In an August 13 letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ says that consistent and transparent cost-benefit analysis can improve regulations and limit arbitrary and capricious decisions. The construction industry is extensively regulated by the agency; and EPA regulations account for most of the annual estimated benefits and costs of all major federal regulations. ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ urges the agency to apply cost-benefit analysis principles to the maximum extent possible under law and consider the full range of costs imposed on small businesses.
ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ highlights six rulemakings affecting construction where EPA’s cost benefit analysis is particularly troublesome. In these examples: the costs significantly outweighed the benefits; the analysis was performed with deficient data; the agency relied on non-quantified or indirect benefits to justify tighter controls; or the baseline assumptions about industry practices were outdated or ill-informed.
For more information, contact Leah Pilconis at pilconisl@agc.org.