Nine States Commit to Reducing Global Warming

Facing a standstill in the Bush administration, nine states have decided to take matters into their own hands and cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, according to the New York Times. Read more about state efforts to raise the bar on public protections in the latest Watcher: States Present Opportunities and Pitfalls for Progressive Regulation.

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Failure on Fuel Economy

The Bush administration unveiled a plan to modestly increase fuel economy for some but not all vehicles. Get some public interest perspectives on the weakness of the proposal and the missed opportunity to do something to protect the environment and save us all money at the pump:
  • Public Citizen
  • PIRG
  • Union of Concerned Scientists
  • Sierra Club

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OIRA meets over Black Carp Rule

Representatives from OIRA and Fish and Wildlife Services met with interested parties on July 7 to discuss a proposed rulemaking to add black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) to the list of injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act.

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OIRA Meetings with Industry, Senate

  • On Tuesday August 9, Microsoft lobbyists met with OIRA, Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security administrators to discuss labor certification for permanent employment of aliens in the U.S.
  • Also on August 9, pesticide manufacturers Bayer CropScience and Crop Life America met with EPA and OIRA to discuss protections for test subjects in human research.

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Missed Opportunities in Auto Safety

Two new regulatory developments fail to do enough to make our roadways safe:
  • The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued revised rules governing the maximum number of hours that companies can force their truck drivers to work without rest.

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Easing Burdens on Scientific Evidence

Be sure to catch the latest article from CPR member scholar Lisa Heinzerling, "Doubting Daubert, forthcoming in the Brooklyn Journal of Law & Policy. In Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the Supreme Court announced that it was liberalizing the rules on admissibility of expert scientific evidence by rejecting a requirement that such evidence be generally accepted in the scientific community. Daubert has had, Heinzerling notes, just the opposite effect from the one the Court said it intended. Among other reasons:

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    OIRA meets over MSHA Diesel Rule

    OIRA and the Department of Labor met with representatives from the National Mining Association, FMC Corporation (a major chemical producer), as well as a lobbyist from Patton Boggs over the Mine Safety and Health Administration's diesel rule.

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    Regulation and Competitiveness

    The industry-funded position in favor of rollbacks often includes an argument that regulation to protect the public is a burden on American businesses that hinder them from competing in the global marketplace. The evidence from the economics literature tells us something much, much different. Learn more in this OMB Watch issue brief, Regulation and Competitiveness.

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    Hit List Update: Federal Motor Carriers

    The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has disclosed, in response to OMB Watch's FOIA request, internal correspondence reflecting the agency's position on two nominations for the White House's anti-regulatory hit list -- one regarding the rules restricting the hours of service that companies can force truck drivers to work, in particular for companies such as Wal-Mart that are not in the trucking industry itself; and the other, regarding surge brakes. There is also additional information about a HAZMAT rule, which is actually a RSPA rule rather than a FMCSA rule.

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    OIRA Meets to Discuss Fuel Economy Reform

    OIRA met with Environmental Defense and three members of its Council of Economic Advisors on Aug. 4 over Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) reform for light trucks.

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