OMB Finds Net Gain from Pollution Rules

The financial benefits of clean-air regulations over the past decade were 6 to 10 times greater than the costs of complying with them, according to “Informing Regulatory Decisions,” a comprehensive study undertaken by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. According to the same report, the benefits of major rules enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency in the last year were 7 to 25 times greater than the costs of compliance. OMB is required to report to Congress each year on the costs and benefits of federal regulations and unfunded mandates on state, local, and tribal entities. The report is at: www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/2003_cost-ben_final_rpt.pdf.