"[P]eople acting in a group can accomplish things which no individual acting alone could even hope to bring about." - FDR

News & Analysis | REG•WATCH Blog | Press Room

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Occupational Risk Rule Clears White House

The White House has approved a controversial rule that would change the way occupational health agencies calculate on-the-job risks. The rule cleared the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs yesterday.

According to OIRA's website, the office approved the rule "consistent with change." That's the most common designation OIRA uses to summarize its review of agency regulations. Basically, consistent with change means OIRA has done some meddling with and editing of the rule, but the big picture remains the same.

Approval by OIRA — a politically-minded office inside the White House that is responsible for reviewing and approving agency policy — does not come as a surprise. The rule, which the office of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao is pushing without the consultation of her department's occupational health experts, would create a system that downplays occupational risks in order to weaken the argument in favor of workplace regulations. Such a policy is consistent with the Bush White House's disdain for regulation. (OMB Watch has more on the rule here.)

The next step in the process is formal publication of the proposal in the Federal Register. The Department of Labor may borrow the strategy of other federal departments that have been trying to rush through other bad regulations. The departments of Health and Human Services and Interior both recently proposed new rules but only allowed for 30 days of public comment. (The standard is 60 days.) Stay tuned to Reg•Watch for updates.