Obama to eliminate some regulations, including EPA gas station mandate

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will order Thursday changing or eliminating a handful of regulations — from uniform street sign requirements to outdated hospital reporting rules — that his administration says could have cost the economy $6 billion over five years, part of a regulatory overhaul that will require agencies to periodically scrub their rule books in search of unnecessary mandates.

Gas stations are among the beneficiaries of the changes, as the EPA will repeal a requirement that gas stations in some states install vapor controls at the pumps.

Obama will sign the election-year executive order later Thursday that will force federal agencies to scrutinize old rules to determine which ones are justified and to issue regular reports on their progress.