US environmental regulators withdraw new contracting rules after public pushback

US environmental regulators have withdrawn a new rule that would have changed how they award contracts. This means the agency will continue to use its existing contracting methods, rather than the proposed new ones.

This withdrawal shows that public comments can still stop regulatory changes. The agency had tried to implement the rule directly, but adverse feedback forced them to pull it back. It means that for now, the existing rules for how the agency buys goods and services will remain in place.