Every two weeks, in OMB Watch's e-newsletter The Watcher, we analyze a few recent issues in regulatory policy. Here are the articles from the November 20 issue:

More of the Same: Import Safety Panel Leaves Business in Charge
The Bush administration's cabinet-level Interagency Working Group on Import Safety released its final report Nov. 6 on ways to improve the safety of food and consumer products imported into the U.S. The report calls for limited increases in some federal agencies' responsibilities but does little to change the current voluntary regulatory scheme for imports. Read more...

Bush Fuel Economy Measure Rejected by Court
A U.S. court of appeals has overturned a recent National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) rule that revised a national standard for fuel economy. Environmentalists hailed the ruling as a victory and framed it as condemnation of the Bush administration's record on fuel economy and global warming. Read more...

OSHA Issues Personal Protective Equipment Rule
Eight years after proposing it, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has finalized a worker safety rule. The final rule mandates employers pay for worker personal protective equipment (PPE). Read more...

White House Rejects Krill Protection Rule
The White House has rejected an effort by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to protect krill, an important marine species abundant in the Pacific Ocean. NOAA's proposed rule is a precautionary measure aimed at protecting krill in the future but was rejected by White House officials for failing to identify a need for the regulation. Read more...

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As promised, California filed suit yesterday against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its refusal to make a decision on the state's proposal to set strict standards for vehicle greenhouse gas emissions.

In December 2005, California petitioned EPA to let the state develop its own program for regulating emissions. Under the Clean Air Act, the federal government holds the express right to regulate emissions but may grant waivers to states, which it often does. (EPA has granted California more than 50 waivers since the 1970's, according to The Los Angeles Times.) If EPA grants California's waiver request, 14 other states would follow with similar programs.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger gave EPA plenty of advanced notice about the suit; he wrote to administrator Stephen Johnson in April notifying EPA that California would sue if the agency did not decide on the request by October.

Nonetheless, Johnson has continued to stall and would only commit to making a decision by the end of the year. According to the LA Times, "California officials said they were pressing ahead with their lawsuit out of fear that the White House could order Johnson to postpone his decision."

Officials' fear about White House interference is not unfounded. White House officials are not happy about state attempts to impose greenhouse gas emission limits. In September, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee unearthed an administration-wide campaign, coordinated by the White House, in which cabinet-level officials lobbied state officials and federal lawmakers with the intent of killing the state programs.