Environmental regs make a lot of sense

 Representatives of big business and some politicians oppose regulations they claim are impediments to free enterprise and economic growth. The Environmental Protection Agency is under unrelenting attack.

Recently, H.R. 2273 passed the House by a vote of 267 to 144. This legislation would block the EPA’s attempt to set the first-ever federal regulations on coal ash. This despite a recent study demonstrating federal coal ash regulations would create 28,000 new jobs each year.

Sound strange? It shouldn’t. Five rules that increased light bulb efficiency, reduced sulfur dioxide emissions, protected workers from cancer-causing vinyl chloride emissions, stopped emissions of ozone layer-destroying chlorofluorocarbons and improved the energy efficiency of home appliances all inspired innovations that saved consumers billions and protected public health. The Office of Management and Budget said this year that benefits from regulations issued in the past decade have vastly outweighed their costs. Benefits ranged from $132 billion to $655 billion, compared to costs of $44 billion to $62 billion — on average, a 700 percent return on investment. Pass the regulations, please.