In 2007, new regulatory policies and the inability of federal agencies to protect the public made headlines more so than at any time in recent memory. Four themes dominated regulatory policy in 2007: White House influence over agency rulemaking activity and discretion; the inability of the federal government to ensure the safety of imported goods; the influence of industry groups; and the Bush administration's refusal to regulate in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence. Click on these links for a recap of 2007's highlights and lowlights:

• White House Interventions

Yesterday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously approved H.R. 4040, the Consumer Product Safety Commission Modernization Act of 2007. The bill is similar to a bill passed by the Senate Commerce Committee in October which would expand the resources and authority of the agency. Among other things, the bill would:

• Dramatically increase the budget and staffing at CPSC and dedicate funds for improving its much-maligned testing facility;
• Require third-party testing and certification for children's products;
• Ban lead in children's products; and

Yesterday, EPA published an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for its planned revision to the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for lead. Lead is one of six pollutants regulated by the NAAQS program under the Clean Air Act. An Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) is a relatively minor step in the rulemaking process. Nonetheless, the ANPRM for the lead standard has been controversial because of the range of policy options EPA is considering. According to the ANPRM, EPA may tighten the standard to a level as low as 0.02 μg/m3 from the current level of 1.5 μg/m3. EPA is also considering maintaining the current standard, or eliminating the regulation for lead air quality altogether — an option EPA's own advisors say has no scientific basis. EPA will take comments through Jan. 16 on any and all of its surprisingly broad range of policy options. EPA's revision to the lead standard has been the subject of varying scientific interpretations.

Thursday morning, the House Small Business Committee is scheduled to mark-up the Small Business Regulatory Improvement Act.