Smith appointed to House Republican Regulatory Burden Taskforce

U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), chairman of the Science, Space and Technology Committee, will serve on the House Republican’s Regulatory Burden Taskforce, which seeks to identify how the party can block regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), among other federal entities.

“Under the Obama administration the number and cost of government regulations has skyrocketed, killing jobs and costing the American economy billions of dollars per year,” Smith said. “Hardworking families want their leaders in Washington to cut regulatory red tape and put America back on a path to growth and prosperity. I am pleased the Speaker has selected the Science Committee to help lead a taskforce that will find ways to reduce the burden of costly and unnecessary regulations.”

House Republican leaders were responsible for appointing taskforce members, who, according to the Speaker’s Office, will work to protect the environment and public health while promoting American investment, production and manufacturing.

“Everyone agrees that we need to protect the environment, but we must do so in a way that is open and honest," Smith said. "Unfortunately, the EPA and other federal agencies bend the law and stretch the science to justify their own objectives. Despite heavy and growing public opposition to these proposals, the Obama administration is actively going around Congress to commit the U.S. to costly new regulations that will do nothing to improve the environment but will negatively impact economic growth.”