White House Report Spins Bush Reg Failures

In a debate with high stakes for a public that is largely unaware of it, the White House released a report on Dec. 7 spinning its anti-regulatory record as a success.

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Regulatory Year in Review: 2005

A round-up of the key developments in regulatory policy we have covered in 2005. In Congress | In the White House | Other Major Developments In Congress

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About the "Burden Hour": Key Number in PRA Review

Download "The Quantification of Information: The Paperwork Budget and the Birth of the Burden Hour," from our 1989 report on the PRA, "Playing the Numbers."

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Summary of Proposed Guidance Bulletin

Documents Covered by the Bulletin

Guidance Documents…

  • Non-rulemaking agency document
  • Available to the public (actually public or FOIAble)
  • To describe the agency’s interpretation of or policy on
  • A regulatory or technical issue

…That are Significant

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Proposed Bulletin on Good Guidance Practices

Download the proposed OMB bulletin.

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White House Asserts Authority Over Agency Guidance Documents

The White House released a draft bulletin on the day before Thanksgiving that establishes new guidelines for non-rulemaking agency guidance documents.

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Weak Roof Crush Rule Threatens Victims' Rights

Based in part on flawed cost-benefit analysis, a proposed rule to reduce injuries sustained when vehicles roll over and their roofs are crushed inward fails to require the level of safety available in current technology and threatens to eliminate the rights of roof crush victims to sue manufacturers. Caving in on Roof Strength

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Administration Ignores Scientific Evidence and Pushes Forward with Mountaintop Removal

A long-anticipated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the mountaintop mining waste disposal process ignores scientific evidence in order to validate the waste disposal method preferred by industry and the administration. Mountaintop mining uses explosives to expose coal seams for mining, resulting in waste dumped in nearby valleys, often burying streams and disrupting local ecosystems. Federal Protections Undermined

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Industry Costs Pitted Against Public Needs in Homeland Security Policy

How much is a human life worth when it comes to a terrorist attack? Should the public be involved in setting the nation's safety priorities? The Bush administration is offering surprising answers to these questions and more as it develops the general framework for homeland security policy.

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Nanotech, Genetically Modified Crop News Spotlights Regulatory Gaps

New evidence of long-term persistence of genetically modified crops and new concerns about gaps in monitoring of nanotechnology underscore the risks from failing to embed the Precautionary Principle in regulatory policy.

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