Browse regulations

NSF's internal environmental review procedures for U.S. Antarctic Program actions, implementing Executive Order 12114 and the Antarctic Treaty Environmental Protocol. Requires preliminary review for all actions; tiered documentation based on impact (Environmental Action Memorandum for <minor/transitory, Initial Environmental Evaluation for ≥minor/transitory, Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation for >minor/transitory); includes exclusions for low-impact scientific activities; mandates public/international comment periods and monitoring; provides emergency exception.

Imposes compliance costs on NSF and researchers, funded by taxpayers; creates delays through vague thresholds and 90–120 day international consultations that can derail time-sensitive research; establishes a self-perpetuating bureaucracy that distorts scientific incentives; expands federal control over international scientific activities, undermining sovereignty; and unnecessarily implements an overbroad treaty, with unseen consequences including risk-aversion, lost research opportunities, and potential regulatory capture.

Establishes procedural rules for administrative hearings between the Department of Health and Human Services and Lead Agencies regarding compliance with federal statutes and regulations, including rules for participation, discovery, evidence presentation, and decision-making.

Creates an unnecessary bureaucratic layer of administrative hearings that duplicates existing legal processes and imposes compliance costs on state agencies without providing proportional benefits. The procedures mirror standard administrative law but add complexity and delay to federal-state interactions that could be handled through existing channels.

This regulation establishes FEMA's earthquake hazards reduction assistance program, requiring states to develop seismic safety initiatives with federal funding and cost-sharing requirements, covering mitigation planning, preparedness/response planning, public awareness, and related activities to reduce earthquake damage and enhance emergency response capabilities.

This creates a federal bureaucracy for earthquake preparedness that should be handled by states and private entities. The cost-sharing requirements and complex matching rules impose regulatory overhead without clear evidence of effectiveness. States already have incentive to prepare for natural disasters without federal mandates, and the program likely suffers from regulatory capture and inefficiency typical of federal emergency management programs.

This regulation establishes procedural rules for how the HHS Office of Inspector General issues and enforces subpoenas during investigations into healthcare program fraud and false claims. It covers subpoena content requirements, service methods, witness rights (attorney accompaniment, fee entitlements, transcript procedures), investigational hearing protocols, and enforcement through federal district courts.

This is a purely procedural regulation that imposes minimal compliance costs while providing critical due process protections for individuals investigated by the OIG. It ensures subpoena power is exercised with clear, predictable rules rather than ad-hoc discretion, actually constraining agency authority rather than expanding it. Without it, investigations would be more chaotic and prone to abuse, undermining effective oversight of federal healthcare programs that lose tens of billions annually to fraud. The regulation balances legitimate enforcement needs with witness rights, and any replacement would necessarily look very similar.

Procedural rules governing administrative hearings before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) for civil money penalties and exclusion cases brought by the HHS Inspector General. Covers hearing requests, discovery rights, evidence rules, subpoenas, appeals to the Departmental Appeals Board (DAB), and judicial review processes.

Eliminating these procedural safeguards would undermine due process rights without reducing substantive regulatory burden. The regulation merely establishes fair administrative procedures for appeals under existing statutory frameworks (e.g., False Claims Act, anti-kickback statutes). The underlying enforcement authority exists by statute; removing these rules would create legal uncertainty, likely violate constitutional due process, and not meaningfully reduce compliance costs since affected parties would still be entitled to some form of hearing under the Administrative Procedure Act. These procedural protections prevent arbitrary government action—a core libertarian principle—while the regulation itself imposes minimal costs on the government and none on the public.

Implements federal requirements for state Medicaid agencies to exclude providers based on fraud, criminal convictions, or other misconduct; mandates disclosure of ownership information to the OIG; requires denial of payment to excluded providers; and establishes uniform administrative procedures for exclusions, appeals, and reinstatement across state Medicaid programs.

Without this coordination, bad actors excluded in one state could simply move to another, multiplying fraud across the $700B+ Medicaid program. The regulation establishes minimum nationwide safeguards while allowing states to impose stricter standards, creating efficiency without preempting state authority. The modest administrative burden is outweighed by protecting taxpayer dollars and maintaining program integrity.

The regulation establishes criteria and procedures for excluding individuals and entities from Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health care programs based on criminal convictions, license revocations, or other sanctions. It defines key terms, sets mandatory minimum exclusion periods (5 years for felonies, 3 years for misdemeanors), allows for length adjustments based on aggravating/mitigating factors, and outlines reinstatement processes.

Keeping this regulation perpetuates unconstitutional federal overreach into healthcare, a domain reserved to states. It imposes a costly bureaucratic overlay that duplicates state licensing and criminal justice systems, creates barriers to entry that protect incumbents, and distorts market accountability. The unseen costs include reduced provider competition, higher compliance burdens particularly on small practices, and the entrenchment of a regulatory regime that cannot be justified absent the existence of the federal healthcare programs themselves, which should be abolished.

Federal regulations governing NIH grants for research centers across multiple health fields including cancer, mental health, cardiovascular diseases, and other medical conditions. Establishes eligibility criteria, application requirements, evaluation processes, and funding mechanisms for specialized research centers.

