Right To Know Quotes

Right-to-Know: Much Pain, Little Gain [for Small Businesses]

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The title of an article by Kevin L. Bromberg, Assistant Chief Counsel for Energy and Environment at the Bush Administration’s Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration. Only date available: September/October 1988.

[Mandating that businesses share trade secrets with the EPA is a] formidable burden [that may] ruin many businesses.

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From Joel R. Burcat & Arthur K. Hoffman, “The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986: An Explanation of Title III of SARA”. Only date available: January, 1988.

[Requiring small businesses to report their toxic releases would] cost thousands of dollars for over 100,000 small business facilities, many of which have profits in the $10,000 range.

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George Bush’s Small Business Administration feared that the cost of the right-to-know law would be prohibitive.

We feel that [the court’s decision] is not the step in the right direction because the mushroom industry is faced with the dilemma of increased costs. It’s an economic crunch. We’ve been in that crunch for two, 2 _ years and here’s another cost factor.

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Charles Harris, executive director of the trade group of mushroom growers

The law would have us label every single container, and in our case that is burdensome and unrealistic.

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Testimony submitted by the Garden State Water Company, in regards to the New Jersey right-to-know law. Only date available: August/September 1986

We estimate it will take approximately 9 man-months to meet the law’s mandates for each plant. Considering that E. F. Houghton has six plants in the United States, it would consume 4 _ man-years to meet S.51’s proposed paperwork burden.

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B. Michel Robin, chairman of Government Affairs, Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association.

It will require many small businesses to go through an additional costly and time consuming process of collecting and analyzing information. The benefits of doing so will not significantly improve the protection of human health or the environment.

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Eugene B. Humphrey, president of Humphrey Chemical Company and representative of the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association.

In reviewing the proposed form mandated by S.51, it appears that much of the information required would not be useable….[and] The costs to small businesses of measuring such emissions would be staggering.

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B. Michel Robin, chairman of Government Affairs, Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association.

To expect well over half a million small businesses to adhere to these extensive requirements would be regulatory overkill.

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Frank S. Swain, Chief Counsel for Advocacy, of the Reagan’s Small Business Administration.

What you are trying to put on business is overkill. It’s going to kill farmers and small business people.

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Pennsylvania state representative Jim R. Merry (R-Crawford)

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