Commentaries & Insights

OMB Reports Higher Costs and Lower Benefits in 2015 Draft Report

October 21, 2015

The Office Management and Budget (OMB) released its annual Draft Report to Congress on the Benefits and Costs of Federal Regulations (“the Report”), which provides a window into regulatory activity conducted by federal agencies in Fiscal Year 2014. The Report indicates that the new regulations issued last fiscal year have both higher costs and lower benefits than those issued in FY 2013, and that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) remains by far the largest contributor to both regulatory costs and benefits in this Report.

The Tension between Optimization and Competition in Rulemaking: The Case of Proposed Fuel-Efficiency Standards for Trucks

October 8, 2015

Executive Order No. 12866, signed by President Clinton, directs agencies to analyze the benefits and costs of regulations, and to try to maximize the excess of the former over the latter.  It is a sound principle, but it needs to be applied with an appropriate measure of humility. 

EPA’s Ozone Rule and the Scientization of Policy

October 7, 2015

EPA standards on Clean Air Act reflect hidden policy choices

With Data, Will Regulators Show Humility or Hubris?

September 23, 2015

The Questionable Benefits of Energy Efficiency Standards

September 15, 2015

Consistent Inconsistencies: Misclassification of Rules Could Hamper International Regulatory Cooperation

August 26, 2015

Agencies could work more consistently to identify which regulations are likely to have a significant effect on international trade and investment.

Considering the Cumulative Effects of Regulation

August 10, 2015

Ex-ante regulation-by-regulation analysis may not account for the cumulative effect of regulations on society or specific sectors of the economy.

Learning from the Past: It's Time to Reevaluate the Renewable Fuel Standards

July 28, 2015

Congress should reevaluate whether the Renewable Fuel Standard is accomplishing its intended goals.

Regulatory Pay as you Go: Lessons from Other Countries

July 15, 2015

Different strategies and tools have been used to control the aggregate regulatory costs of new regulations and to reduce the burden of existing ones.

Hogan’s Had It with Burdensome Regulations

July 13, 2015

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced the establishment of a new Regulatory Reform Commission to combat regulatory burdens.