{ "id": "R41561", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R41561", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 457940, "date": "2016-12-30", "retrieved": "2017-01-13T15:46:19.908492", "title": "EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?", "summary": "Since Barack Obama was sworn in as President in 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed and promulgated numerous regulations to implement the pollution control statutes enacted by Congress. Critics have reacted strongly. Some, both within Congress and outside of it, have accused the agency of reaching beyond the authority given it by Congress and ignoring or underestimating the costs and economic impacts and overestimating the benefits of proposed and promulgated rules. The House conducted vigorous oversight of the agency in the 112th and 113th Congresses, and approved several bills that would overturn specific regulations or limit the agency\u2019s authority. Particular attention was paid to the Clean Air Act, but there also was congressional scrutiny of other environmental statutes and regulations implemented by EPA. With Republican majorities in both the House and Senate, the 114th Congress accelerated oversight of the Administration\u2019s initiatives and renewed efforts to limit EPA\u2019s regulatory activities.\nEnvironmental groups and other supporters of the agency disagree that EPA has overreached. Many of them believe that the agency has, in fact, moved in the right direction, including taking action on significant issues that had been long delayed or ignored in the past. In several cases, environment and public health advocates would have liked the regulatory actions to be stronger.\nEPA has stated that critics\u2019 focus on the cost of controls obscured the benefits of new regulations, which, it estimates, far exceed the costs. It maintains that pollution control is an important source of economic activity, exports, and American jobs. Further, the agency and its supporters have said that EPA is carrying out the mandates detailed by Congress in the federal environmental statutes.\nThis report provides background information on EPA regulatory activity during the Obama Administration to help address these issues. It examines major or controversial regulatory actions taken by or under development at EPA from January 2009 to late 2016, providing details on the regulatory action itself, presenting an estimated timeline for completion of rules not yet promulgated (including identification of related court or statutory deadlines), and, in general, providing EPA\u2019s estimates of costs and benefits, where available. \nThe report also discusses factors that affect the time frame in which regulations take effect, including statutory and judicial deadlines, public comment periods, judicial review, and permitting procedures, the net results of which are that existing facilities are likely to have several years before being required to comply with most of the regulatory actions under discussion. Unable to account for such factors, which will vary from case to case, timelines that show dates for proposal and promulgation of EPA regulations effectively underestimate the complexities of the regulatory process and overstate the near-term impact of many of the regulatory actions.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R41561", "sha1": "4eaaac1f219805ad222687f0b49e07a0cc394573", "filename": "files/20161230_R41561_4eaaac1f219805ad222687f0b49e07a0cc394573.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R41561", "sha1": "cae97827c33d40daa0f2999e1f1aeddd72b225de", "filename": "files/20161230_R41561_cae97827c33d40daa0f2999e1f1aeddd72b225de.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4750, "name": "Air Quality" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4781, "name": "Economic Impacts of Environmental Regulation" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4814, "name": "Environmental Review & Policy" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4816, "name": "Rulemaking & Judicial Review" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4842, "name": "Climate Change" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4907, "name": "Energy Policy" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4929, "name": "Water Quality" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 449640, "date": "2016-02-09", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T17:13:38.604713", "title": "EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?", "summary": "Since Barack Obama was sworn in as President in 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed and promulgated numerous regulations to implement the pollution control statutes enacted by Congress. Critics have reacted strongly. Many, both within Congress and outside of it, have accused the agency of reaching beyond the authority given it by Congress and ignoring or underestimating the costs and economic impacts of proposed and promulgated rules. The House conducted vigorous oversight of the agency in the 112th and 113th Congresses, and approved several bills that would overturn specific regulations or limit the agency\u2019s authority. Particular attention has been paid to the Clean Air Act, but there has also been congressional scrutiny on other environmental statutes and regulations implemented by EPA. With Republican majorities in both the House and Senate, the 114th Congress has accelerated oversight of the Administration\u2019s initiatives and renewed efforts to rein in EPA.\nEnvironmental groups and other supporters of the agency disagree that EPA has overreached. Many of them believe that the agency is, in fact, moving in the right direction, including taking action on significant issues that had been long delayed or ignored in the past. In several cases, environment and public health advocates would like the regulatory actions to be stronger.\nEPA states that critics\u2019 focus on the cost of controls obscures the benefits of new regulations, which, it estimates, far exceed the costs. It maintains that pollution control is an important source of economic activity, exports, and American jobs. Further, the agency and its supporters say that EPA is carrying out the mandates detailed by Congress in the federal environmental statutes.