The House Small Business Committee today took a serious look at how rules from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) complied with the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA).  EPA regulations are important to protecting the public’s health, but by the same measure it’s important new rules don’t come at the expense of hardworking Americans while adding little or no value in protections.  A number of recent rules, like the Boiler MACT and Lead, Renovation, Repair and Painting (LRRP) rules have increased the cost of living for Americans in an already struggling economy.

The Regulatory Flexibility Act, which was passed last fall, outlines a number of practical measures to ensure needless regulations don’t come at the cost of small businesses and the public.  For example, it asks agencies to conduct cost-benefit analyses for new rules and to look at alternative options that still achieve the same goals for regulations that carry very expensive price tags.  These are ideas that make sense for Americans – most people live by the same principles everyday!

As our economy continues to struggle, we should be crafting policies that help small businesses succeed.  By proposing more and more new rules bureaucrats in Washington are making it harder for them to create the jobs we need.  A Gallup poll earlier this year found 85 percent of business owners polled weren’t hiring and nearly half cited regulations as the reason why.  Regulators should be creating policies that protect our communities and our job creators.

By working with the small business community, agencies can create policies that meet our regulatory needs and help small businesses operate more effectively.  The House Small Business Committee’s work today will help ensure future regulations will add value to the public and impose as few costs as possible.  Through such policies, we’ll be able to lay the framework for long-term economic recovery.