Regulatory Policies and the Biden Administration
Last month, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs released its semiannual Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. The documents lay out a priority set for the Biden administration as it enters into its second year.
One Year On, a Critical Role Needs to Be Filled By the Administration
President Biden has made regulation a priority during his first year in office. On Day One, he carried through on campaign promises and signed several executive orders, memorandums and directives charging agencies to reverse much of his predecessor’s actions and to “modernize” regulatory review. Since then, he has also aggressively pursued new regulatory priorities, including those related to racial equity, climate change, employment, and the pandemic.
The first few days of the Biden administration were replete with regulatory news. Not only did the new president direct agencies to halt and undo Trump policy changes, he charted his own course with a series of ambitious regulatory goals.
2021 Regulatory Year in Review
This Regulatory Insight recaps ten important developments related to federal regulations that occurred in 2021.
When Regulating An Appliance ... Follow The Science!
Read Susan Dudley's latest column for Forbes, "When Regulating An Appliance . . . Follow The Science!"
Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Clothes Washers
We served as members of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Review of Methods for Setting Building and Equipment Performance Standards, and offer these comments based on the peer review we conducted between the fall of 2019 and spring of 2021.
Setting Appliance and Equipment Standards
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions.
Joint Letter to the Dept. of Energy
We served as members of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Review of Methods for Setting Building and Equipment Performance Standards. We write to request that the Committee’s report and recommendations, “Review of Methods Used by the U.S. Department of Energy in Setting Appliance and Equipment Standards,”1 be placed on the rulemaking docket for rule EERE–2021–BT–STD–0003, “Energy Conservation Program for Appliance Standards: Procedures, Interpretations, and Policies for Consideration in New or Revised Energy Conservation Standards and Test Procedures for Consumer Products and Commercial/Industrial Equipment.”
A Study To Evaluate OIRA Review of Treasury Regulations
In a new study, we aim to learn more about the effect of Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) review of Treasury Department regulations interpreting the Internal Revenue Code. What contributions does OIRA review offer the tax regulatory process? What are its limitations?
Regulatory Reform: Tracking the Watchwords of a Movement
This commentary examines the history of the phrase “regulatory reform,” tracking the phrase from the early 20th century to its proliferation during the Ford administration to today.
