Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. letter to J. S., August 19, 1996

Congress of tfjc (Lliutcij States ©oust of ftcprtscntantjts (ESldSfjington, tDC 20515-2002 August 19, 1996 Dear Thank you for contacting me regarding your support of H. R. 3519, the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1996. As you know, fighting overregulation has been one of my top priorities since coming to Congress. Though well-intentioned, many of the nation’s environmental laws have imposed thousands of costly regulations and mandates on the nation’s businesses. The number of pages in the Federal Register, the publication in which new regulations are listed, reached 64,914 pages in 1994, the most since Jimmy Carter was President. The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 were a generous contributor to this increased number of pages. Federal intervention into environmental issues began in the early 1970s because of perceived, immediate threats to public health and safety. Over the years EPA and Congress have drifted away from that specific goal, choosing instead to pursue costly regulatory solutions to less clear-cut problems. I believe we must preserve law that have been proven to be absolutely necessary to safeguarding the public’s health. At the same time, we must compel federal agencies to live within their original legislative mandate. H. R. 3519 is currently pending in the House Commerce Committee. No hearings have yet been scheduled. I will keep your views in mind as this bill progresses through the legislative process. Once again, thanks for writing. Feel free to contact me again if I may be of assistance. Sincerely, Robert L /Ehrlich, Jr. Member of Congress