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Austan Goolsbee, on Daily Show, Defends Regulations

Austan Goolsbee, outgoing Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, took to the Daily Show on Wednesday for one last sit-down with Jon Stewart. Stewart included a question on regulations (part 2, at 3:55), and Goolsbee gave a spirited defense:

Stewart: Does the president believe business is overregulated? Does he think we are bureaucratically so snafu-d and entangled that that is the problem with the economy right now?

Goolsbee: As a general matter, no. Though there certainly are individual things that could be done different and streamlined, where, you know, they have to submit paper forms, they can’t do it on the web, you know, things of this nature. But, the president said from way back when, being for rules of the road doesn’t make you anti-market. And in fact, what we saw in the financial system, what we saw in oil drilling in the Gulf, and a bunch of places, ripping up the rules of the road were devastating to business. It wasn’t just that it was bad for society, it was bad for those companies that nobody was following the rules of the road, because when you lose public trust you don’t have it.

Not bad for boiling it all down to a few sentences.

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Ben Somberg | August 4, 2011

Austan Goolsbee, on Daily Show, Defends Regulations

Austan Goolsbee, outgoing Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, took to the Daily Show on Wednesday for one last sit-down with Jon Stewart. Stewart included a question on regulations (part 2, at 3:55), and Goolsbee gave a spirited defense: Stewart: Does the president believe business is overregulated? Does he think we are bureaucratically so snafu-d […]

Matt Shudtz | August 4, 2011

IUR Update a Good Start, But a Missed Opportunity for Worker Health and Safety

On Tuesday, EPA finalized important revisions to its Inventory Update Rule (IUR), which is the federal government’s primary means of finding out what chemicals are being produced or used, where they’re being produced and used, and in what quantities. The revisions close up some major loopholes created by the Bush administration and should give the agency […]

Matt Shudtz | August 3, 2011

Draft Scientific Integrity Policies Due from Agencies; Progress Unclear

Today marks 90 days since the last milestone in the White House’s push toward improvements in federal agencies’ scientific integrity policies. Agencies that have made progress in this time ought to release their draft plans and open them to public comment.  From an outsider’s perspective, there hasn’t been much progress to evaluate recently. It’s something we’ve gotten […]

Shana Campbell Jones | August 1, 2011

Skipping Rulemaking Process with Backroom Fuel Economy Deal, White House Opened Itself to Darrell Issa’s Attack

Amy Sinden and Lena Pons explained in this space on Friday morning how the White House’s fuel economy deal with the auto industry bypassed the rulemaking process and the agency experts charged with determining the “maximum feasible” standard under the law. Late Friday, Rep. Darrell Issa, chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, […]

Aimee Simpson | July 29, 2011

EPA Moves Forward Toward Test Rule for BPA; Effects on Humans Still Primarily Outside Scope of Process

EPA made further progress this week in its efforts to move forward with a potential Bisphenol-A (BPA) Test Rule, publishing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) in the Federal Register. Overall this progress is good news, though it’s not without its flaws. EPA completed a draft of the ANPRM in December and sent it over […]

Amy Sinden | July 29, 2011

White House Flouts Agency Heads, Rolls Out Backroom Deal on Fuel Economy Standard

This post was written by Member Scholar Amy Sinden and Policy Analyst Lena Pons. This morning President Obama will make an announcement about upcoming fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission standards for passenger cars and light trucks for model years 2017-2025. The announcement will reference the Administration’s plan to propose a standard to reach 54.5 miles […]

James Goodwin | July 28, 2011

Amidst GOP Anti-Regulatory Budget Riders, a Familiar Plan for Paralysis by Analysis

House Republicans are fond of accusing the Obama Administration of trying to “regulate when it cannot legislate.” With a slight modification, a similar accusation can be hurled at House Republicans: They are trying to appropriate when they cannot legislate. This accusation has the benefit of actually being true. The Fiscal Year 2012 appropriations bill for the EPA and […]

Aimee Simpson | July 26, 2011

Holding its Legal (and Parental) Ground: EPA Responds to the American Chemistry Council’s Request for Correction of the BPA Action Plan

Being a parent is not easy, but some of the most difficult moments arise when you know what needs to be done to protect your child and your child has other sentiments. Call it a temper tantrum, a battle of wills, or disobedience, it all evokes a sense of frustration, exhaustion, and, let’s face it, self-doubt. There […]

Carl Cranor | July 25, 2011

Milward v. Acuity Specialty Products: How the First Circuit Opened Courthouse Doors for Wronged Parties to Present Wider Range of Scientific Evidence

In Daubert v. Merrell-Dow Pharmaceutical,  General Electric. v. Joiner, and Kumho Tire v. Carmichael the U.S. Supreme Court sought to bring principles for reviewing expert testimony in line with the Federal Rules of Evidence. The opinions sought  to ensure that legal arguments would better comport with the pertinent science needed for the legal cases at […]