Who is in the Driver's Seat?

I always thought that elected officials and civil servants were there to serve the voters within their jurisdiction whether at the local, state, or federal level. Part of that understanding was when elections did not result in a decisive win for one of the political parties, then the winning party would take extra care to consider and accommodate the opposing party views when proposing new legislation.

Today the party in power, even with the slimmest of majorities, appears driven to jam legislation through congress based on ideology or rhetorical promises made rather than on any consensus or even voter input. If they can’t get it passed in Congress, they resort to a not-so-secret weapon, the federal bureaucracy.

When unleashed, a federal agency can find very creative ways to institute policies or agendas that defy logic and are often completely out-of-step with the wishes of the voters or the legislature. One of the most obvious and arguably the most dangerous of these is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Under the current administration, the EPA has redoubled its efforts to issue new, ever more restrictive regulations while frantically attempting to reverse every regulatory change not to their liking that was put in place by prior administrations. Some examples include:

·         The EPA has once again expanded its definition of Waters of the US (WOTUS) over which it has jurisdiction. The original EPA pollution control legislation used the term “navigable waters” to define the extent of the EPA’s jurisdiction. Now the agency has vastly expanded WOTUS to include non-navigable lakes, streams, “relatively permanent (temporary?)” bodies of water, and other wetlands. You might need a permit to drain that mudpuddle in your back yard!

·         Another new EPA ruling was issued effective April 12, 2022, permitting the sale of gasoline containing up to 15% ethanol during summer months. (Prior limit was 10%). Blending ethanol with gasoline allegedly lowers production costs in making ethanol-based gasoline, despite limited and questionable evidence to support this supposed cost saving. There is no apparent consideration of the downside costs of these ethanol mixtures. The damages caused are like those resulting from pouring water into your gas tank. Its worth noting that farmers benefit significantly from this new ruling since they produce the crops (primarily corn) used to produce ethanol.

·         The EPA is currently developing more stringent emissions standards for heavy-duty diesel engines, especially for heavy trucks and buses in support of future “emissions free” cities and towns. The key beneficiaries will be the electric vehicle industry.

·         The most daring change of all may be the EPA’s overturning of the prior administration’s rule change that required a cost/benefit analysis before implementing any rule changes. The EPA no longer needs to consider the cost/benefit implications of any rule changes or even the overall harm any rule change may cause. It’s a car wreck in the making.

Air that’s cleaner than clean, water that’s clearer than any ever found in nature, go ahead.

We all know of children raised with a similar lack of discipline and respect. It didn’t turn out well, did it?

Our elected representatives need to set the direction for our nation and assure the rules are set accordingly. Leaving rulemaking to the pack of bureaucrats tucked away in the many corners of Washington is unacceptable and must be changed. If our representatives can’t or won’t do this on their own, then we need to show them the way.

Our constitution provides a way to regain control over this bloated and unresponsive federal bureaucracy. Article V allows for the state legislatures to call for a convention of states to propose amendments to the constitution, amendments designed to rein in the excessive power and breadth of our federal government.

You can support these efforts by getting involved with the Convention of States, an organization dedicated to reigning in the excesses of the Federal government by imposing fiscal restraints on the federal government, limiting the powers and jurisdictions of the federal government and its agencies, and imposing term limits on government officials and members of Congress.

Learn more about this at the Convention of States website. Take action by signing the petition. Get involved. Volunteer your time and talent as part of America's largest grassroots army.

Let’s continue to build momentum and rally against the cancerous growth of our federal government and the resulting insidious erosion of our basic rights and freedoms.