Would Mitt have the power to reverse the environmental policies in place?

[rivll]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/us/politics/romney-weed-whacker-on-environmental-rules-may-falter.html
WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney vowed in a campaign appearance earlier this year to “take a weed whacker” to the thicket of federal regulations adopted by the Obama administration and promised to impose a rigid freeze and cost cap on all new government rules.
He has pledged to reverse a half-dozen major Environmental Protection Agency pollution and public health rules, to swiftly approve the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada, to rewrite the ambitious new vehicle fuel efficiency standards and to open untouched coastal and wilderness areas to oil and gas exploration. Mr. Romney envisions a nation in which coal-burning power plants are given new life, oil derricks sprout on public lands and waters, industry is given a greater say in the writing and enforcement of environmental rules and the Code of Federal Regulations shrinks rather than grows.

[teko]

I would just like to say, it is good to see you posting again, you were missed and I hope you hang around.

[ILADVOCATE]

  The E.P.A. has at times in the past been limited as to its ability to regulate various industries. I would tend to think that a negotiable solution as regards environmental safety vs. cost efficacy could in many instances be reached and this would the most appropriate goal.

[teko]

I pretty much agree with barb on this one. There is a limit as to what any president can do alone. I think we have witnessed that first hand with the obstruction from Congress this last few years.

[Barb135]

I'm sure someone will correct me, if I'm wrong, but this stuff has to go through Congress, so if they don't go along, the only way he can do it is through executive order.  While I agree that some government regulations have gotten out of hand (I worked under the Clean Water Act for 20 yrs, so I know what it can be like), I'm not sure he can do all that through executive order and I really don't think he'd be stupid enough to get rid of a lot of those protective regulations, especially, if he'd want to run for a second term....