Blog: The Fine Print / posts by Matthew Madia
Snowe Anti-Reg Amendment Fails, but with a Majority
Jun 9, 2011 by Matthew Madia
A legislative amendment intended to delay new public protections and roll back existing regulations failed in the Senate today. The amendment, championed by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), is the same legislation that derailed a small business aid bill last month.
read in fullFDA Chides House Republican’s “Body Count” Amendment
Jun 7, 2011 by Matthew Madia
An amendment introduced by Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT) would hogtie the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by forcing the agency to wait for public health crises to happen before it could act. "This amendment would require that consumers actually be harmed before FDA can take certain actions to protect the public health,” the agency said.
read in fullBudget Nausea: House to Cut Food Safety Spending
Jun 3, 2011 by Matthew Madia
House appropriators this week approved major budget cuts for the two agencies responsible for protecting the American food supply: the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS – responsible for meat, poultry, and some dairy) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA – responsible for the rest).
read in fullEPA Rules Don’t Kill Jobs, They Save Lives
Jun 1, 2011 by Matthew Madia
Environmental standards finalized under the Obama administration are expected to yield extraordinary benefits while imposing relatively small costs on businesses, according to a new paper by the Economic Policy Institute. “The combined annual benefits from all final rules exceed their costs by $32 billion to $142 billion a year,” the paper, Tallying up the Impact of New EPA Rules, concludes.
read in fullLisa Jackson Defends Regulation on the Daily Show
May 20, 2011 by Matthew Madia
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson was on the Daily Show last night giving an impassioned defense of public health, the environment, and regulatory safeguards. Despite some recent disappointments from the EPA surrounding boiler emissions and coal ash, Jackson came across as a committed public servant and argued against some of the ridiculous attacks on public protections.
read in fullMSHA Failed to Watchdog Deviant Mine Company
May 19, 2011 by Matthew Madia
Today, the Governor’s Independent Investigation Panel submitted to the governor of West Virginia its report on the Upper Big Branch (UBB) mine disaster that killed 29 men in April 2010. Liz Borkowski at The Pump Handle blog has a detailed summary. Be sure to read it, especially if you’re going to bypass the 126-page report.
read in fullEPA Delays Life-Saving Rule, Cites White House Order
May 17, 2011 by Matthew Madia
In response to pressure from industry, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is backing off of new clean air standards for industrial boilers. The standards, as finalized in February, would prevent “2,600 premature deaths, 4,100 heart attacks, and 42,000 asthma attacks” if implemented, according to EPA.
read in fullHouse Gets Amnesia, Passes Bill to Rush Oil Drilling
May 11, 2011 by Matthew Madia
The House of Representatives today passed a bill that sets ridiculous and dangerous deadlines for the approval of oil drilling permits. According to Earthjustice, “Sponsored by Doc Hastings (R-WA), H.R. 1229 requires the Department of Interior to decide whether to approve a drilling permit within 30 days after receiving an application and allows only two 15-day extensions of this deadline.”
read in fullFDA Cracking Down on Dangerous Food Imports
May 6, 2011 by Matthew Madia
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued two new standards May 4 intended to protect Americans from potentially contaminated foreign food.
read in fullSnowe Kills Small Business Bill
May 4, 2011 by Matthew Madia
A small business aid bill that the Senate has been working on for months is likely dead, all because one senator became stubbornly wed to an amendment intended to upset the regulatory process and make it more difficult for agencies to protect the public.
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