Business groups brace for deluge of regs

Business groups are bracing for an onslaught of regulations, with the Obama administration bent on completing a host of the president’s unfinished policy goals and the midterm elections now in the rearview mirror. Agencies across federal government are expected to drop a host of major rules over the next few months, with regulations running the gamut from calorie label requirements on restaurant menus to new rules for hydraulic fracturing and air pollution. There are at roughly two dozen major rules that are scheduled to drop between now and late January, according to a review of the administration’s official regulatory agenda and rules now awaiting approval at the White House. Groups including the Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and the American Petroleum Institute said they are most concerned by expected costs associated with a slate of rules now in the pipeline at the Environmental Protection Agency. “The EPA’s regulatory march is very concerning to the business community,” said Matt Letourneau, spokesman for the Chamber’s energy institute. "We’re fighting these regulations,” he added. "We’re trying to encourage EPA to listen to our concerns. We’re hoping EPA backs off or changes course.” Environmental and public health groups are urging the administration on, arguing that the public’s wellbeing should come ahead of industry concerns. Meanwhile, other regulatory agencies like the Food and Drug Administration and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are preparing to drop their own set of rules that have business groups scrambling. The FDA’s menu labeling rules could shake the restaurant industry. Under the plan, eateries could be required to post calorie counts on menus, which they say would cost the industry billions of dollars. The rules would also affect delis and bakeries at grocery stores. Also potentially coming any day are BLM regulations for hydraulic fracturing, requiring companies to disclose the chemicals they use while drilling for natural gas, experts say. “Fracking has a major impact on the landscape and can pose risks to water and air quality,” Goldston said...more