Keelan: Regulatory fatigue has arrived

By Don Keelan

Steve Eder’s New York Times article published in the Dec. 30 Rutland Herald described how regulatory fatigue has overcome the operations at Indian Ladder Farms, in Altamont, New York. While the story describes an agricultural site in New York, it is quite relevant to Vermont.

Peter G. Ten Eyck II operates a 300-acre apple orchard south of Albany with his son and daughter. The 79-year-old apple grower is the fifth generation attempting to keep the family orchard sustainable.

In addition to all of the threats that an apple grower must contend with — weather, insects, lack of pollination, and a labor force at harvest time — Mr. Ten Eyck must also deal with multiple federal, state and county representatives at his orchard.

Between May and October, an extremely busy time for any apple grower, Mr. Ten Eyck has to spend time, show records, and answer questions from representatives of the EPA, OSHA, USDA, FDA, DOL and DHS. The government agents are at his farm to check on environmental issues, employee safety concerns, fruit sanitation issues, living conditions, and documentation and housing for the seasonal imported workforce.

Steve Eder notes in his piece that Mr. Ten Eyck is required to be in compliance with 17 federal regulations that contain over 5,000 restrictions and rules relevant to orchard agriculture. To stay in compliance takes time and money and has an immeasurable physical and emotional price, according to the orchard owner. Is it any wonder why the small farmer/orchard owner becomes fatigued and sells out to corporate agricultural giants?

There are many businesses in Vermont that are also experiencing regulatory fatigue imposed by state and federal agencies. If Gov. Phil Scott, House Speaker Mitzi Johnson and Senate President Tim Ashe, as well as our congressional leaders, are sincere about curtailing regulatory fatigue, they should listen to those who on a daily basis are required to comply with the thousands of pages of regulations.

I suggest that our leaders establish a meeting that has one representative from the following fields: medical, construction, tourism, manufacturing, farming, logging, transportation, finance/banking, food and energy, and have the individual representative describe the tomes of regulations they must adhere to in order not to be out of compliance, fined, jailed or put out of business.

In Vermont, most folks would like to see businesses, farms, tourism, and residential sites on a scale that fits into the Vermont sense of place. As Mr. Ten Eyck points out, this is no longer feasible when you must operate in today’s regulatory environment. He noted: “More of our fruits and vegetables will be grown by large domestic producers who can afford to comply with the regulations — at the expense of smaller competitors.”

I can attest to Ten Eyck’s statement. Forty years ago, my real estate developer partner testified before a committee of the Connecticut Legislature on strengthening that state’s condominium laws. A member of the committee had asked my partner what he thought of the proposed regulation and my partner responded by saying, “The proposed legislation is not stringent enough and should be made more so.” Asked why by the legislator, the response was such that one could hear a pin drop in the committee hearing room: “Because if you make the condominium regulations stronger you will eliminate my company’s competition, something I could never do legally but you can.”

No one is suggesting that we do away with regulations either at the federal or state level. What is being suggested is that a more common sense approach be adopted. That wherever possible, the regulations be streamlined and duplication eliminated. Also, those who are in the regulatory enforcement business adopt the mantra common sense there is more value in educating than regulating.

Don Keelan writes a bi-weekly column and lives in Arlington, Vermont.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Niklas Bildhauer

3 thoughts on “Keelan: Regulatory fatigue has arrived

  1. Mandates pushed onto our schools and businesses of every size are the exact definition of our out of control costs and delays for everything in human life.

    Every mandate means big costs, and more useless payroll for business, and more useless gov’t bureaucrats, producing reports, pounding numbers and creating NOTHING but chaos.

  2. For so many years liberals proclaimed that “the right wants to control everything in your life”. I have found that this is just one more case where liberals actually do what they accuse others of doing. It is the height of arrogance to assume that you know more than everyone else and must protect everyone from everything by controlling everything whether that be by law, rules, the courts, fines, or simply social pressure. Get government out of our lives and off of our backs and we can accomplish great things.

  3. Keelan,
    Vermont’s government wants to stick its nose into everything
    That means more programs and bureaucracy to gather data and churn out reports
    That means higher taxes, surcharges and fees.
    Theat leads to an anemic, near zero, real growth Vermont economy.
    Scott has to send the socialists packing.
    Flat line spending
    Merge departments and programs.
    Sunset programs
    Noinceases in existing taxes, fees and surcharges.
    No NEW taxes, fees, and surcharges

Comments are closed.