The Obama administration has adopted a public-centric regulatory philosophy in its first two years in office, but has failed to transform the regulatory process as promised, according to a new OMB Watch report released today. The report, The Obama Approach to Public Protection: The Regulatory Process, is the third and final in a series of OMB Watch reports assessing the administration’s record on regulatory issues.

The report focuses on regulatory process and regulatory transparency issues, including public participation, scientific integrity, cost-benefit analysis, the role of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), and the transparency of its actions.

The report finds that the administration has taken a number of discrete steps to help make the regulatory process more efficient and more transparent. However, “fundamental transformation,” as President Obama called it, has not occurred. Obama pledged to write a new regulatory executive order – a document that many advocates hoped would assist agencies in writing new rules that protect the public by smoothing the decision making process – but has faltered on his commitment.

“At the agency level, the Obama administration has been more focused on protecting the public than the previous administration,” the report says. The report attributes this success, at least in part, to qualified and committed leadership and an infusion of resources, especially in FY 2010.

The administration has also “adopted an expansive vision for open government unmatched by previous administrations,” according to the report.

You can download the report at www.ombwatch.org/obamamidtermregprocessreport. All three reports in the series are available at www.ombwatch.org/obamaapproachpublicprotection.