Think of how much damage the EPA causes - now multiply that many times over for how small the EPA is compared to all of the other government regulatory agencies. And then think about all of the unintended consequences that we can't measure - all of the risks not taken, inventions not invented, new businesses not created, workers not hired - because of some obscure regulation somewhere inserted into the legal code by some special interest group.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) preemptive assessment of the Pebble Mine in Alaska could have a “chilling effect” on $220 billion in investments, according to the Brattle Group, an economic and financial consulting firm.
In May, the EPA released its watershed assessment of large-scale mining by Pebble LP at Bristol Bay, which could be one of the largest copper and gold mines in the world, and expressed concerns over impact the mine would have on local salmon habitats and surrounding wetlands.
Under the Clean Water Act, operations that dump “dredge or fill materials” into wetlands, rivers, lakes, or streams are required to obtain a Section 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The EPA can revoke this permit if there are “unacceptable adverse impacts on municipal water supplies, shellfish beds and fishery areas, wildlife, or recreational areas.”
However, the watershed assessment did not evaluate any actual plans for the Pebble Mine, as none have been put forward, instead it evaluates a hypothetical mine. Independent scientists have also expressed concerns over this approach and have said the assessment was rushed.
Read more:
http://dailycaller.com/2012/08/16/epa-actions-at-mine-could-hurt-220-billion-in-investments/
