Business group ready to face off over regulations

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said Wednesday it was beefing up its arsenal in the face of what it called a "regulatory tsunami of unprecedented force" from the Obama administration.

Chief Executive Thomas Donahue said the group is adding a regulatory economist to its staff and ramping up activism by its legal organizations, the Institute for Legal Reform and the National Chamber Litigation Center.

With these resources, he said the Chamber is taking on the "threat" of "thousands of new and questionable regulatory rulemakings in the pipelines."

"Regulation is the vehicle by which some seek to control our economy, our businesses, and our lives -- and left unchecked, it will fundamentally weaken our nation's capacity to create jobs and opportunity," he said.

He said the added regulations are coming from the health care and financial regulatory reform bills, as well as the Department of Labor, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Labor Relations Board and other agencies.

"We have never seen anything on this scale before," said Donahue. "It defies all logic and common sense. The Chamber has experts in each of the areas I have mentioned and they are working everyday to stem the tide of this regulatory tsunami."

The White House was not immediately available for comment.