or any other federal agency. A government "of the people" only works if the elected officials who are accountable to the voters have a say in the regulatory process. We must close the flood gates on this Administration’s radical liberal agenda that is harming our way of life.
If there is one thing I can't stand, it is an agency that helps to protect the environment and keep air and drinking water safe for ourselves and our children. If we could just get rid of this pesky EPA, the multinational corporations could save millions by dumping waste in the cheapest and easiest ways possible. Think of all of the new hiring these job creators could do with that extra money. Of course they would be hiring Indian and Chinese labor, but still...
ReplyDeleteAll this epa nonsense cost lots of lead mining and smelting jobs. Just as soon as we allow lead paint and lead gas again, then we can get back to the good old days.
ReplyDeleteThe EPA could stand a little investigating, my friends. I don't know if I'd go as far as eliminate the agency all together, but there has been something "amiss" with them for a very long time. Under the auspices of doing something VERY good, there have been some VERY questionable actions taken. Once again, you need to look at those in charge of the monies. I became curious about this agency when I noted the subcontractors for the Joplin project to remove 18" of top soil from properties deemed to be "toxic" and they were simply taking that top soil and DUMPING IT ELSEWHERE WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS. When approached for explanation, their answer was, "We just do what we are told." Once again, this is a case of LOOK TO THE MONEY!
ReplyDelete10:26, I have no doubt that there is at least some degree of waste, corruption, or both in nearly every government agency, and I am not doubting your example. However, I think your "look to the money" advice might lead you to the enormous amount of income that primarily large industries stand to gain from scaling back regulation. You might also find enormous contributions to fight EPA regulations from individuals like the Koch brothers and other billionaires that stand to gain the most from weakening the EPA.
ReplyDeleteAs ridiculous as some of the EPA regulations may seem, I would rather put my trust in that agency than a bunch of politicians when it comes to environmental safety. Although people are quick to jump on the "too much government" bandwagon, I have to believe that most aren't willing to sacrifice their health and safety just so this congressman can say he introduced a bill.
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