The Bush administration unveiled plans on January 15 that would withdraw federal protection for as much as 20 million acres of wetlands, such as marshes, swamps and bogs.

Twice a year, in the spring and fall, each federal agency publishes an agenda describing rulemakings under review and actions they expect to take. These agendas -- though frequently inaccurate in their predictions -- provide an important window into the administration’s regulatory priorities and objectives. OMB Watch examined the agendas of three agencies -- the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) -- to see what has changed during the Bush administration. The following provides the results.

January 2003 Update The Bush administration has advanced very few significant health, safety and environmental protections over the last two years -- much fewer than the two previous administrations -- and is quietly scuttling work on a host of protective standards in the regulatory pipeline, according to data compiled by OMB Watch.

In an “unusual collaboration,” EPA and OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) are drafting new standards to restrict emissions from off-road diesel-powered vehicles, such as bulldozers and tractors. According to the Washington Post, EPA expects to issue a proposed rule next spring that will require emissions to be reduced by as much as 95 percent, in line with recently adopted standards for heavy-duty trucks.