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Read. Follow. Verify.Senate Hearing on EPA Unfunded Mandates
Record date · January 1, 2016
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What This Bill Does
This document is a transcript of a 2016 Senate subcommittee hearing examining how EPA regulations impact the budgets of state, local, and tribal governments. The hearing focused on whether the EPA is complying with the s Reform Act () when creating new environmental rules.
The hearing addresses the financial burden placed on local taxpayers when the federal government requires state and local agencies to implement environmental regulations without providing the necessary funding to cover the costs.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
State, Local, and Tribal Governments
These entities are responsible for implementing EPA regulations and managing the associated compliance costs within their limited budgets.
Taxpayers
Local citizens often bear the financial burden of compliance costs passed down through local government budgets.
Key Facts
- The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) requires federal agencies to evaluate regulatory alternatives when a rule imposes $100 million or more in annual expenditures.
- UMRA mandates that agencies choose the most cost-effective alternative to meet regulatory goals without imposing unreasonable costs on smaller governments.
- The American Action Forum reported that the EPA finalized 163 regulations between 2009 and 2016, totaling $312.2 billion in regulatory costs.
- The number of EPA regulations triggering UMRA increased from 7 (between 2005-2008) to 19 (between 2009-2014).
Show all 5 facts
- The hearing was held on June 7, 2016, by the Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an unfunded mandate?
What does the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) require?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceFull breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Increase in UMRA-triggering rules
The data presented indicates a significant increase in the number of EPA regulations triggering UMRA requirements between the 2005-2008 period and the 2009-2014 period.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.govinfo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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