President Obama's Regulatory Relief Plan

Today the White House outlined the results of the president’s retrospective analysis of existing regulation, which should create a 21st-century regulatory system that is simpler and smarter and that protects the health and safety of the American people in a cost-effective way.  President Obama called for an unprecedented government-wide review of rules already on the books. Agencies were asked to find regulations that are out-of-date, unnecessary, excessively burdensome, or in conflict with other rules. As a result of that review, agencies have identified initiatives with the potential to eliminate tens of millions of hours in reporting burdens, and billions of dollars in regulatory costs.

With the release of these plans, the Administration is taking immediate steps to significantly reduce burdens on individuals, small businesses, and state and local governments, while maintaining the critical health and safety protections that Americans deserve. There are hundreds of creative ideas for updating our regulatory framework in these plans. One particular highlight of interest to the Center:

· EPA will propose to eliminate the redundant obligation for many states to require air pollution vapor recovery systems at local gas stations because modern vehicles already have effective air pollution control technologies. The anticipated savings over the next decade is about $670 million.

View and comment on all 30 preliminary regulatory “look-back” plans here