Government-Wide Regulation Review Plan Announced

In January - President Obama ordered a top-to-bottom review of existing federal regulations - telling agencies and departments to come up with ways they could cut red tape and streamline the many requirements the federal government imposes on businesses. This week - the Obama administration is unveiling a slate of regulatory changes it says will cut government red tape and save businesses more than 10-billion dollars over the next five years. The plan includes about 500 changes aimed at saving businesses money in a variety of ways.

Administration regulation czar Cass Sustein says the plan will eliminate redundancy and inconsistency - especially in the Labor and Transportation departments and the Environmental Protection Agency. For example - farmers previously confused by conflicting water quality regulations from the EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture now reportedly have more certainty about which regulations apply. But new regulations also have broadened the EPA's authority over farm production.

The plan to review federal regulations comes at a time when President Obama is receiving more flack about costly regulations. Business leaders and Republicans say the new plan contains smart ideas but doesn't take on costly regulations that have been approved and not yet implemented. Diane Katz - a regulatory policy research fellow at the Heritage Foundation - says it's significant that this administration is acknowledging that regulatory costs matter. But Katz suggests the savings are not significant when compared to the torrent of new regulations.

More Stories