[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 7 (Wednesday, February 2, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 2, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                         EPA RUNNING ROUGHSHOD

  (Mr. THOMAS of Wyoming asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. THOMAS of Wyoming. Mr. Speaker, today we debate the elevation of 
EPA to a Cabinet level. There are some changes in the bill. However, 
they do not solve the growing problem of unfunded mandates and 
restrictive regulations based on questionable science. That is the 
discussion we ought to be having today. A strong cost/benefit analysis 
amendment such as the Johnston amendment in the Senate needs to be an 
integral part of any bill elevating EPA to Cabinet level.
  Without such a measure, which would fundamentally change the way the 
EPA does business, there is little reason to support Cabinet status. 
Instead of changing the sign on the door, we ought to be changing 
what's going on behind it.
  As I talk to folks in Wyoming, landowners, small business owners, and 
local officials alike, it has become obvious that the EPA is running 
rough-shod over folks. The perception is that EPA is not here to work 
with us, it is here to dictate to us.
  A loose horse is always looking for new pastures and, unfortunately, 
Congress has not done much to fence the EPA in. This Agency, many times 
at the direction of Congress, only increases its intrusion into our 
daily lives.
  Time does not permit me to list every example of this in Wyoming, but 
I can tell you every community has been affected in some way.
  A perfect example was when Kelly Walsh High School in Casper, WY, was 
closed down for over a year and a half. Students were forced to attend 
school in the evenings, sharing the other high school in town. Over $1 
million was spent to slay the ugly monster named asbestos. All this so 
the EPA could come back 1 year later and tell us they were wrong. Now 
they say it may be more dangerous to remove asbestos than to let it be.
  Certainly I see no track record that entitles EPA to even wider 
powers. We should be looking for ways to focus the power of the EPA, we 
should be demanding better methods and science, we should be 
eliminating unfunded mandates and we should be assessing the cost and 
benefit of environmental regulations. Elevating EPA to Cabinet level 
alone does not accomplish any of these goals.

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