Wall Street Journal, “Obama Courts Business Support“:

Among the rules targeted by business and trade groups are proposed EPA regulations governing ozone and greenhouse-gas emissions, and emissions from industrial boilers; a Transportation Department rule limiting trucking-industry working hours; and an Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule that could require factory owners to install comprehensive noise-reduction technology, instead of issuing protective gear for workers.

“We want to take full advantage of this opportunity to encourage the administration to change course on a variety of proposals,” said Rosario Palmieri, vice president of regulatory policy at the National Association of Manufacturers.

Greenwire, via New York Times, “Obama Issues Executive Order to Cut Red Tape“:

Obama has recently reached out to businesses, meeting with corporate CEOs last month to ask how the government could help them create jobs and rebuild the economy. Industry groups were pleased by today’s announcement.
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From President Obama’s Wall Street Journal op-ed, “Toward a 21st-Century Regulatory System“:

[We] are also making it our mission to root out regulations that conflict, that are not worth the cost, or that are just plain dumb.

For instance, the FDA has long considered saccharin, the artificial sweetener, safe for people to consume. Yet for years, the EPA made companies treat saccharin like other dangerous chemicals. Well, if it goes in your coffee, it is not hazardous waste. The EPA wisely eliminated this rule last month.

Wall Street Journal editorial, “Obama’s Rules Revelation“:

One example Mr. Obama cited yesterday is a now-defunct EPA rule that treated saccharin like hazardous waste, as if the current problem is archaic rules. But growth isn’t lethargic because there are still colonial laws on the books about when livestock are allowed to graze on the village green. The real problems are those his own Administration and its allies have created—the regulatory blowout of the 111th Congress and the laws his appointees are now abusing to bypass democratic consent.

Jacob T. Levy, McGill University, “Cass Sunstein in the News“:

Note that Obama’s op-ed named just one example of overregulation, already repealed: the classification of saccharine as hazardous waste by the EPA. And it foresees new or stiffer “safety rules for infant formula; procedures to stop preventable infections in hospitals; efforts to target chronic violators of workplace safety laws.” The emphasis of the piece is hardly on any claim that in fact there is too much regulation in any area. The tone is generally one that says “we’ve been doing things basically right and now we will confirm that will a self-audit.”

From the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, a chart:

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From President Obama’s Wall Street Journal op-ed, “Toward a 21st-Century Regulatory System“:

As the executive order I am signing makes clear, we are seeking more affordable, less intrusive means to achieve the same ends—giving careful consideration to benefits and costs. This means writing rules with more input from experts, businesses and ordinary citizens.

Why, why, even lobbyists might be able to comment. Outrageous!

OMB Director Jack Lew doubles down on the President’s message, writing in a blog post:

[We] need to follow a smarter, more effective approach to regulating to ensure that these necessary protections work without stifling America’s growth and competitiveness. We believe that it is particularly critical now, as our economy continues to recover and create new jobs, that our regulatory strategy be as evidence-based, predictable, cost-effective, and carefully targeted as possible to enable American businesses to continue to grow and innovate.

Just turning the Administration’s regulatory process over to Big Business. It’s unconscionable.

Earlier coverage…

• Politico, Jan. 3, “Darrell Issa asks business: Tell me what to change“
• Alan Colmes, Jan. 4, “Chief Obama Investigator Darrell Issa Has Big Corporations And Lobbyists On His Side“
• DCCC, Jan. 5, “Guess Who Darrell Issa Wants to Protect From Regulations? The Same Industries That Fund His Campaign“
• Mother Jones, Jan. 13, “Love Letters to Darrell Issa“: “Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the new chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, has asked a slew of companies and industry groups for feedback on the regulations they think need to be changed.”