There is wide agreement among professionals that the profusion of violations and the lack of assigning priorities weakens enforcement and respect for the New York City system.

The C.F.T.C. fears that narrowing its definition to accommodate the banking industry will weaken enforcement.

When the Reagan administration came into office in 1981, it weakened enforcement of the previous CAB rules.

He then embarked on several precipitous moves of his own - reversing a campaign pledge to cut carbon dioxide emissions, suspending rules requiring mining companies to observe sound environmental practices and weakening enforcement of the Endangered Species Act.

Until last week, they had attacked by stealth and indirection, using the promise of "regulatory reform" to weaken enforcement of those laws.

"Commissioner Cahill and the Governor should be commended," said Ms. Fox, adding that New York's actions could influence other states that had been weakening environmental enforcement.

Critics have attacked the Administration for its opposition to discrimination remedies like hiring quotas and school busing, and accused it of greatly weakening enforcement of fair-housing and voting-rights laws.

Critics contended that the policies weakened federal environmental enforcement to please polluting industries.

"I am outraged that the agency is considering a proposal to weaken enforcement," said Glen Brand, who represented the Midwest chapter of the Sierra Club.

Some antitrust lawyers in Brussels said they were concerned that the losing streak would weaken enforcement in Europe as well.