In "Rush Is On to Cement Regulations," Wall Street Journal reporter Elizabeth Williamson previews some regulations the Bush administration may finalize in its waning days of power:

Industries from agriculture to power are pressing for the Bush administration to act on a slew of pending regulations, betting they will do worse no matter who wins the White House in the fall.

Among the rules the article mentions:

• Changes to the Family and Medical Leave Act;
• Reduced limits on emissions from power plants near national parks; and
• Reporting exemptions for farms that produce air pollution from animal waste.

In today's Washington Post, Bloomberg news columnist Cindy Skrzycki covers the Small Business Administration's recent release of its Top 10 list of rules it is asking federal agencies to review and modify. Although it is difficult for an agency to start and finish a rulemaking in a year, these rules may get some attention in the coming months.

EPA has long been considering a revision to one of the rules on the Top 10 list, and will likely try to finalize it before Bush's time runs out. The rule would make it easier for facilities to dump hazardous waste under the guise of promoting recycling of the toxic material. According to the Sierra Club, "If the rule were adopted, an estimated three billion pounds of hazardous waste annually would no longer be regulated as waste under certain conditions."

Reg•Watch has also been blogging about some regulatory proposals under agency consideration. Among them, a rule to ease current restrictions on gun possession in national parks, and a series of rules which would reduce federal funding for state-administered Medicaid programs.

If you know of other rules that are in the regulatory pipeline and, for better or worse, the Bush administration may try to finalize in the next ten months, email Reg•Watch and tell us. We'll keep posting updates as the months roll on.

The Department of Labor (DOL) has announced a proposed rule that would alter federal protections for workers who need to take leave to care for themselves or their families. DOL chose to pursue the rule changes after hearing complaints from industry lobbyists.

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) allows employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave in a 12-month period without risking their pay, benefits, or position. According to DOL, employees can apply for FMLA leave "for the birth of a child; for the placement of a child for adoption or foster care; to care for a newborn or newly-placed child; to care for a spouse, parent, son or daughter with a serious health condition; or when the employee is unable to work due to the employee's own serious health condition."

According the National Partnership for Women and Families, a nonprofit organization that works on workplace fairness issues and has expertise on FMLA, several provisions in the proposed rule would make it more difficult for workers to take FMLA leave.

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Posted by Matt Madia, 10:06:45 AM