Bush team makes final push for deregulation
http://www.star-telegram.com/238/story/1009743.html
The Washington Post
WASHINGTON — The White House is working to enact a wide array of federal regulations, many of which would weaken government rules aimed at protecting consumers and the environment, before President Bush leaves office in January.
The new rules would be among the most controversial deregulatory steps of the Bush era and could be difficult for his successor to undo. Some would ease or lift existing constraints on private industry, including power plants, mines and farms.
Those and other regulations would help clear obstacles to some commercial ocean-fishing activities, ease controls on emissions of pollutants that contribute to global warming, relax drinking-water standards and lift a key restriction on mountaintop coal mining.
Once such rules take effect, they typically can be undone only through a laborious new regulatory proceeding, including lengthy periods of public comment, drafting and mandated reanalysis. White House spokesman Tony Fratto said the regulations are "well-reasoned and are being considered with the best interests of the nation in mind."
As many as 90 new regulations are in the works, and at least nine of them are considered "economically significant" because they impose costs or promote societal benefits that exceed $100 million annually. They include new rules governing employees who take family and medical-related leaves, new standards for preventing or containing oil spills, and a simplified process for settling real estate transactions.
In some cases, the regulations reflect new interpretations of language in federal laws. In other cases, such as several new counterterror initiatives, they reflect new executive branch decisions in areas where Congress — now out of session and focused on the elections — left the president considerable discretion.
The burst of last-minute activity has made this a busy period for lobbyists who fear that industry views will hold less sway after the November elections. The doors at the New Executive Office Building annex have been whirling with corporate officials and advisers pleading for relief or, in many cases, for hastened decision making.
According to the Office of Management and Budget’s regulatory calendar, the commercial scallop fishing industry came in two weeks ago to urge that proposed catch limits be eased, nearly bumping into National Mining Association officials making the case for easing rules meant to keep coal slurry waste out of Appalachian streams. A few days earlier, lawyers for kidney dialysis and biotechnology companies registered their complaints at the OMB about new Medicare reimbursement rules. Lobbyists for customs brokers complained about proposed counterterror rules that require the advance reporting of shipping data.
Bush’s aides are acutely aware of the political risks of completing their regulatory work too late. On the afternoon of Bush’s inauguration, Jan. 20, 2001, his chief of staff issued a memo that blocked the completion or implementation of regulations drafted in the waning days of the Clinton administration that had not yet taken effect.
Clinton’s appointees wound up paying a heavy price for procrastination. Bush’s team was able to withdraw 254 regulations that covered matters such as drug and airline safety, immigration and indoor air pollutants. After further review, many of the proposals were modified to reflect Republican policy ideals or scrapped altogether.
Seeking to avoid falling victim to the same partisan tactics, White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten last May imposed a Nov. 1 governmentwide deadline to finish major new Bush administration regulations, "except in extraordinary circumstances."
Many of the rules that could be issued over the next few weeks would ease environmental regulations
I would cite regulation, but I know you will simply ignore it.
