I get a lot of flak from people when I say that we need regulatory reform. They think I want to roll back regulations that will make our water or air dirtier, or the work place less safe.
That is not it at all. Let me relate an example.I wrote in my last column about the high costs for permits for new construction and cited specifically the high sewer fees. In Reno, the current rules say that if a restaurant puts in a dishwasher, the permit will cost 35 “fixture units,” but a three-hole sink that can be substituted for a dishwasher is only four units. Each “fixture unit” is $264. That means a dishwasher permit is $9,240 versus $1,056 for a sink.
(Source: Reno Gazette – Journal, 10/17/12, “Less regulation and clean water,” by NFIB VA Director Randi Thompson)