\nThis report provides background information on EPA regulatory activity during the Obama Administration to help address these issues. It examines major or controversial regulatory actions taken by or under development at EPA since January 2009, providing details on the regulatory action itself, presenting an estimated timeline for completion of rules not yet promulgated (including identification of related court or statutory deadlines), and, in general, providing EPA\u2019s estimates of costs and benefits, where available. The report includes tables showing which rules remain under development, and an Appendix describing major or controversial rules finalized since 2009.\nThe report also discusses factors that affect the timeframe in which regulations take effect, including statutory and judicial deadlines, public comment periods, judicial review, and permitting procedures, the net results of which are that existing facilities are likely to have several years before being required to comply with most of the regulatory actions under discussion. Unable to account for such factors, which will vary from case to case, timelines that show dates for proposal and promulgation of EPA regulations effectively underestimate the complexities of the regulatory process and overstate the near-term impact of many of the regulatory actions.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R41561", "sha1": "669fbe50df270728db087620e524d492e4f42846", "filename": "files/20160209_R41561_669fbe50df270728db087620e524d492e4f42846.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R41561", "sha1": "ef8bbffcc321f69c0808224a93a93e251bb40e66", "filename": "files/20160209_R41561_ef8bbffcc321f69c0808224a93a93e251bb40e66.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 258, "name": "Clean Air Act and Air Quality" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 3271, "name": "Rulemaking and the Regulatory Process" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc503384/", "id": "R41561_2015Jan08", "date": "2015-01-08", "retrieved": "2015-04-30T17:37:21", "title": "EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?", "summary": "This report provides background information on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory activity during the Obama Administration. It examines major or controversial regulatory actions taken by or under development at EPA since January 2009, providing details on the regulatory action itself, presenting an estimated timeline for completion of rules not yet promulgated (including identification of related court or statutory deadlines), and, in general, providing EPA's estimates of costs and benefits, where available. The report includes tables that show which rules remain under development, and an appendix that describes major or controversial rules that are now final.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20150108_R41561_9ebbea4735eb6a2011358a86742591a8acca98d1.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20150108_R41561_9ebbea4735eb6a2011358a86742591a8acca98d1.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental protection", "name": "Environmental protection" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Government regulation", "name": "Government regulation" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Water pollution control", "name": "Water pollution control" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Air pollution control", "name": "Air pollution control" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc333015/", "id": "R41561_2014Jul08", "date": "2014-07-08", "retrieved": "2014-08-27T12:47:05", "title": "EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?", "summary": "This report provides background information on EPA regulatory activity during the Obama Administration to help address these issues. It examines major or controversial regulatory actions taken by or under development at the Environmental Protection Agency since January 2009. The report includes tables that show which rules remain under development, and an appendix that describes major or controversial rules that are now final.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20140708_R41561_ab0d800321434b8eb3ebc44e23b60910d18a1432.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20140708_R41561_ab0d800321434b8eb3ebc44e23b60910d18a1432.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental protection", "name": "Environmental protection" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental law and legislation", "name": "Environmental law and legislation" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental risk assessment", "name": "Environmental risk assessment" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc462573/", "id": "R41561_2014Mar19", "date": "2014-03-19", "retrieved": "2014-12-05T09:57:41", "title": "EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?", "summary": "This report provides background information on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory activity during the Obama Administration to help address these issues. It examines major or controversial regulatory actions taken by or under development at EPA since January 2009, providing details on the regulatory action itself, presenting an estimated timeline for completion of the rule (including identification of related court or statutory deadlines), and, in general, providing EPA's estimates of costs and benefits, where available. The report includes tables that show which rules remain under development, and an appendix that describes major or controversial rules that are now final.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20140319_R41561_0650f3c52052bdd8e5c826dc55344d33553da663.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20140319_R41561_0650f3c52052bdd8e5c826dc55344d33553da663.