The Interior Department this week announced the members of the task force the agency has set up to review federal rules and regulations.
In February, President Trump issued an executive order requiring federal agencies to set up task forces to identify regulations to be repealed, replaced, or modified in order to “alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens placed on the American people.”
Specifically, the task forces are required to identify regulations that eliminate jobs or inhibit job creation; are outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective; impose costs that exceed benefits; or interfere with regulatory reform initiatives. In January, another executive order the president issued requires agencies to identify two rules for repeal before issuing a new one.
According to a memo released yesterday, Interior’s task force includes Jim Cason, the agency’s associate deputy secretary who had served under George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, and Assistant Secretary for Lands and Minerals Management Kate MacGregor, who was previously a senior staffer on the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources. Other members of the task force include Principal Deputy Solicitor Dan Jorjani, Policy, Management, and Budget Chief of Staff Amy Holley, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Virginia Johnson, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget Scott Cameron and Indian Affairs Assistant Secretary Benjamin Keel.
Last month, Interior began soliciting input from the public regarding regulations appropriate for repeal, replacement, or modification. “This initiative is part of a government-wide initiative to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens on the American public,” the agency announced in a press release.
The agency received over 1.3 million comments over its review of the national monuments designated under the Antiquities Act, and last week, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke pledged to improve permitting for oil and natural gas projects on federal lands and to conduct quarterly lease sales. In May, Zinke said the “stars have lined up so we can create energy jobs.”
