A Washington that Works for You
During my time spent traveling around northern Missouri, there is one thing I continuously hear from constituents: people are frustrated that Washington acts as if it always knows what's best for them.
In the five years since President Obama took office, his administration has taken a historically aggressive approach towards regulating the private sector. Thousands of pages of regulations have been proposed or finalized under the Obama Administration, many of which target the energy sector. These regulations stifle innovation in the industry and increase our reliance on foreign oil. As I always say, America is an energy rich nation that acts like an energy poor nation. At a time when gas prices are again on the rise, these types of regulatory actions out of the White House only make the problem worse – and are a huge drag on our overall economy.
For example, last May, the Obama Administration began enforcing a rule that requires farmers and ranchers to prepare a spill containment plan for oil products stored on their property. The program requires oil storage facilities with a capacity of more than 1,320 gallons to make costly infrastructure improvements to reduce the possibility of oil spills. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation would bring more than 70 percent of farms into the regulatory net, costing farmers both time and money to comply. It is yet another example of the overly burdensome regulations we've come to expect from the EPA.
With this in mind, I helped introduce the Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship (FUELS) Act. This bill modifies the EPA's rule by raising its exemption levels for fuel storage capacity to better reflect the spill risk and financial resources of farms. The FUELS Act passed the House with bipartisan support earlier this month. With a common sense approach to regulations, we can avoid placing unneeded burdens on those who drive our nation's economy while still protecting Americans and our environment.
Washington needs to get back to working for Americans, rather than against them.
Sincerely,