Obama Freezes Bush's "Midnight Rules"

Good news.

Perhaps the FDA's "Final Guidance on Regulation of Genetically Engineered Animals" (that I blogged about here), which failed to require labels on food from genetically engineered animals, and which was finalized a mere 5 days before Obama's inauguration, may not be implemented as prescribed.

Rahm Emanuel, Obama's Chief of Staff, issued a memo on Tuesday that effectively halted implementation of the Bush administration's last-minute regulations:

From Rahm Emanuel: Regulatory Review (pdf)

"It is important that President Obama's appointees and designees have the opportunity to review and approve any new or pending regulations."

The memo instructed:

1. If a Final Rule wasn't published in the Federal Register (FR) yet, don't publish until it can be reviewed.
   
2. If a Final Rule was published in the FR, extend the effective date by 60 days so it can be reviewed - and reopen public comments for 30 days.

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