As President Clinton's final days in office wind down, the rush is on to put in place wide-ranging new regulations affecting business, industry and the workplace. The Environmental Protection Agency alone is considering more than 60 new rules.

Critics accuse the Democratic administration of maneuvering around the GOP-controlled Congress, while attention has been focused on the disputed presidential election.

Consider the breadth and scope of the new mandates:

• Road construction is being barred in vast national forest areas.

• The Office of Management and Budget is reviewing stricter ethical standards for contractors who want to do business with the federal government.

• All meat and poultry packages would have to carry new nutritional labels, and foods labeled as organic would be required to meet a first-ever national certification standard.

• Tough new standards might be applied to mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants, while heavy-duty vehicles would be subjected to tighter emission standards.

• Many widely-used pesticides could face further restrictions or outright bans.

Finally, there are the enormously expensive new ergonomics rules -- which will pile on additional billions in regulatory-induced costs.

Source: Kevin McCoy, "Flurry of Regulations Set to Kick in as Clinton Exits," USA Today, November 27, 2000.