The Department of Energy tried to make its agencies justify every rule from scratch. It gave up.

The Department of Energy withdrew a new rule called "Zero-Based Regulating." This means the agency will not implement a new way of reviewing its existing regulations.

The rule would have forced DOE agencies to justify every regulation from scratch, rather than simply updating existing ones. Its withdrawal shows how difficult it is to change established regulatory processes, even for reforms aimed at reducing burden. This means the existing regulatory landscape at the DOE will remain as it is, despite calls for streamlining.