Sen. Mike Lee: 'Who Else Would Like Once Again To Be Able to Buy

We support our Publishers and Content Creators. You can view this story on their website by CLICKING HERE.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) asks, “Who else would like once again to be able to buy “real” light bulbs, showerheads, and household appliances—i.e., these products as they existed before federal bureaucrats ruined them by forcing manufacturers to comply with rigid energy- and water-efficiency standards?”

Who else would like once again to be able to buy “real” light bulbs, showerheads, and household appliances—i.e., these products as they existed before federal bureaucrats ruined them by forcing manufacturers to comply with rigid energy- and water-efficiency standards?

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) December 8, 2024

Laws are passed by Congress and signed to become laws by the president, not issued by executive administration departments. The executive is to execute, execute laws. When the executive usurps Congress’ power when it comes to adding to existing laws, subtracting from existing laws, or inventing new “laws,” a constitutional imbalance results. Such is contrary to the method of legislative process by which our nation deliberatively governs itself, and such removes a check that balances the government. Such is susceptible to being repudiated by the Supreme Court. And when the Supreme Court has already issued a stop sign to an agency or agencies regarding regulations, persisting in that activity violates two branches of government. Some regulations are or may be highly questionable at the very softest description.

Economic woes are plaguing the nation, such as a bout of high inflation. High inflation equals prices that are too high. Onerous regulations can contribute to higher prices. If a business is forced to allocate more of its economic capital, more of its employee manpower and brainpower, more of its time and legal exposure, and more of its overall resources to comply with federal regulations, that shrinks the economic capital with which a company can hire and produce; it shrinks the employee manpower and brainpower available for a company to conduct business; it shrinks the amount of time available for a company to do its own work; it shrinks the overall resources on hand in a company; and such companies must find and pay for adequate legal counsel to meet the regulatory mandates. Inevitably, the regulations affect the economy as a whole. There are fewer employment opportunities available, fewer goods produced and services offered, and fewer spending and investment dollars flowing throughout the economy.

Energy regulations should be lawful. Lawfully regulating energy can be like a knife’s edge. On the one hand, adequate care must be taken to ensure that energy production is done in a way that demonstrates good stewardship of the physical environment. On the other hand, there is risk involved in producing anything, a truth to which energy production is not an exception. This is where prudence and greed can intersect. Concerns, be they environmental harm or something else, should be considered carefully and when appropriate serve as red lines. Our nation subsists on many forms of energy. So we need energy. To meet that need, we must produce energy, invest in energy, and continually research expanding the variety of energy forms we use. Vigorously pursuing high energy production, which is what we should be doing, is not the problem.