For the first time in history, the federal government has undertaken a "look back" process to identify and eliminate anachronistic, redundant or unwarranted regulations. The Obama administration says it is not "deregulation" and points to its beefing up of regulations in areas like health and the environment. Instead, officials say the review will help the public and save money. According to an executive order issued by President Obama earlier this year, federal agencies must use a transparent process of rule-making that uses the best available science and a cost-benefit analysis, and must be accessible and the least burdensome.
Overseeing the review effort is Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Cass Sunstein.
Since the president's order, 30 federal agencies and Cabinet-level departments have scoured tens of thousands of pages of regulations. These agencies turned in hundreds of ideas for rule changes, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget. The process included a period of public comment.
According to Sunstein, the process expects to save billions for both taxpayers and businesses. He cited an Environmental Protection Agency rule created decades ago that includes milk and dairy containers in a federal regulation that protects Americans from the hazards of oil spills. According to the the EPA website, a new rule, which has been approved as a result of this process, will exempt dairy containers and focus only on oil and gas company containers. The rule will save dairy farmers $140 million each year.
The EPA will also revise old rules that require gas stations to purchase air pollution vapor recovery systems, because modern cars already have equally effective pollution control systems. This revision should save gas station owners about $670 million over the next 10 years.
Keep reading at:
http://www.peoplesworld.org/white-house-says-it-s-eliminating-useless-rules-but-not-deregulating/