E.P.A. Chief Is Accused Of Lobbying (original) (raw)
U.S.|E.P.A. Chief Is Accused Of Lobbying
https://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/04/us/epa-chief-is-accused-of-lobbying.html
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- March 4, 1995
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A leader of efforts in the House of Representatives to limit Federal regulations has accused the head of the Environmental Protection Agency of illegally lobbying to defeat the package of antiregulatory bills that the House approved today.
The lawmaker, Representative David M. McIntosh of Indiana, accused the agency's Administrator, Carol M. Browner, and her aides of breaking the law by sending out fact sheets and news releases on the bill, which is part of the Republicans' Contract With America.
"It appears that the E.P.A. effort was carefully calculated to have the maximum impact on the legislative debate," Mr. McIntosh, a freshman Republican, said on Thursday in a letter to Ms. Browner.
He cited a law prohibiting Federal agencies from paying for publicity or propaganda intended to support or defeat legislation, other than by direct and official correspondence.
But Mr. McIntosh's interpretation of the law to include the kind of information that Federal agencies routinely disseminate on major legislative proposals went beyond the usual interpretation. In any case, the law is rarely enforced.
Mr. McIntosh, who previously worked for former Vice President Dan Quayle's antiregulatory office at the White House and is now chairman of the House subcommittee on regulatory affairs, is a frequent critic of what he considers unnecessary rules, including those issued by the E.P.A. He has repeatedly cited examples of what he considers pointless rules.
As the House has debated legislation to restrict regulations, several Federal agencies have stepped up their public criticism of the legislation, issuing fact sheets, official statements, texts of speeches, news releases and letters to lawmakers in an effort to rebut the arguments of Mr. McIntosh and his allies.
Mr. McIntosh objected particularly to a fact sheet the agency recently sent to a large list of corporations and interest groups on both sides of the regulatory debate. The fact sheet criticized the Contract With America and said it "would block the protections that Americans demand and deserve."
Regardless of its legal merits, Mr. McIntosh's accusation of illegal lobbying could disrupt the agency's activities. He has asked for exhaustive information about all the agency's meetings, documents and discussions since the November election that concern how to deal with the antiregulatory provisions of the Contract With America.
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