Byrne blasts burdensome EPA regulations: ‘This is entirely the wrong approach’

(Video Above: Congressman Bradley Byrne speaks in favor of clarifying and rolling back burdensome regulations)

WASHINGTON — Representative Bradley Byrne (R-AL1) called on Congress Wednesday to roll back some of the burdensome regulations instituted by the executive branch over the last several years, saying his “constituents are drowning in red tape and are forced to spend too much money and time complying with burdensome regulations.”

Speaking on the U.S. House floor in favor of the Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Regulation Act and the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 which would each clarify and consolidate a patchwork of regulations and administrative rulings, Byrne advocated simplifying the litany of regulations Americans must follow when conducting their lives.

“A lot of people in Washington think that they know best,” Rep. Byrne began. “So these bureaucrats get in a room and they start scheming on how they can solve all these problems. And their answer is almost always that we need more rules and regulations.

“Mr. Speaker, this is entirely the wrong approach. This kind of top-down, Washington knows best strategy is not working and it is putting a real burden on my constituents in Alabama and people all over the country.”

Byrne said he is particularly familiar with the costs of these regulations due to the high summertime heat experienced by his district.

“Being from Alabama, I know a thing or two about both of these topics. Anyone who has ever spent time in lower Alabama during July or August knows just how hot it can get. So that means families have to spend a pretty penny on their power bills during the summer months.

“Well, under the Obama administration’s EPA, regulations on the energy sector have skyrocketed. The costs from these regulations are most certainly passed on to the consumer in the form of higher power bills and the compliance burdens associated with these regulations are making it harder and harder for utilities to deliver reliable power to their customers.”

The Congressman continued, explaining that the uncertainty brought about by ever-changing regulations is compounded by the way federal judges across the country are often left to interpret their enforcement—sometimes leaving a regulation enforced differently in different regions.

“From small business owners to rural electric cooperatives to family farmers, people shouldn’t have to spend precious time and money figuring out how to comply with regulations,” Byrne concluded. “Instead, here in Congress, we should be focused on getting government out of the way and allowing the American people to actually do their job, and that’s what both of these bills do.”