This morning, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson testified on Capitol Hill about regulations her agency is considering, has put in place, or enforced over the last few years. It's the latest in a series of hearings the House Energy and Commerce Committee held on what the committee's Republican majority call "harmful and onerous" government rules.
The EPA announced last week that it would miss a Sept. 30 deadline to issue new regulations for greenhouse gas emissions, and the Obama Administration in July put off a decision on a new national smog limit. Those were two of the main topics that the committee questioned Jackson about. The New York Post reported that Administrator Jackson "was on the verge of quitting" when the White House delayed the air pollution rule.
On Tuesday, the Attorney General of Kansas filed a lawsuit to stop the implementation of the Cross State Air Pollution Rule, designed to reduce emissions from power plants and other sources that cross state lines. The lawsuit says Kansas power companies won't be able to meet the January 1 deadline and spend the hundreds of millions it will take to meet the new standards.
The EPA explains on its website that it is a regulatory agency because Congress authorizes it to "write regulations that explain the technical, operational, and legal details necessary to implement laws...Regulations are mandatory requirements that can apply to individuals, businesses, state or local governments, non-profit institutions, or others."