Deregulation Does Not Remove Responsibility. It Shifts It.
When a new administration takes office, the regulatory landscape rarely remains unchanged. Rules are rewritten, enforcement priorities shift, and established interpretations evolve in unexpected ways. Deregulation often arrives sounding like a welcome relief for industry. Fewer rules, fewer delays, fewer compliance barriers. At least that is the common perception.
In practice, deregulation creates uncertainty, and instead of clearing a path, it erases the map. Companies delay capital projects while they wait for clarity. Product launches stall. Strategic deals pause mid-negotiation. Leadership teams spend more time guessing than operating as they evaluate which requirements will remain, which will roll back, and which will be reinterpreted in entirely new ways.
When regulators step back, industry must decide for itself where the boundaries lie, and organizations must begin making their own judgment calls. These decisions are often inconsistent and sometimes conflicting. Compliance teams ask what standards they should continue to follow. Operations teams look for efficiencies. Legal departments focus on what will be defensible in a future audit. Executives wonder how peers across the industry are responding and whether competitive advantage will come from caution or from speed.
When the baseline disappears, every organization must create its own. The results are uneven and unstable.
A Clear Example of Industry Deregulation
Between 2018 and 2020, the United States government loosened regulations related to drilling mud system components including circulation systems, containment units, and mud tanks. The intention was to reduce operational costs and stimulate domestic drilling activity. The opposite occurred. Without a clear regulatory anchor, the industry became fractured.
Some operators upheld rigorous controls aligned with recognized ISO standards. Others reduced testing and certification to lower expenses. Manufacturers found themselves navigating a patchwork of expectations. Insurance providers raised premiums due to rising risk exposure. Internal teams clashed over what level of risk was acceptable and what qualified as safe enough. Deregulation did not create harmony. It created tension and competitive imbalance.
This experience makes it clear that consistency cannot be left to chance. When regulations loosen, the need for strong standards does not disappear. Standards become more urgent.
Why Deregulation Makes Standards Even More Essential
Standards do what deregulation cannot. They create continuity in the absence of direction. Global standards provide a stable foundation for safety, quality, and performance. They ensure that risk expectations remain aligned across operators, suppliers, insurers, and certification bodies. They prevent the race to the bottom that can emerge when cost-cutting replaces compliance.
When political cycles shift, standards remain steady. They offer a neutral and globally recognized reference point that keeps the industry grounded. In an era of uncertainty, standards become the only dependable guide left.
Where ANSI and Citation Compliance Fit into this New Reality
Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs) bring the subject matter expertise and global frameworks that industry relies on. The role of Citation Compliance is to equip these organizations with the digital infrastructure needed to keep pace with rapid regulatory movement.
Nearly two years ago, ANSI and Citation began a partnership designed to reduce the lag between regulatory change and standards alignment. Together, they are advancing tools that help SDOs monitor shifts, track interpretations, and update content more efficiently.
This collaboration strengthens industry in several important ways:
Harmonizing standards and compliance frameworks through collaboration with subject matter experts
Enhancing compliance monitoring and assessment programs through digital tools and conformity assessment
Jointly developing best practices and technical guidance
Providing training and capacity building through shared workshops, webinars,
and credentialing programs
Citation supports this work by helping organizations connect standards, certifications,
and evolving requirements within a single, cohesive system. The platform helps operators, suppliers, and certification bodies remain aligned and audit ready, regardless of how external rules may shift.
The Responsibility Now Rests with Industry
Industry can no longer depend on regulatory stability to define its approach to risk. Organizations that continue to anchor their operations in recognized standards and invest in compliance systems that track regulatory movement will maintain trust, consistency, and resilience that endure beyond political cycles.
Deregulation does not remove responsibility. It shifts it. As history has taught us, the organizations that thrive will be the ones ready to own this responsibility and carry it forward.
Get in touch to learn more about Citation today.
