Key Vote Letter on Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:

          The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region, strongly supports several regulatory policy related provisions of H.R. 2584, the “Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012,” which reflect important steps by Congress to reassert its inherent authority over federal regulatory agencies run amok.

          An unbalanced regulatory process has led to an unprecedented increase in major, economically significant regulations—some of which are harming the economy and inhibiting job creation—and to a major erosion of the carefully calibrated constitutional system of checks and balances that is the foundation of America’s system of government. H.R. 2584 is needed to restore balance and accountability to the regulatory process.

           The federal agency where this problem is most pronounced—and where H.R. 2584 would have the greatest impact—is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This agency has generated significant controversy in recent years by issuing a series of one-sided, politically-charged regulations which have effectively usurped Congress’s role in establishing environmental and energy policy. EPA routinely ignores the impact of its actions on jobs and the economy, and despite increased oversight continually issues large, burdensome, and complex regulations on what seems like a weekly basis. H.R. 2584 would halt EPA’s most egregious and harmful regulations and guidance, and would require the agency to perform a comprehensive analysis of the economic and job impacts of its recent actions.

          Regulatory overreach is by no means limited to EPA, and the Chamber also supports provisions of H.R. 2584 that would address serious policy-related shortcomings of domestic energy policy manifest in several Department of Interior programs. In particular, H.R. 2584 would ensure that barriers to domestic energy exploration—especially in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska—are reexamined in a manner that offers increased energy security, job creation, and economic growth as well as safety and environmental protection.

          The Chamber strongly opposes any amendments to H.R. 2584 that would weaken or otherwise undo these important policy related provisions. In particular, the Chamber opposes any amendments that would seek to impose punitive taxes on the oil and gas sector. History has proven that such legislation increases energy and transportation costs, and leads to greater reliance on foreign energy sources.

          The Chamber will consider including votes on, or in relation to, these important policy issues—including votes on amendments—in our annual How They Voted scorecard.

Sincerely,

R. Bruce Josten