[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 187 (Wednesday, December 7, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H8197]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              REGS AGENDA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Dakota (Mr. Berg) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BERG. Mr. Speaker, as I talk with North Dakotans, it's clear 
we're all frustrated with Washington.
  ObamaCare is a disastrous law that 70 percent of North Dakotans do 
not want. Unemployment remains unacceptably high, making it clear that 
President Obama's government stimulus did not work. Washington bailed 
out Wall Street while Main Street continues to suffer. And Washington 
persistently fails to uphold its responsibility to balance the budget.
  Meanwhile, the Obama administration continues to pursue overreaching 
regulations that create more redtape and uncertainty for North Dakota's 
families, farms, and small businesses. These burdensome regulations 
threaten job creation, and they are the biggest challenge facing our 
economy. We need to take serious steps today to halt the Obama 
administration's regulatory overreach.
  That's why I announced my REGS Agenda: Reduce the redtape; Empower 
the States; Grow the economy, and Stop President Obama's overreach.
  This agenda is the result of talking with North Dakotans and learning 
about the impact of senseless regulations on North Dakota's farmers, 
ranchers, and small businessmen.
  During my recent regulations tour, I spoke with energy providers who 
are concerned about the EPA's regional haze requirements that could 
cost North Dakota over $700 million just to comply. Farmers told me 
about the forever-changing fuel storage mandates that added new costs. 
And I heard how the new EPA regulations on gas generators could cost a 
North Dakota school district a quarter of a million dollars. This cost 
is not because they are using generators more than allowed; the cost is 
because the EPA simply doesn't like which hours they're using it.
  The REGS Agenda is also the product of feedback I've received from 
North Dakotans at 10 public town hall hearings I've held this year and 
through the countless emails, letters, and phone calls. The message was 
clear: Washington is not the solution, it's the problem.
  To get our economy moving again and our country back on track, 
President Obama and congressional leaders could learn a lot about how 
we do things in North Dakota. The REGS Agenda is also the product of 
legislation I've been working on. Last month, I introduced a bill that 
would rein in the Obama administration's Federal takeover of the State 
regional haze management, which threatens to create more business 
uncertainty and stifle job creation. It will also increase the energy 
costs for American families and small business. And today, I will 
proudly vote in support of the REINS Act, which is a much-needed 
measure to rein in this regulatory overreach.
  But this agenda is not simply the sum of this past year; it's also a 
path moving forward to rein in the overreaching, out-of-touch 
government regulations that burden small business, farms, and ranches 
each and every day. I will continue to add to this agenda to fight 
against the job-killing regulations that threaten small businesses' 
ability to create jobs and grow our economy.
  The number one thing we can do to get our economy back on track, to 
give small business certainty, to grow and create jobs, is to rein in 
President Obama's overbearing regulations. They're burdening job 
creation, and it adds more cost and more redtape. Through the REGS 
Agenda, I'll continue fighting to bring regulatory relief to the 
American people.

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