The regulatory review process allows the executive branch of the United States federal government to ensure that the regulations drafted by different agencies contribute to the current administration's overall goals. Regulatory review is also carried on at the state level, although the organizational structure of these councils or commissions varies somewhat from state to state. In the past the regulatory review process has emphasized a cost-benefit analysis that has tended to delay or halt the publication of environmental regulations. This pattern shifted after 1993 to a greater emphasis on citizen participation in the process of rulemaking.

Executive agencies carry out congressionally enacted laws by drafting and enforcing regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has responsibility for writing the regulations that implement environmental laws, like the Clean Air Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (Superfund). For example, when the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act...