President Releases Executive Order on Regulatory Strategy

January 18, 2011

President Obama signed an Executive Order outlining his regulatory strategy to support continued economic growth and job creation, while protecting the safety, health and rights of all Americans. This strategy builds on best practices of the past, while adapting to challenges the country faces today and establishing a smart path for the future.

As part of the immediate implementation of this strategy, the President also issued a memorandum to the heads of Executive Agencies and Departments calling for more transparency and accountability in regulatory compliance, as well as a memorandum emphasizing the need to reduce burdens on small businesses whenever possible. The new Executive Order can be found here.

  • Cost-effective and Cost-Justified: Consistent with law, Agencies must consider costs and benefits and choose the least burdensome path.
  • Transparent:The regulatory process must be transparent and include public participation, with an opportunity for the public to comment.
  • Coordinated and Simplified: Agencies must attempt to coordinate, simplify, and harmonize regulations to reduce costs and promote certainty for businesses and the public.
  • Flexible: Agencies must consider approaches that maintain freedom of choice and flexibility, including disclosure of relevant information to the public.
  • Science-driven: Regulations must be guided by objective scientific evidence.
  • Necessary and Up-to-Date: Existing regulations must be reviewed to determine that they are still necessary and crafted effectively to solve current problems. If they are outdated, they must be changed or repealed.


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