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental protection", "name": "Environmental protection" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental policy", "name": "Environmental policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental law and legislation", "name": "Environmental law and legislation" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc272014/", "id": "R41561_2013Dec12", "date": "2013-12-12", "retrieved": "2014-02-03T19:46:03", "title": "EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?", "summary": "This report provides background information on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory activity during the Obama Administration to help address these issues. It examines major or controversial regulatory actions taken by or under development at EPA since January 2009, providing details on the regulatory action itself, presenting an estimated timeline for completion of the rule (including identification of related court or statutory deadlines), and, in general, providing EPA's estimates of costs and benefits, where available. The report includes tables that show which rules remain under development, and an appendix that describes major or controversial rules that are now final.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20131212_R41561_5db44ba0b01b374fc010c084e3f99201667ccb10.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20131212_R41561_5db44ba0b01b374fc010c084e3f99201667ccb10.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental protection", "name": "Environmental protection" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental policy", "name": "Environmental policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental law and legislation", "name": "Environmental law and legislation" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc820691/", "id": "R41561_2013Apr05", "date": "2013-04-05", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20130405_R41561_d95544d8c30071ff0117d0560c1bebb774bd068d.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20130405_R41561_d95544d8c30071ff0117d0560c1bebb774bd068d.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc122204/", "id": "R41561_2012Oct05", "date": "2012-10-05", "retrieved": "2012-11-30T09:28:34", "title": "EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?", "summary": "This report provides background information on recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory activity to help address concerns surrounding its power. It examines 45 major or controversial regulatory actions taken by, or under development at, the EPA since January 2009, providing details on the regulatory action itself, presenting an estimated timeline for completion of the rule, and, in general, providing EPA's estimates of costs and benefits, where available. The report also discusses factors that affect the timeframe in which regulations take effect, including statutory and judicial deadlines, public comment periods, judicial review, and permitting procedures, the net results of which are that existing facilities are likely to have several years before being required to comply with most of the regulatory actions under discussion.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20121005_R41561_6d5a34f1fe04ce87b17d009db66fd8f945e12017.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20121005_R41561_6d5a34f1fe04ce87b17d009db66fd8f945e12017.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Executive departments", "name": "Executive departments" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental protection", "name": "Environmental protection" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental policy", "name": "Environmental policy" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc85388/", "id": "R41561_2012Apr25", "date": "2012-04-25", "retrieved": "2012-06-06T14:34:05", "title": "EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?", "summary": "This report examines 40 major or controversial regulatory actions taken by or under development at EPA since January 2009, providing details on the regulatory action itself, presenting an estimated timeline for completion of the rule and provides the EPA's estimates of costs and benefits where available. It provides background information on recent EPA regulatory activity to help address issues raised by this activity, as well as factors that will affect the timeframe in which these regulations will take place.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20120425_R41561_a56a1ddc6ecf1ca840b85159d13b72c14a16a35c.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20120425_R41561_a56a1ddc6ecf1ca840b85159d13b72c14a16a35c.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental protection", "name": "Environmental protection" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental law and legislation", "name": "Environmental law and legislation" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental policy", "name": "Environmental policy" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc816961/", "id": "R41561_2011Sep15", "date": "2011-09-15", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20110915_R41561_6415f88d8500fd7f40a83e6b122d79e729b4da2b.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20110915_R41561_6415f88d8500fd7f40a83e6b122d79e729b4da2b.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc98962/", "id": "R41561_2011Mar21", "date": "2011-03-21", "retrieved": "2012-08-31T21:48:36", "title": "EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?", "summary": "This report provides background information on recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rulemaking to help address dissenting concerns from critics and the EPA. It examines 43 major or controversial regulatory actions taken by or under development at EPA since January 2009. The report also discusses factors that affect the timeframe in which regulations take effect.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20110321_R41561_241580572d1ee4aa248f21d89ad16b0d2e20ecdc.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20110321_R41561_241580572d1ee4aa248f21d89ad16b0d2e20ecdc.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental protection", "name": "Environmental protection" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental law and legislation", "name": "Environmental law and legislation" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental policy", "name": "Environmental policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Obama Administration", "name": "Obama Administration" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Energy Policy", "Environmental Policy" ] }