OpenMarket

The Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency on March 31 announced their SAFE Vehicles Rule.The rule plus the revocation of the California waiver is a huge win for auto buyers and drivers, but it should and could have gone much further in increasing consumer choice.

As hospitals struggle to access sterile medical supplies, the EPA Inspector General released a report that could make things worse. It alleges that EPA officials failed to warn people of cancer risks associated with ethylene oxide emissions from medical sterilization plants—a claim that holds no water. The IG’s allegations are based on flawed science and could undermine operations at these facilities.

To fight the coronavirus, many states have pressed pause on certain rules and regulations. Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed an order lifting the state ban on home alcohol delivery. This was a pragmatic move, yet that pragmatism hasn’t been extended to e-cigarettes, which are a viable option for smoking cessation.

New York City made it through another winter without any serious natural gas shortages, but it may not be so lucky next year. National Grid is one of two companies that unsuccessfully sought approval for a new pipeline to bring much needed additional natural gas into the city. However, its project was rejected by the state in 2019, largely on climate change grounds.

House Democrats announced a coronavirus infrastructure response as part of a “phase 4” relief bill. A transportation infrastructure stimulus package makes no sense as a response to the current pandemic. It won’t boost the economy and we still have no idea how the coronavirus will impact travel behavior—and no idea what our long-run infrastructure priorities should be.

In a new Washington Examiner op ed, CEI Senior Fellow Ryan Young proposes a Regulatory Reduction Commission to act as a permanent watchdog to prevent #NeverNeeded regulations from hindering the next pandemic response.

The Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission will now allow some collaboration between companies to address the corona virus health threat. They also warned a frazzled business community that certain practices could still land them in antitrust hot water. The uncertainty will prevent some ideas from being tried and deny citizens the benefits of what could have been.

SEC Chairman Jay Clayton has proposed a set of regulations last fall that would bar many middle class investors from buying mutual funds and exchange-traded funds—financial products that have been on the market for nearly three decades. Instead of creating new red tape, Chairman Clayton should abandon these proposals and give all Americans the freedom to have a bite at the next Apple.

As the COVID-19 crisis ransacks our economy, the old adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” carries increasingly important wisdom. By any objective account, the American Internet and the companies that power it are performing nothing short of heroically during this crisis. Turning their temporary charitable efforts into an indefinite tax is the opposite of the reward they deserve.

Members of Congress pursuing compromise or bipartisan net neutrality legislation should think twice about regulating away certain practices as a priori harmful. Among the greatest harms of regulation are the beneficial market responses it often prevents and the innovations it precludes. It’s not just in times of crisis that citizens deserve the most possible flexibility and the greatest range of solutions.