Environmental Spending Lifts Cost of Lawmaking to All-Time High

Lynn Schenkman

St. Louis -- A research report published jointly by the Weidenbaum and Mercatus centers has concluded that administrative costs of federal regulations are budgeted to reach an all-time high of $30.1 billion in 2003. The report says President Bush’s dedication to increasing homeland security is the source of the high price tag and that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received more than $1 billion in additional spending for 2003. The EPA’s budget represents a 25 percent increase over 2002. The Weidenbaum Center, Washington University, St. Louis, supports scholarly research on the economy, government and public policy. The Mercatus Center, George Mason University, Arlington, Va., is an education, research and outreach program that works with scholars, policy experts and government officials.