In today's New York Times, public policy mediator Susan Podziba writes an op-ed which uses two recent and tragic New York City crane accidents, which killed nine people, as an entree into the rulemaking process at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA has had a rule to improve safety for crane and derrick workers in its regulatory pipeline for years. The pending rule, which would update an outdated policy from 1971, is welcomed by worker safety advocates and industry alike. Podziba tells the story of how the proposal was developed:

The Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy at the George Washington University is looking for government scientists to participate in a project which will allow for better understanding of how science is used in policymaking and how the process can be improved:

Saturday's New York Times has an article about the White House's new policy setting deadlines for any regulations agencies intend to finalize during the Bush administration. The policy, outlined in a memo sent by Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten, says, "Except in extraordinary circumstances, regulations to be finalized in this Administration should be proposed no later than June 1, 2008, and final regulations should be issued no later than November 1, 2008."

A federal court has sent back (vacated and remanded, in regulatory-speak) to the Bush administration a rule aimed to limit government reimbursement for Medicaid providers. The rule is one of several the administration is attempting to codify in an effort to undermine the entire Medicaid program. The process by which the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalized the rule was particularly sneaky, even by Bush administration standards. A New York Times editorial explains: