AF&PA, AWC Call for Regulatory Transparency

In testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the American Forest & Paper Association (Washington, D.C., USA) and American Wood Council (Leesburg,Va.) both called for federal agencies to implement stronger good guidance practices and benefit-cost analysis to ensure agency guidance and regulations do more good than harm. Paul Noe, VP for public policy for both associations, testified as one of five panelists at the Capitol Hill hearing - "Shining Light on the Federal Regulatory Process." The full text of his testimony can be found online.

 

Donna Harman, president and CEO of AF&PA, stated that "a transparent and accountable federal regulatory process supports efficient and sound government, promotes the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing and job creation, and enhances societal well-being.  These valuable principles can be reinforced through strong good guidance practices, more rigorous cost-benefit analysis, and greater transparency of the information supporting regulatory decision making. We thank the committee for providing a platform to identify problems and discuss solutions to improve the federal regulatory process for the good of our nation, its economy and its citizens." 

 

Robert Glowinski, president and CEO of AWC, noted that "agency guidance documents can provide important direction to regulatory programs. However, like the programs themselves, guidance documents can nonetheless have significant impact and should be developed through a transparent and accountable process. Moreover, agencies should ensure they implement their regulatory statutes to do more good than harm, as every president has ordered them to do over 37 years.

 

AWC thanks the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for the opportunity to discuss good guidance practices. We continue to support a smarter, more cost-effective regulatory process."