Setting and Enforcing Regulations | Center for Effective Government

Administration Pushes E-Rulemaking

For each regulatory decision, or rulemaking, an agency keeps a formal docket that contains a wealth of useful information, including scientific studies, cost-benefit analysis, and comments submitted by the public. Unfortunately, if you want access to these materials, you may have to visit a federal docket room in Washington, D.C., as most agencies do not provide this information through their web sites. In this digital age, we still have a substantially paper government.

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Bush Seeks FOIA Exemption in Homeland Security Bill

President Bush, yesterday (6/18), submitted to Congress his proposal for the creation of a new Homeland Security Department. The detailed 35-page bill would transfer about 100 federal entities into a single cabinet agency with an annual budget of more than $ 37 billion and about 170,000 employees -- reportedly the biggest government reshuffling since 1947. Yet buried within this bill (in Section 204) is a single sentence that could create the largest single loophole in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), our safety net for right-to-know:

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Administration in Denial Over Global Warming

In the parlance of self-help, the first step toward recovery is admitting you have a problem. The Bush administration recently appeared to take a step in that direction with a new report on the effects of climate change on the United States, laying blame for global warming on human activity -- a first for the administration.

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NHTSA Issues Weakened Tire Pressure Monitoring Rule

On June 5, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a watered down standard to guard against under-inflated tires -- which are linked to numerous deaths each year -- after its first attempt was rejected by OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), which must approve all major regulatory actions.

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EPA Announces New Online Rulemaking System

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced the launching of a new web service, called EPA Dockets, to allow the public to search regulatory documents and submit comments on rulemakings electronically.

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Comments on 2002 Draft Regulatory Accounting Report

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In Rejecting NHTSA Rule, Graham Shows True Colors

If one of your tires is under-inflated, you may be in trouble. You are more likely to lose control of your vehicle. Your ability to steer and stop will be diminished. And it’s possible, especially if you drive an SUV, that your vehicle could roll over. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that hundreds of people die each year as a result of under-inflated tires.

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OMB Pushes Consolidated Online Rulemaking

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has announced that it will create a single web site where citizens can comment on proposed agency regulations, according to a May 6 memo from OMB Director Mitch Daniels to heads of agencies and executive departments.

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Court Rejects Move to Allow Dumping from Mountaintop Mining

A recent ruling in federal district court casts doubt over a Bush administration plan that would allow dumping of dirt and rock waste from mountaintop mining into valley rivers and streams.

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Administration Moves to Clear Way for Dumping, Mountaintop Mining

The Bush administration is moving forward with a new rule that would allow mining companies to dump dirt and rock waste into rivers and streams, potentially clearing the way for new “mountaintop mining” -- a controversial practice that involves the removal of mountaintops to access lucrative low-sulfur coal, according to the Washington Post, and other sources.

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