Regulatory Authority in the EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency has broad discretion, delegated to it by Congress in several different legislative acts, in regulating all manner of pollutants. But what are the limits of that discretion? To what extent must and should regulators consider the costs of proposed regulations and weigh them against the benefits of those regulations? Should the EPA balance economic costs on one side, and benefits to health and the environment on the other side? Or are certain environmental or health hazards so dire that regulating them must be done at virtually any cost? On what type of information or science may the EPA rely in reaching its conclusions, deciding to regulate, and deciding how to regulate? These and other questions will be discussed by our panel of experts.

Panelists:

• Honorable Ronald Cass, President, Cass & Associates PC
• Mr. Jeffrey Clark, Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
• Mr. Jason A. Schwartz, Legal Fellow, Institute for Policy Integrity
• Mr. Robert Verchick, Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation, United States Environmental Protection Agency
• Moderator: Mr. Douglas T. Nelson, EVP, General Counsel and Secretary, CropLife America