Federal funding of specialized research centers represents unconstitutional federal overreach into medical research that should be left to private institutions, state governments, or voluntary associations. The $2+ trillion regulatory compliance costs burden taxpayers and distort research priorities away from market-driven innovation. NIH's centralized control creates bureaucratic bottlenecks that slow medical progress while protecting incumbent research institutions from competition.

Procedural rules governing citizen suits under CERCLA, including notice requirements, timing restrictions, and content specifications for enforcement actions against alleged violators or government agencies for failure to act.

Creates private attorneys general, imposing high litigation costs and regulatory chill. Multi-party notice requirements inflate legal fees, disproportionately harming small businesses. Enables NGO capture and mission creep beyond statutory intent, while doing nothing to improve environmental outcomes that couldn't be achieved through direct agency enforcement.

This EPA regulation (40 CFR Part 279) establishes comprehensive standards for managing used oil, including definitions, generator/transporter/processor requirements, storage protocols, spill response, and fuel use specifications. It creates a tiered regulatory system with exemptions for small generators (household DIYers, farmers under 25 gal/month), self-transport under 55 gallons, and specific industrial uses. The rule distinguishes used oil from hazardous waste based on halogen content and physical characteristics, while imposing labeling, storage condition, and handling requirements on regulated entities.

The regulation imposes substantial compliance costs ($2 trillion+ overall regulatory burden context) on thousands of small businesses—auto repair shops, gas stations, machinery dealers—with disproportionate impact per employee. Many requirements (labeling tanks, 24-hour transfer limits, registration mandates) create barriers to entry and protect incumbent waste management firms. The environmental goals are better achieved through liability law and property rights: improper disposal already constitutes trespass/nuisance under common law, providing sufficient deterrence. The 'rebuttable presumption' based on halogen ppm is arbitrary and forces businesses to undergo expensive testing. The federal government lacks constitutional authority under the Commerce Clause to regulate non-interstate waste handling activities that properly belong to states under the Tenth Amendment. Recycling markets for used oil already exist profitably without regulation; the rule merely substitutes bureaucratic compliance for genuine risk assessment.

Worker Protection Standard (WPS) for agricultural pesticides establishes safety requirements for workers and handlers, including training, notification, PPE, restricted-entry intervals, and emergency response procedures to reduce occupational exposure risks in farming operations.

This regulation creates excessive compliance costs for small farms while providing minimal additional safety benefits beyond existing common law and state-level protections. The complex requirements around PPE, training, and restricted-entry intervals impose administrative burdens that disproportionately harm small agricultural businesses and family farms, while the one-size-fits-all approach ignores local conditions and farming practices.

Implements the Montreal Protocol and Clean Air Act to phase out ozone-depleting substances through production/consumption limits, trade restrictions, and specific regulatory requirements for controlled substances and products.

Protects the ozone layer, which shields Earth from harmful UV radiation. Without this regulation, ozone depletion would increase skin cancer rates, harm ecosystems, and damage agriculture. The phase-out approach balances environmental protection with economic transition.

EPA regulation establishing minimum requirements for state-administered air pollution permit programs under Title V of the Clean Air Act. Mandates that 'major sources' and other specified facilities obtain permits to operate, creates a complex system of fees, monitoring, reporting, and enforcement, and establishes procedures for EPA approval and oversight of state programs. Includes extensive definitions determining applicability and provides for permit issuance, modification, and renewal.

The permit mandate imposes massive hidden costs ($14,000+ per household annually in overall regulatory burden) while violating Tenth Amendment federalism by commandeering states into a federal regulatory scheme. Small businesses face 30% higher per-employee compliance costs, creating barriers to entry that protect incumbents. The arbitrary power to grant or deny operational permission invites regulatory capture, misallocates capital to compliance rather than production, and stifles innovation. Clean air can be achieved more efficiently through state-level regulation, market-based mechanisms, property rights enforcement, and liability rules—not this command-and-control bureaucracy that distorts incentives and concentrates power in unelected agencies.

General provisions governing the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) program under Clean Air Act section 112. Defines terms, applicability criteria for major vs area sources, compliance requirements, monitoring, reporting, permit integration, and administrative procedures that apply across all industry-specific NESHAP rules. Forms the foundational framework for regulating hazardous air pollutants from stationary sources.

This framework enables a vast centralized regulatory apparatus imposing billions in compliance costs, creating disproportionate burdens on small businesses, and representing federal overreach into state/local domains. The knowledge problem prevents bureaucratic optimality; unintended consequences include reduced innovation, job loss, and regulatory capture. Public health objectives could be achieved more effectively through state-level standards, tort law, and market-based solutions respecting property rights.

Establishes air pollution control requirements for outer continental shelf (OCS) sources to attain/maintain federal and state ambient air quality standards, including permitting, offset requirements, and delegation procedures for sources within 25 miles of state boundaries and beyond.

Creates costly regulatory bureaucracy that disproportionately burdens offshore energy development, imposes unnecessary compliance costs on businesses, and extends federal control over areas better managed by states or industry. The extensive permitting requirements and offset mandates create artificial barriers to energy production while providing minimal environmental benefit beyond what states could achieve independently.