Regulatory Review of Administrator-Signed Rules

Tables and Charts

• Regulatory Review of Administrator-Signed Rules by Program Offices, 2005-10 (charts and table)
• Regulatory Review Time, Average and Median, 2005-10 (table)
• Regulatory Review Time, 2005-10 (histogram and table)
• Regulatory Review Time, 2010 (histogram and table)
• Regulatory Review Time, 2009 (histogram and table)
• Regulatory Review Time, 2008 (histogram and table)
• Regulatory Review Time, 2007 (histogram and table)
• Regulatory Review Time, 2006 (histogram and table)
• Regulatory Review Time, 2005 (histogram and table)

Overview

Some EPA rules must undergo regulatory review. Only those regulatory actions designated "significant" under Executive Order (EO) 12866, "Regulatory Planning and Review," are subject to regulatory review as coordinated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). EO 12866 provides OMB with a maximum of 90 days to review actions. This review may take longer, in which case EO 12866 authorizes EPA to request a one-time extension of no more than 30 days.

Almost half (50 percent) of all Administrator-Signed rules in 2005-2010 underwent regulatory review. While the average review time by OMB was 55 days, the median review time was much lower (32 days), reflecting the presence of some outliers. In fact, there were a total of 50 rulemakings (fourteen percent) that exceeded the maximum review period of 90 days provided for in EO 12866.