The Obama administration has brought a string of new regulations for industry and government, which officials say will save the country $3.1 billion long term. The savings are measured, for example, in reduced property damage and fewer deaths. From The New York Times:
I don’t want to put anyone out of business,” said Inez Tenenbaum, chairwoman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, who was appointed by Mr. Obama. “But if anything will help the marketplace, it is to make sure that people have confidence in the products that they buy.”
The Environmental Protection Agency has tightened rules on emissions and toxic discharges, while the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is seeking greater power to impose larger fines and criminal penalties on employers who endanger their workers. The Food and Drug Administration has also stepped up actions in recent years, especially in terms of warning companies about false or misleading advertising practices. FDA warning letters have increased 31 percent since 2008, and 50 percent since 2007.
Industry leaders and some administrators said tighter rules would choke markets. From The Times:
Anne M. Northup, a former Republican congresswoman from Kentucky whom Mr. Obama appointed to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said an excessive number of new mandates was harming the toy market.
“Companies who put products on store shelves that consumers want should not be treated like the enemy,” said in a statement explaining her vote in March against new agency guidelines for imposing larger fines. “I want the agency to be perceived by consumers as protecting them and by industry as a fair cop — not as a mindlessly punitive bureaucracy.”
