Public is asked to help pick rules for chopping block
Source: Arianna Skibell, E&E News reporter • Posted: Thursday, April 13, 2017
A Federal Register notice posted yesterday asks the agency’s program offices to collect public comments on — among other things — rules that eliminate jobs, are outdated or ineffective, impose costs that outweigh benefits, or implement now-repealed executive orders.
“We are supporting the restoration of America’s economy through extensive reviews of the misaligned regulatory actions from the past administration,” Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a statement.
“The previous administration abused the regulatory process to advance an ideological agenda that expanded the reach of the federal government, often dismissing the technological and economic concerns raised by the regulated community and duplicating long-standing regulations by states and localities.”
The comment period ends May 15.
The notice marks the task force’s first public effort to begin paring EPA rules. President Trump directed the establishment of the panel through a February executive order that tells agencies to set up deregulatory bodies and designate a rule-reform officer (Greenwire, Feb. 24).
The EPA task force is led by attorney and Clean Power Plan foe Samantha Dravis. Among other panel members are EPA Chief of Staff Ryan Jackson, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Byron Brown and the deputy associate administrator for the policy office, Brittany Bolen (Greenwire, April 4).
The agency also launched a website dedicated to deregulatory efforts that lists Trump’s relevant executive orders and related information.
The website lists four public meetings hosted by EPA offices to obtain additional feedback. The offices of Land and Emergency Management, Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Water, and International and Tribal Affairs will all hold stakeholder meetings in the coming months.