LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has ordered a review of all state regulations and told state agencies to stop making new rules unless they’re deemed critical to residents’ health, safety and welfare.

Ricketts signed an executive order Thursday to launch the review by a working group that includes elected officials and civil servants.

The Republican governor says he wants to see whether certain regulations can be eliminated or changed, as long as doing so doesn’t compromise public safety.

His announcement coincided with the release of a report by the Mercatus Center, a free market think tank at George Mason University with ties to Republican billionaire donor Charles Koch.

James Broughel, a research fellow at the center, says periodic reviews of regulations are necessary because industries lobby for rules to stifle competition.