Perhaps they aren’t the only answers - but Iowa GOP Senator Chuck Grassley says three things could be done to get this economy turned around and get businesses large and small hiring again…
“One; get this deficit under control. Number two; stop the biggest tax increases in the history of the country from happening on December 31, 2012, and lastly a two-year moratorium on regulations.”
That last idea is one that more than 75 agricultural groups, farmer co-ops and agribusinesses have asked leaders of the House and Senate Ag Committees to suggest to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. Grassley says it does not mean undoing regulations already on the books…
“I don’t think it includes that at all, it only includes regulations that are proposed but haven’t gone into effect yet. And for agriculture one of those is a fugitive dust rule, that’s what we’re up against. The lack of common sense in thinking that a farmer combining soybeans can keep the dust from his combine within the confines of his property. I think it’s fair to say it’s not just agriculture, but a moratorium would help.”
Grassley says he would not favor an elimination of EPA - noting it’s important to have someone administer the rules that do exist. But he believes things could be done to make EPA more reasonable - which is why he’s co-sponsoring legislation to give Congress some say in certain regulation decisions…
“Any, what they call a major rule, which would be generally a rule that costs more than a hundred million dollars to the economy, any major rule, once it’s proposed couldn’t go into effect until it was adopted by congress. You know, we delegate this authority, and why wouldn’t it make sense, and maybe we don’t have the expertise to fill in the details, but once experts have had an opportunity to fill in the details and subject it to congressional review, and let us find out whether common sense has prevailed.”
Grassley says Congress could then consider the economic impact of the rule as well.
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