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President Obama issued an executive order – back in January 2011 – calling for federal agencies to look for ways to reduce the burden of regulations, and the Department of Energy (DOE) this week asked for more input from interested parties on how to do so.
The President issued Executive Order 13563, Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review, on Jan. 18, 2011. EO 13563 specified that regulations should, while following existing law:
• be cost-justified (while recognizing that benefits may difficult to quantify)
• be tailored to impose the least burden (consistent with obtaining the objectives)
• select the regulatory approach that maximize benefits
• when feasible, specify performance objectives rather than specifying the behavior or manner of compliance
• identify and assess alternatives to direct regulation, including providing economic incentives or providing information
Section 1, General Principles of Regulation, paragraph (a) states that: "Our regulatory system must protect public health, welfare, safety, and our environment while promoting economic growth, innovation, competitiveness, and job creation. It must be based on the best available science. It must allow for public participation and an open exchange of ideas. It must promote predictability and reduce uncertainty. It must identify and use the best, most innovative, and least burdensome tools for achieving regulatory ends. It must take into account benefits and costs, both quantitative and qualitative. It must ensure that regulations are accessible, consistent, written in plain language, and easy to understand. It must measure, and seek to improve, the actual results of regulatory requirements."
To satisfy EO 13563 DOE previously asked for informational input from interested parties, then went through the process of developing a procedure by which to handle the review of the regulations. This week, in a notice the Federal Register, DOE asked for comments from interested parties to assist it in reviewing regulations to determine if any should be modified, streamlined, expanded, or repealed.
"The purpose of DOE’s review is to make the agency’s regulatory program more effective and less burdensome in achieving its regulatory objectives."
The Dec. 5, 2011, DOE call for input requests written comments on or before Jan. 4, 2012.
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