Fox News likes regulations. That is, Fox likes regulations that the Obama administration reportedly delayed ahead of the 2012 election.
In a segment that aired Dec. 16, Fox News' Steve Doocy discussed a report from the Administrative Conference of the United States that dinged the Obama administration for delaying the enactment of environmental, health, and safety rules ahead of the election. Doocy brought on Fox's legal analyst Peter Johnson Jr. to discuss.
"Does that mean, the White House was putting politics before people? Because that's what it sounds like," Doocy said.
This news is "huge, huge -- look at me, yes -- huge!" Johnson declared. "I know we talk about regulation nation and there are so many regulations in this country, but sometimes regulations actually save lives and help people, and there should be some transparency in government."
The segment listed a number of rules -- coal ash disposal rules, greenhouse gas emissions limits, regulations about how much silica workers can be exposed to on the job -- that languished ahead of the election.
"They took a risk with American lives, and now Americans are paying on health care, environmental issues and worker safety," said Johnson.
The web story that accompanied the segment called the report "shocking."
This might be unexpected commentary from Fox News, which has previously suggested that the Environmental Protection Agency was engaging in "outright lawlessness" when it set limits on greenhouse gas pollution. The station also has argued that the EPA is making a "power grab" by trying to establish new rules on waterways under the Clean Water Act, and that the Obama administration is creating a "regulation nation."
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