A post from the liberal North Carolina Progressive Pulse reveals a bizarre take on SB 781, the Regulatory Reform Act:
New research has revealed that emperor penguins move around within their huddles to ensure that in the bitter Antarctic cold each bird gets a turn in the warmth of the inner circle. Just like penguins protect their own, Governor Perdue can protect the residents of North Carolina by rejecting legislation to bring state environmental protections down to the federal minimum. SB 781 claims to increase regulatory efficiency to balance job creation and environmental protection. But environmental advocates argue that it is among the most destructive bills in this session and will eliminate key environmental and public health protections. The legislation adds more bureaucracy to changing state regulations, making it more difficult for public participation in the process. Governor Perdue – Stand up to polluters and greed – veto the Regulatory Reform Act. Emperor penguins protect their own – so should we.
Who are the penguins? What does the icy wind represent? Are North Carolina business owners penguins who need to take turns facing the wrath of unaccountable bureaucracy? Or does Governor Perdue need to face the icy anger of voters for potentially vetoing a common sense measure that will help create a stable regulatory environment for job creators?
Regardless of the point this analogy was attempting to make, this Progressive Pulse blog post reveals some major misconceptions on SB 781. This bill will only prevent bureaucrats from issuing rules without a mandate from the federal government or the General Assembly. Our elected officials are still free to enact any environmental legislation they feel is needed.
Not only would this bill restore authority to directly accountable legislators and the Governor, but it would also accomplish a major priority for the North Carolina business community. Regulators have issued over 15,000 regulations over the last decade, an average of over four new rules every day, undermining the certainty that companies need to plan and invest for the future. This legislation also streamlines the process for business interacting with regulators, and requires state agencies to write in clear, unambiguous terms to reduce the costs of compliance.
The Regulatory Reform Act has passed the House and is waiting for likely concurrence in the Senate sometime before the session ends on Saturday. Hopefully, Governor Perdue will sign this legislation and rein in the regulators.
Leave a Comment