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July 24, 2017

How Is The Trump Administration Doing On Regulatory Reform?

One of the Metals Service Center Institute’s (MSCI) advocacy principles for regulatory reform asks that the White House seek to make the U.S. regulatory framework “more conducive to job and economic growth” and ensure “that regulations solve problems, rather than benefit special interest groups.” That means rolling back regulations that are outdated, whose costs outweigh the benefits, or are otherwise problematic.

When taking office six months ago, President Donald Trump promised to improve and streamline the federal regulatory system, and last week his administration provided an update on its progress on that effort. The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) noted that:

  • Executive branch agencies have withdrawn 469 actions that were proposed by the Obama administration in the fall 2016;
  • Agencies reconsidered 391 active actions by reclassifying them as long-term (282) and inactive (109), allowing for further careful review;
  • The number of economically significant regulations fell to 58, or about 50 percent fewer than in fall 2016;
  • For the first time, agencies will post and make public their list of "inactive" rules-providing notice to the public of regulations still being reviewed or considered.  

The regulatory rollback list includes the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule and the Clean Power Plan (CPP), both of which MSCI opposed. E&E News has more on the energy-related rules the administration has sought to undo. 

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