The Clinton administration is striving mightily to pour forth regulations on the environment, labor, health care and other controversial topics before Jan. 20 brings a new occupant to the White House. With this year's close and bitterly contested election, the mere prospect of a Republican administration headed by George W. Bush is making the Democrats who are now in control all the more determined to leave a lasting imprint on public policy.
Advocates hail it as the biggest pollution cleanup since lead was removed from gasoline.
Business opponents blast it as the equivalent of a hefty new tax that would cripple diesel-fuel production and send prices soaring. Tighter privacy standards for electronic medical records. Individuals want to keep their records confidential and to be able to sue if their privacy is violated. Employers and health plans say they need the information to improve health- care delivery. Designation of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as a national monument, which would make oil drilling in the area virtually impossible.