McClaughry: How the administrative state works
My friend Dr. Donald Devine makes a good point about the workings of the Administrative State.
The government wants to take away your car
New proposed regulations on automobile emissions from the Environmental Protection Agency would require 60% of new car sales to be electric vehicles by 2030 and 67% by 2032, compared to the fewer than 6% that were on the road in 2022 — for no environmental benefit.
McClaughry: Another blow to the administrative state
In plain English, if you believe you are unfairly or extralegally regulated by a federal agency, you now have a constitutional right to have that dispute settled by an independent third party judge — not a judge employed by and accountable to the regulators.
Cost kerfuffle causes legislators to drop rental registry and do a study instead
Landlords would’ve had to register rental units in a statewide list under the original version of a bill moving through the Senate, but lawmakers backed away from the plan and now the bill would only commission a study of the idea.
Trash policy: Rising waste disposal fees are a growing threat to the environment
My local dump in Vermont now charges $9 per contractor bag for disposal. I want to protect the environment and always have, but at what point do dump fees become so high that people leave their household trash and old couch on the side of the road?
McClaughry: Deregulating Vermont in to ‘compact settlements’
The Climate Action Plan declares we must “support compact settlement patterns that contribute to the reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, enhance community and built environment resilience, and help conserve natural and working lands.” That requires channeling development into population centers where people can get around by cycling and walking, and no development anywhere else.
Secretary of state urges residential contractors to register with Office of Professional Regulation
Pursuant to a law passed by the legislature last year, residential contractors working in Vermont who perform $10,000 or more worth of work inclusive of labor and materials must register with OPR.
Governor, housing officials question proposed housing legislation
Ted Brady, executive director of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, said the legislation “ignores the largest obstacle” when it comes to housing creation, the state’s decades-old Act 250. The act is known as the state’s land and use act.
DEC: Spring construction projects must take measures to protect clean water
With the spring construction season ahead, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) wants to remind Vermonters about additional requirements to help protect the state’s waterways.
EPA proposal on methane emissions regulation backed by 21 states including VT
A coalition of 21 states and one city’s attorneys general are backing an EPA supplemental proposal that would regulate methane emissions in the oil and gas exploration industry.
McClaughry: Nuclear regulation’s perverse incentives
Devanney’s point applies in many types of government regulated activities. The regulator has to overregulate to protect his own position, no matter how senseless or costly the outcome.
Opinion: Americans can turn up the heat to save gas stoves
Recent debate regarding a potential ban of gas-fired stoves has provided a fresh example of the Biden administration’s callous regulatory bent. Public backlash, however, could cause them to put the notion on the back burner.