← Defenders of Wildlife
EPANonrulemakingEPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190

Evaluation of Existing Regulations

RIN
—
Last modified
Apr 9, 2022
Comment window
closed 3361d ago
Defenders of Wildlife filings
1

Activity

Defenders of Wildlife filed 1 comment on this docket between May 31, 2017 and May 31, 2017. 481 other organizations filed here. The comment window closed 3361d ago.

What Defenders of Wildlife filed (1)

May 31, 2017· Comment submitted by Aimee Delach, Senior Policy Analyst, Defenders of Wildlife· EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190-38707

May 15, 2017 EPA Office of Regulatory Policy and Management 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Mail Code 1803A, Washington, DC 20460 Delivered via www.regulations.gov [Docket ID EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190] Dear Associate Administrator Dravis: On behalf of our 1.2 million members and supporters nationwide, Defenders of Wildlife would like to express our strong support for the work of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implementing the nation's laws protecting our air, water, climate and health, and to oppose the haphazard effort to dismantle these protections represented by the "Evaluation of Existing Regulations" proposal (Docket ID EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190). As an organization dedicated to the protection of America's native plants and animals and the habitats on which they depend, we recognize that our treasured natural heritage, as well as the well-being of people across the country, depends upon the maintenance and improvement of environmental quality. The body of environmental lawenacted over the past 50 years in most cases with bipartisan consensus and enduring public supportas well as the regulations implementing those laws, are fundamental safeguards that we all rely on. Far from "appropriate for repeal, replacement, or modification," these laws and regulations are crucial to the health and safety of all Americans, as well as to our precious biological diversity. An exhaustive list of critically important laws and regulations that must not be weakened or repealed is beyond the scope of these comments, so we will only touch on a few of our most important laws. Through the Clean Air Act and other statutes, the EPA oversees setting and enforcing standards to reduce the release lung-damaging soot and particulate matter; nitrogen and sulfur gases that contribute to damaging acid rain; and of setting standards for fuel economy, appliance efficiency, and power plants and factories, with the intent to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases that are altering our climate and bringing catastrophic damage to health, life and property, as well as remaking our forests, grasslands and other habitats. Additional vital laws and regulations like the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act protect our rivers, streams, aquifers and drinking water by monitoring and regulating pollutants like lead, sewage, chemicals and radiation. No living thing can survive without clean water, and if anything, the EPA should be enhancing its efforts to protect water, whether that be in our homes, small streams and ponds, great rivers and lakes, or our important estuary and coastal systems. The EPA is also in charge of determining the safety of and proper use pesticides and rodent poisons, which, if mishandled or misused can be deadly to important pollinators and predator species, not to mention those applying these chemicals or living nearby. Last but certainly not least, the National Environmental Policy Act is one of the most important laws administered by the EPA: it creates a framework and process by which federal agencies must consider the impacts of their actions on the environment, and helps ensure that our investments in infrastructure and management don't overlook critical and costly considerations to health and welfare. The Environmental Protection Agency is one of the most important offices in all of government, due to the vast scope and nature of the resources it protects. We urge you to abandon the arbitrary and capricious approach to regulatory reform envisioned by this docket, and to strengthen the EPA's mission to science-based protection of human health and the environment. Sincerely, Aimee Delach, Senior Policy Analyst Defenders of Wildlife 1130 17th St NW Washington DC 20036

View on regulations.gov →

Abstract

Executive Order 13777, issued 2/24/17, directs agencies to establish a Regulatory Reform Task Force to oversee the evaluation of existing regulations to make recommendations about potential repeal, replacement, or modification.

View on regulations.gov →

Co-filers (481)

See everyone who commented →
Evaluation of Existing Regulations (EPA) — Defenders of Wildlife | OpenPolis