existing regulations may actually occur. This will have the unintended consequence of increasing the activity level of environmental advocacy orga- nizations, including litigation. On the energy front, expect to see a very significant change in direction regarding the federal government’s role in pipeline development and other energy issues, which should lower energy costs for manufacturers and print- ers—especially those with large thermal needs (i.e., heatset printers).


Long-Term Federal Outlook Developing federal environmental regulations and policy can be thought of as falling into two catego- ries—mandatory duties that fall within narrowly pro- scribed limits that have been established in statutes and legislation, and more discretionary duties that fall within increasingly unbounded ranges under general authorities granted by statute and legislation. Clearly, this administration (and the current Con- gress) will push U.S. EPA to hew much more closely to exercising only its mandated duties and to develop


policies and regulations only when clearly required by law and with the minimal impact on economic development. Having said this, changing the culture of U.S. EPA will be very difficult, even over a long time frame. Most likely, U.S. EPA’s mid-level staff and policy developers will continue to value environ- mental protection much higher than economics, and while the biggest issues will get a high level of admin- istration oversight, the myriad smaller issues may not, especially in areas of enforcement and regulatory implementation.


As a general guideline, environmental regulation of printers (and especially lithographers) is driven more by state agencies. Health and safety regula- tion is driven more by federal agencies. The Trump administration, if it achieves its stated goals, will reduce regulatory requirements on manufacturers and business, but—at least toward printers—these impacts will be primarily in areas other than environmental protection.


The Magazine 9


WINTER 2017


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