Washington, D.C. – House Republican leaders today named Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) to a special taskforce that will address how the Republican party can work together to roll back regulatory burdens at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies.
Chairman Smith: “Under the Obama administration the number and cost of government regulations has skyrocketed, killing jobs and costing the American economy billions of dollars per year. Hardworking families want their leaders in Washington to cut regulatory red tape and put America back on a path to growth and prosperity. I am pleased the Speaker has selected the Science Committee to help lead a taskforce that will find ways to reduce the burden of costly and unnecessary regulations.
“Everyone agrees that we need to protect the environment, but we must do so in a way that is open and honest. Unfortunately, the EPA and other federal agencies bend the law and stretch the science to justify their own objectives. Despite heavy and growing public opposition to these proposals, the Obama administration is actively going around Congress to commit the U.S. to costly new regulations that will do nothing to improve the environment but will negatively impact economic growth. I look forward to working with my Republican colleagues to come up with solutions to reduce regulatory burdens on hardworking American families.”
In their announcement, the Speaker’s Office said that the goal of the taskforce is to make it easier to invest, produce, and build things in America with a regulatory system that reduces bureaucracy and eases the burden on small businesses and job creators, while still protecting the environment, public safety, and consumer interests.