You're exposed; your grandkids suffer

We already know that exposures to toxic substances can have immediate consequences for our offspring. But what about the next generation, and the next generation after that? Without genetic mutations? The field of epigenetics studies how we can have intergenerational consequences for public health hazards without the genes themselves being mutated. Researchers look at, for example, how molecules can attach themselves to the DNA molecule without changing the genetic sequences themselves, but then ride along from generation to generation.

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Some climates never change

So, the White House politico who was discovered to have doctored a climate change report -- even though he has no scientific training -- and then left (coincidentally, ahem) his job when the news broke has just days later taken a job at ExxonMobil. No wonder he went to ExxonMobil in particular: as the Wall Street Journal points out, "Openly and unapologetically, the world's No. 1 oil company disputes the notion that fossil fuels are the main cause of global warming. Along with the Bush administration, Exxon opposes the Kyoto accord and the very idea of capping global-warming emissions....

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OIRA Meets Regarding EPA Mercury Draft Guidance

OIRA met with several industry representatives, the Environmental Protection Agency Water Division and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies regarding the EPA Mercury Draft Guidance on June 6. Published in the federal register on March 15, the Clean Air Mercury rule is meant to reduce mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. However, under EPA's cap-and-trade program, the rule will create higher levels of mercury emissions in some areas.

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OIRA Meets Regarding BART Rule

OIRA met with representatives of the White House's Council on Environmental Quality, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Parks Conservation Association regarding a Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) regulation on June 3. OIRA also met to discuss the BART rule on April 13 and May 16 of this year. The rule, also known as the Clean Air Visibility Rule, would seek to limit regional haze by requiring power plants and factories to install the best available retrofit technology (BART) to control sulfur dioxide and other emissions.

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White House "edits" science report, yet again

Reporters must have a Mad Libs form somewhere -- "White House edits a scientific report on ______________ to ___________ the risks of _____________." It certainly happens a lot. Here's the latest, from the NY Times: A White House official who once led the oil industry's fight against limits on greenhouse gases has repeatedly edited government climate reports in ways that play down links between such emissions and global warming, according to internal documents.

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EPA's Lead Poison Prevention Program: From Bad to Worse

Only a few months ago, EPA href="/article/blogs/entry/729/23">replaced plans for developing enforceable standards for lead poisoning prevention in home renovation with a plan for voluntary guidelines. EPA touted the voluntary plan as more flexible for remodeling and renovation companies, and concerned citizens decried the plan as a weakening of congressionally mandated public protections. Now EPA has taken yet another step in the wrong direction: withdrawing its plans for the voluntary standard completely. EPA now has no plans for protecting children and construction workers from lead

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OIRA Meets Regarding BART Rule

OIRA met with representatives of Pacificorp power company, the White House's Council on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency regarding a Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) regulation on May 16. The rule, also known as the Clean Air Visibility Rule, would seek to limit regional haze by requiring power plants and factories to install the best available retrofit technology (BART) to control sulfur dioxide and other emissions. These emissions lead to visibility impairment, which is widespread throughout the national park system.

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Sneak attack on EPA turned away

If you blinked, you missed it, but what was at stake was nothing less than the ability of the federal government to do anything for the environment: during the House consideration of the appropriations bill for Interior and EPA, Rep. Todd Tiahrt pushed an amendment "to provide that no funds may be used to promulgate regulations without outside auditing to determine the authenticity of the scientific methods used to develop such regulations." It was withdrawn.

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Unified Agenda out today

The semiannual Unified Agenda is available in today's Federal Register. It will eventually be available in database form on this site; until then, here are links to the PDFs of the agendas for certain key agencies:
  • Consumer Product Safety Commission
  • EPA
  • HHS
  • Interior
  • Labor
  • Nuclear Regulatory Commission
  • Transportation
  • USDA

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New agency agendas

BNA's Daily Report for Executives (a subscription-only service) has already combed through a copy of tomorrow's edition of the Federal Register, in which the agencies are releasing their semiannual agendas for the next six months of regulatory priorities. We have some information available to help people decipher the agendas: click here for more.

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