The office launched during the early 1980s following the Paperwork Reduction Act and has historically worked to balance the president’s political interests with science.
“OIRA is largely a reactive office,” said Stuart Shapiro, a former employee who served under both Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush.
“When an agency wants to issue a regulation they send it to OIRA, and then OIRA reviews it both for its analytical quality and whether or not it aligns with the preferences of the president,” Shapiro said.
E&E News, January 24