Hard to believe that this Wall Street Journal article says the FDA ordered a company to stop talking about health benefits of walnuts.  Senator Collins asks for a one year regulatory time-out, saying actions like this are causing business to hunker down and results in shipping jobs overseas.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904194604576583082888335542.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

The bulk of her article titled “The Economy Needs a Regulation Time-Out” describes the EPA cost of the new regulations and uses an example of a company in her state that may have to scrap a new $300,000 boiler he recently installed.

The unintended consequences of this are that she sees 36 American pulp and paper mills will close.  That would directly put more than 20,000 Americans out of work. Her study says that an additional 70,000 related jobs will also disappear. Senator Collins projects that nearly 90,000 American workers would lose their jobs from just one of a plethora of  decisions and regulations underway.

Her conclusion is that business leaders are telling her the threat of a torrent of new regulations is causing them to hunker down and is sending jobs overseas.

Her answer to this problem is a one year moratorium on most new regulations to give the US economy more time to recover. Contemplate how this issue could or would impact you as a mini version of a strategy session, contingency planning or enterprise risk management application.

• What is your answer to the incoming wave of regulations?

• Do you agree or disagree with her suggestion?

• What examples do you have to support your opinion?