Regulatory Rules Strain Businesses

Jeff Landin, president of the Wisconsin Paper Council, recently authored an op-ed piece for the Post Crescent discussing the impact of the EPA’s proposed emissions standards for boilers and solid waste incinerators on Wisconsin businesses.

The piece highlights the staggering cost of the proposed rules, more than $670 million, which will be borne by businesses. Landin points out that the forest products industry will be on the hook for almost $500 million at a time when the industry is already facing struggling economy.

The broader point made by the article is the importance of regulatory actions and rules. Though legislatures craft the broad ideas governing our society, it is the agencies that implement the statutory language, putting the all important “meat on the bone.” The wider public may not be knowledgeable about the impact of rule-making, making them less likely to engage in the process. This makes it that much more important for business and industry leaders to closely track government rule-making.

(This post was authored by Hamilton Consulting Group's intern, Emily Kelchen, a third year law student at the University of Wisconsin Law School.)