More Than 41,000 Comments Filed on EPA Regulations Repeal
The comment period is open until May 15, but some 41,000 comments already have been submitted as of May 2.
More than 41,000 comments have been filed as of the afternoon of May 2 in response to EPA's request for comments about regulations that may be appropriate for repeal, replacement, or modification. EPA published it April 13 and set the comment period to end on May 15.
The request was made in accordance with President Donald J. Trump's Executive Order 13777, "Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda."
To comment, visit www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190.
About 6,000 of the comments are posted in the docket folder so far. Many of them are anonymous comments, and most of those appear to ask that EPA maintain and enforce all of its regulations rather than eliminating any of them.
Issued Feb. 24, 2017, Executive Order 13777 established a federal policy "to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens" on the American people and directed federal agencies to establish a Regulatory Reform Task Force to evaluate existing regulations and make recommendations to the agency's head on their repeal, replacement, or modification. The order directs each task force to identify regulations that eliminate jobs or inhibit job creation; are outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective; impose costs that exceed benefits; create a serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with regulatory reform initiatives and policies; are inconsistent with the requirements of section 515 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriates Act, 2001; or derive from or implement executive orders or other presidential directives that have been subsequently rescinded or substantially modified.