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  • Can Cost-Benefit Analysis of Environmental Policy Go Global? Cover

    Can Cost-Benefit Analysis of Environmental Policy Go Global?

    The use of cost-benefit analysis of environmental policy is spreading from the United States, where it has the longest tradition, to other parts of the globe. This paper discusses the challenges posed for cost-benefit analysis as it spreads, and how it can evolve to meet those challenges.

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  • Comments to EPA on Proposed Cooling Rules

    Policy Integrity submitted comments to the EPA on its proposed rules for cooling water intake structures, required under the Clean Water Act. These rules would affect practices at power plants that mean death for thousands of fish boiled or pinned by screens and intake pipes.

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  • Comments to EPA on Utility Mact and Utility NSPS

    The EPA released proposed regulations earlier this year in May to curb hazardous air pollutants, including mercury, from electric utility steam generating units (EGUs). Policy Integrity submitted comments today to the EPA on improving the efficiency of these rules, known as Utility MACT and Utility NSPS. They are both expected to be finalized later this year.

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  • Prevailing Academic View on Compliance Flexibility under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act Cover

    Prevailing Academic View on Compliance Flexibility under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act

    EPA will soon propose performance standards under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act for greenhouse gas pollution. Many argue that to be effective and efficient, the standards should incorporate compliance flexibility. This repport finds widespread agreement in the academic community that § 111 authorizes the use of many types of flexible approaches.

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  • Valuing the Clean Air Act Cover

    Valuing the Clean Air Act

    How Do We Know How Much Clean Air is Worth?

    EPA recently released a study evaluating the costs and benefits of amendments to the Clean Air Act between 1990 and 2020 to see what cleaner air means for human health and the economy. Holladay’s analysis of EPA’s numbers shows that they’re based on sound science.

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  • Letter to HHS on Proposed Transparency Reporting Rule

    Policy Integrity submitted a letter today to the Department of Health and Human Services on its upcoming Transparency Reporting rule, mandated by the Affordable Care Act of 2010. The rule would develop uniform disclosure standards for group health plans and health insurance issuers, requiring them to provide consumers with new, more detailed information on likely co-pays for particular plans or treatments; providers would also have to provide consumers with a document that summarizes benefits and explains coverage clearly in four pages or less.

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  • Comments on Preliminary Plans for Periodic Retrospective Reviews of Existing Regulations

    In January, President Obama issued a call for all federal agencies to review their existing regulations, looking for rules that had grown outdated, ineffective, or insufficient over time. Back then, there was much discussion over whether the move was a gift to business or a robust defense of strong protections even in a downturned economy.

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  • Dr. Adam Finkel Gives Congresional Testimony on Regulations

    Policy Integrity advisor Dr. Adam Finkel recently answered questions from Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) on regulations and their effect on jobs and businesses as part of testimony given during a House Committee on Small Business hearing.

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  • Long Overdue: EPA and Nitric Acid Plant Regulation Cover

    Long Overdue: EPA and Nitric Acid Plant Regulation

    Nitric acid plants emit dangerous air pollutants that cause illness and alter the climate. This report finds EPA long overdue on a regulatory revision and at risk of allowing major costs to be imposed on the American public.

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  • Letter to HUD on Proposed Homeownership Education Counseling Standards

    Policy Integrity submitted a letter today to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on its proposal to adopt the National Industry Standards for Homeownership Education Counseling as mandatory, industry-wide requirements. The new regulations would primarily function as a government-certified labeling program, comparable in some respects to the USDA’s National Organic Program or EPA’s Energy Star program. The standards represent a significant effort on part of the homeownership counseling industry to ensure quality and consistency nationwide and, by using them as a template, HUD has a head start on crafting regulations that could provide significant benefits to individuals and families looking to navigate the complex process of buying and financing a home.

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