Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Regulations in Relation to Small Businesses (view source)
Revision as of 16:59, 10 February 2016
, 16:59, 10 February 2016→EPA Evades RFA Act
==='''EPA Evades RFA Actthrough Clean Water Act'''=== "Taken from an article in [http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-budget/222374-bad-public-policy-hinders-small-business TheHill]:The impacts of such aggressive federal policies are typified by one regulation in particular. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed to vastly expand federal authority by redefining the "waters of the United States." The proposal would go well beyond "navigable waters" - the traditional domain of federal regulators - to include dry creek beds, standing water in fields, and ditches. If finalized, the rule would introduce stringent restrictions on the use of public and private land. For small business owners, farmers, and manufacturers, the change could require special permitting to expand their business, clear vegetation or modify their facilities. Any alteration to a federal "water," including those that are dry most of the year, could require costly and time-consuming permitting. A recent U.S. Supreme Court case cited the average cost of a permit to be $270,000. Violating the regulation would be punishable by fines of up to $37,500 per day. Even more troubling, the rule does not take into consideration the economic impact on small businesses. Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act, federal agencies must review the cost of a proposed rule on small business; the EPA, however, bypassed this requirement, suggesting the new rule not directly affect small businesses. Key members of Congress disagree, including both the House and Senate Small Business Committees. In comments to the EPA, we at the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) emphasized the proposed regulation "represents bad public policy because it increases regulatory burdens on small business landowners by expanding the jurisdictional reach of the Clean Water Act." We asked the EPA to withdraw the rule until the required comprehensive analysis is complete."
===Complexity Costs Money===
