In an attempt to meet Republican calls for ending a regulatory environment that is stifling job creation and economic growth, President Obama on January 18 signed an executive order requiring all agencies to review federal regulations that are too burdensome.
Under the Executive Order, the president ordered federal agencies to design cost-effective, evidence-based regulations that are compatible with economic growth, job creation, and competitiveness, utilizing the following guiding principles:
- Cost-effective and Cost-Justified: Consistent with law, Agencies must consider costs and benefits and choose the least burdensome path.
- Transparent: The regulatory process must be transparent and include public participation, with an opportunity for the public to comment.
- Coordinated and Simplified: Agencies must attempt to coordinate, simplify, and harmonize regulations to reduce costs and promote certainty for businesses and the public.
- Flexible: Agencies must consider approaches that maintain freedom of choice and flexibility, including disclosure of relevant information to the public.
- Science-driven: Regulations must be guided by objective scientific evidence.
- Necessary and Up-to-Date: Existing regulations must be reviewed to determine that they are still necessary and crafted effectively to solve current problems. If they are outdated, they must be changed or repealed.