Bush Administration Makes Last Attempts to Deregulate

In its waning months in office, the Bush Administration is making attempts to finalize deregulations that could weaken consumer protections and the environment. In today's Washington Post you can read about these final regulatory changes.

The Post reports that the "new rules would be among the most controversial deregulatory steps of the Bush era and could be difficult for his successor to undo." About 90 new regulations are under consideration, and the article states that nine of them could impact the economy "because they impose costs or promote societal benefits that exceed $100 million annually." The Post also notes that this large number of last-minute regulations would still be fewer than the number of regulations Bill Clinton approved at the end of his presidency.

You can keep track of the status of federal regulations through the Federal Register, which is keyword-searchable and freely available online via GPO Access. You can also check the latest press releases of specific federal agencies mentioned in the article, such as the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Environmental Protection Agency.

If you'd like to learn more about the process through which federal regulations are proposed, published, and made available to the public, see our guide to Regulations.