The Biden administration has been on a climate and environment regulatory spree over the last three months, which interest groups say is directly intended to safeguard the president’s agenda against a possible Donald Trump presidency.
Of the 76 economically significant rules finalized by the administration since the start of 2024, 35 of them are related to the climate and environment. In April, the administration finalized 42 rules — the most any president has completed in a single month since the Reagan era, according to Sarah Hay, a policy analyst at the George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center. Usually, administrations average about four or five final rules monthly.
The D.C. machine of lobbyists, advocates and lawyers has cranked into a higher gear to deal with the growing stack of new rules in preparation for the inevitable onslaught of related lawsuits.