Fifteen rules that were scheduled to go into effect at the beginning of the Bush administration but were delayed by a White House memo have still not gone into effect, according to a recent report by the General Accounting Office (GAO) -- the investigative arm of Congress.

The Bush administration is in the process of weakening or abandoning a number of protections, including forest protection, clean air and water standards, and wetlands protections. OMB Watch provides a list of safeguards in limbo. Clean Air Protections for Aging Power Plants. EPA issued a proposed rule on Nov. 22, 2002, that would expand the definition of “routine maintenance” -- which is exempt from NSR -- allowing older facilities to make more extensive upgrades without having to install new anti-pollution equipment required of a “new source.”

Subscribers to the OMB Watcher can now download a FREE copy of this week's CQ Weekly special report on John Graham and the regulatory review agenda of OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), which has the power to reject or alter agency efforts to protect public health, safety and the environment. The package of stories and sidebars contains an overview on OIRA, plus a comprehensive analysis of the 18 "return letters" that OIRA has issued to various agencies since John Graham was confirmed as administrator, and an explanatory box on the regulatory tools Graham uses.

As administrator of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) -- which has authority to review and possibly reject or amend agency regulatory proposals -- John Graham is pressing agencies to adopt particular analytical methods to assess regulatory costs and benefits that would rig the result and undoubtedly lead to less protective health, safety, and environmental standards.