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What metric are we to use to determine if the federal government has placed too many restrictions on commerce?
If we are going to go with how we feel.....we'll never reach a consensus.
How about examining the numbers?
Is there a shortage of business startups due to over regulation?
Has there been a drop in corporate revenues as a result of government overreach?
Are record numbers of businesses closing doors as a direct result of some interventionist policy of the federal government?
If yes to any....let's go over the numbers.
All valid questions and if you wanted to provide the numbers to answer them, I would be interested in what you come up with. My own focus is mostly in the area of principle and consequence.
One industry I have been made aware of by virtue of a close relative who is a senior petroleum engineer is oil refining. The overwhelming THOUSANDS of federal regulations involving an oil refinery makes building new ones or even expanding older ones economically unfeasible. As a result we can be awash in crude oil but our refining capacity is at maximum and is expanding almost not at all to accomodate a rapidly growing population.
Add to that all the federal regulations re how gasoline must be forumlated, additives, et al, and the refineries have to regularly shut down operations to retool as the seasons change, etc., all that translates to inefficiencies and much higher prices for all of us at the pump.
Can you support the claims that you just made? Has there been documented cases of oil companies wanting to build new refineries or expand old ones......but declined doing so due to regulations? If so, which regulations in particular?
There haven't been any new refineries built since the 1970's. Is that due to increased regulations? It isn't that simple.
There has been substantial expansion of refining capacity over the past several years.
No New Oil Refineries Since the 1970s But Capacity Has Grown - US News
U.S. Oil-Refineries Bulk Up - WSJ
If regulations strangling the expansion of oil refining capacity....someone needs to tell the refining companies.
My relative is an expert in the field and I consider him a most reliable source. He has no personal dog in the fight. But he is quite aware of the situation. Yes the existing refineries have become more efficient and this has helped. But we are losing ground just the same. . .
As for documentation:
. . .environmental regulations, requirements for so-called boutique fuels and mandates for ethanol have raised the cost of building new refineries. Increasingly, it is cheaper to import refined petroleum products instead of producing fuel here. The energy bills currently being considered by Congress are likely to discourage new refinery construction rather than encourage it. These policies will not lower prices at the pump or increase energy security. . .
. . .The number of refineries fell from 324 in 1981 to 223 in 1985, and domestic refining capacity dropped by almost three million barrels per day (b/d).
. . .Regulations Inhibiting the Construction of New Refineries. Emissions controls, mandates for gasoline blends and alternative fuel requirements have forced many refineries to close and have made building new oil refineries extremely difficult. . .
Increasing America s Domestic Fuel Supply by Building New Oil Refineries NCPA
. . .The number of refineries fell from 324 in 1981 to 223 in 1985, and domestic refining capacity dropped by almost three million barrels per day (b/d).
- By 2006 the number of U.S. refineries had slipped to 149.
. . .Regulations Inhibiting the Construction of New Refineries. Emissions controls, mandates for gasoline blends and alternative fuel requirements have forced many refineries to close and have made building new oil refineries extremely difficult. . .
Increasing America s Domestic Fuel Supply by Building New Oil Refineries NCPA