Bloomberg News columnist Cindy Skrzycki today writes about the White House delay of a rule that would protect the North Atlantic right whale. Under Executive Order 12866, OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) has 90 days to review regulations before they are finalized. In consultation with the issuing agency (in this case, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) OIRA may extend the review period by 30 days. NOAA submitted the whale protection rule on Feb. 20, 2007. Therefore, OIRA has exceeded the review period by almost two months, and there is no end in sight. An OMB spokesperson refused to comment on the progress of the rule, according to the article. (For more on the White House's role in delaying this rule, click here.) Congress has taken notice of the delay. In two separate letters, three senators and six congressmen have written President Bush urging him to allow NOAA to finalize the rule. As the senators' letter points out, "The North Atlantic right whale is one of the world's most endangered marine mammals with approximately 350 whales alive today, and should accordingly be among the Administration's top conservation priorities." Unfortunately, this is not the only case of the White House using delay to serve its anti-regulatory agenda. As of July 20 (the last time Reg•Watch did its research), nine percent of rules under review had exceeded the time limit. Congress should investigate further to stop this sneaky, underhanded tactic. Read the congressmen's letter here. Read the senators' letter here.