A Future for Federal Regulatory Budgeting?

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-61
Author(s):  
John D. Graham
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory Reform ◽  
Strong Case ◽  
Regulatory Affairs ◽  
Regulatory Processes ◽  
Reform Legislation ◽  
Comprehensive Reform ◽  
The U.S

For decades, a strong case has been made for comprehensive reform of the U.S. federal government’s regulatory processes (for early contributions, see Weidenbaum & DeFina, 1978; Lave, 1981; Breyer, 1982; Harrison & Portney, 1983; Litan & Nordhaus, 1983; Viscusi, 1992; Breyer, 1993; Sunstein, 1996; Graham, 1996, 1997). Establishment of centralized Office of Management and Budget (OMB) oversight through the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) was an important achievement, but Congress has not yet passed comprehensive regulatory reform legislation.

Organic Hits the Mainstream

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Connor J. Fitzmaurice ◽  
Brian J. Gareau
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Consumer Choice ◽  
Organic Foods ◽  
Regulatory Processes ◽  
Federal Recognition ◽  
Chemical Inputs ◽  
Consistent Basis ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Chemical Pesticides ◽  
The U.S

With the passage of the U.S. Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) of 1990, organic food left the fringes of America’s agricultural economy and received federal recognition— and regulation. But how did organic farming become a niche market governed by regulations aimed at limiting the use of synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilizers, rather than by more holistic concerns about society and ecology? This chapter provides an overview of the regulatory processes that yielded both the OFPA and the final USDA organic standards implemented in 2000. While the federal government’s approach to organic farming began with a holistic, process-based definition of organic agriculture in the USDA’s 1980 “Report and Recommendations on Organic Farming,” the final standards came to focus on issues surrounding chemical inputs. This process served to settle the organic market by providing commensurability, offering a consistent basis for consumer choice, not broad agricultural sustainability.

Regulatory Process, Regulatory Reform, and the Quality of Regulatory Impact Analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry Ellig ◽  
Rosemarie Fike
Keyword(s):  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Impact Analysis ◽  
Regulatory Reform ◽  
Executive Branch ◽  
Regulatory Process ◽  
Quality Analysis ◽  
Regulatory Affairs ◽  
Regulatory Impact Analysis ◽  
Regulatory Impact

Numerous regulatory reform proposals would require federal agencies to conduct more thorough economic analysis of proposed regulations or expand the resources and influence of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), which currently reviews executive branch regulations. Such reforms are intended to improve the quality of economic analysis agencies produce when they issue major regulations. We employ newly gathered data on variation in current administrative procedures to assess the likely effects of proposed regulatory process reforms on the quality of agencies’ regulatory impact analyses (RIAs). Our results suggest that greater use of advance notices of proposed rulemakings for major regulations, advance consultation with regulated entities, use of advisory committees, and expansion of OIRA’s resources and role would improve the quality of RIAs. They also suggest pre-proposal public meetings with stakeholders are associated with lower quality analysis.

Offshore petroleum regulatory reform: the WA experience—first 12 months in review

2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 435
Author(s):  
Graeme Waters
Keyword(s):  
Tracking System ◽  
Regulatory Reform ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Regulatory Framework ◽  
Smooth Transition ◽  
Data Repository ◽  
Adjacent Area ◽  
Offshore Area ◽  
Regulatory Processes ◽  
To Come

On 1 January 2012, a new regulatory framework for the offshore oil and gas industry in Australian Commonwealth waters started. The changes were profound and brought about a single national regulator for safety, environmental management, and well integrity. It also meant that the seven former designated authorities were abolished in favour of a single National Titles Administrator. In the lead up to the reforms, ministers Martin Ferguson and Frederick Moore agreed that officials from their respective departments would implement cooperative working arrangements for the WA adjacent offshore area, to facilitate and ensure a smooth transition for the industry and help achieve the recommendations of the Productivity Commission's review. The authors of this extended abstract reflect on and share the experiences of the past 12 months. An update of the authors' respective agencies' progress beyond the transition phase is also discussed. This extended abstract also outlines projects of interest and how they will benefit the industry and continue to develop the foundations of the cooperative working arrangements between NOPTA and WA-DMP. During the changes and transition program, industry and regulators have strived to engage in the new regime, and the results have been positive. Now is the opportunity for us to come together, ask questions, share information, and examine what has worked and what is yet to come. Several aspects of the arrangements are now evident: the establishment of the National Core Store and Data Repository, the establishment of the National Electronic Approvals and Tracking System (NEATS), and the day-to-day interactions between NOPTA and WA-DMP. The WA-DMP speaker reviews Joint Authority operations for the WA adjacent area since the establishment of NOPTA and NOPSEMA. Bill Tinapple also reviews regulatory framework developments for WA; in particular, changes to provide for shale and tight gas and oil activity, as well as, public engagement to increase confidence in regulatory processes. Coordination of regulatory processes across jurisdictional boundaries are reviewed, including case studies for Gorgon, Wheatstone, and Macedon.

Environmental Regulatory Reform: Discussion

1996 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 126-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
William M. Park
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Economics ◽  
Regulatory Reform ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Environmental Legislation ◽  
Valuable Contribution ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Graduate Research ◽  
Professional Perspectives ◽  
Economics Courses ◽  
The U.S

Carriker, Infanger, and Shabman and Stephenson have provided a set of papers related to the current debate over environmental regulatory reform. Each paper stands alone as a distinct and valuable contribution to the literature on this subject. Yet as a set they complement one another and form a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.Carriker, in his comprehensive overview of federal environmental policy in the U.S., painstakingly describes the origins, evolution, and impacts of nine major pieces of environmental legislation, and thus sets the stage for discussion of current issues and professional perspectives in the other two papers. Carriker's paper is well documented and should also serve as a good primer for students taking natural resource and environmental economics courses or contemplating graduate research in this area.

scholarly journals Restructuring, Competition and Regulatory Reform in the U.S. Electricity Sector

1997 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 119-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul L Joskow
Keyword(s):  
Market Power ◽  
Regulatory Reform ◽  
Industry Structure ◽  
Electricity Sector ◽  
Incentive Regulation ◽  
Industry Restructuring ◽  
Regulation Mechanisms ◽  
Historical Performance ◽  
Transmission And Distribution ◽  
The U.S

The U.S. electricity sector is going through dramatic changes. The changes are expanding competition in the generating segment of the industry, making it possible for consumers to choose among competing generation service suppliers, and reforming the regulation of remaining monopoly segments. The paper discusses current industry structure and regulation, its historical performance, and the sources of political pressures for change. It examines important industry restructuring and regulatory reform issues, including the organization of competitive generation markets, transmission access and pricing, generation market power, and the application of incentive regulation mechanisms to the transmission and distribution segments.

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