Bush Mandate Centralizes Regulatory Power, Endangers Public

The report analyzes the impact of Executive Order 13422, which modifies the regulatory process by placing political appointees as gatekeepers in federal agencies and expanding the review of non-binding guidance documents by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). It contends that the order shifts the focus of regulation toward addressing 'market failures' and aggregate cost-benefit analyses, potentially delaying critical safety and health protections and increasing political interference in science-based regulatory processes.

• Executive Order 13422 centralizes control by installing Regulatory Policy Officers (RPOs)—political appointees accountable to the president rather than the Senate—who must approve new regulations before agencies begin work on them.
• The order and a companion OMB bulletin expand OIRA's oversight to include 'significant' guidance documents (those with an annual effect of $100 million or more), which can create bottlenecks and gridlock for non-binding technical or emergency documents.
• EO 13422 prioritizes economic and market-based criteria over health and safety by requiring agencies to identify specific 'market failures' to justify new regulations, a standard not found in statutory law.
• The order requires agencies to provide an estimate of combined aggregate costs and benefits for all planned regulations in a calendar year, which critics argue is an improper 'apples to oranges' comparison that undervalues non-priceable benefits like biodiversity and human health.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2008). Bush Mandate Centralizes Regulatory Power, Endangers Public. https://www.ucs.org/resources/bush-mandate-centralizes-regulatory-power-endangers-public

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Bush Mandate Centralizes Regulatory Power, Endangers Public. 2008. https://www.ucs.org/resources/bush-mandate-centralizes-regulatory-power-endangers-public.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Bush Mandate Centralizes Regulatory Power, Endangers Public |date=13 July 2008 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/bush-mandate-centralizes-regulatory-power-endangers-public |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2008bush, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Bush Mandate Centralizes Regulatory Power, Endangers Public}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2008}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/bush-mandate-centralizes-regulatory-power-endangers-public}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }