Blog: The Fine Print / Citizen Health & Safety
Progress: Bill That Would Have Undercut Work of Independent Federal Agencies Delayed Until 2013
Nov 15, 2012 by Katie Greenhaw
Great news! Thanks to the hard work of consumer, environmental, labor, and other public interest groups (including the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards) and engaged citizens like you, lawmakers put the brakes on the Independent Agency Regulatory Analysis Act (S. 3468). The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has decided to hold a hearing on the bill to gather more public input before moving forward.
read in full
Poll Shows Small Business Owners Support Stronger Toxic Chemical Standards
Nov 14, 2012 by Katie Greenhaw
According to a recent poll from the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC), a large majority of small business owners support stronger regulation of toxic chemicals. The results of the survey highlight the overwhelming backing for controlling these chemicals, with most small business owners voicing support for enhanced regulation and disclosure of toxic substances.
read in full
Medical Mistake Reporting System Could Make Health Care Safer
Nov 13, 2012 by Gavin Baker
Victims of mistakes at hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies could soon have a way to report their experiences to the federal government. This new effort could make health care safer for everyone. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is proposing to create a consumer reporting system for patient safety events.
read in full
Petition Seeks Information on Toxic Fracking Emissions
Oct 24, 2012 by Sofia Plagakis
Today, OMB Watch and 16 local, regional, and national organizations filed a petition under the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to require the oil and gas industry – including companies engaged in fracking – to report their toxic emissions. Such reporting would provide EPA with more information on the identity, use, and quantity of chemicals used by the oil and gas industry and would help the agency evaluate their health and environmental risks.
read in full
Federal Appeals Court Behavior Creates Gridlock
Oct 18, 2012 by Randy Rabinowitz
Steve Pearlstein’s latest column, published in The Washington Post earlier this week, exposed the aggressive, anti-regulatory decisions of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. These decisions are driven by industry arguments designed to create policymaking gridlock.
read in full
Protecting Safe Drinking Water and Your Right to Know
Oct 12, 2012 by Gavin Baker
On Oct. 11, OMB Watch and 14 other organizations filed comments with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), highlighting ways to strengthen the drinking water quality reports that consumers receive from water utilities. EPA recently proposed changes in how the reports are delivered to consumers, which could actually reduce public access to the information.
read in full
Chemical Industry Spending Millions to Hide Danger of Cancer-Causing Products
Oct 12, 2012 by Katie Weatherford
Earlier this week, Nicholas D. Kristof published an article entitled “The Cancer Lobby” in The New York Times, in which he criticized the chemical industry for its intense lobbying efforts to prevent dangerous chemicals from being listed as known cancer-causing agents in the Report on Carcinogens (RoC). The RoC is a biennial report prepared by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), part of the National Institutes of Health. The RoC lists chemicals that are either “known carcinogens” or are “reasonably anticipated to be carcinogens.” Congress required publication of the RoC in the Public Health Service Act of 1978 because of growing concerns among Americans about potential cancer-causing substances in their environment.
read in full
Clear Standards Needed to Ensure Public Access to Water Quality Reports
Oct 4, 2012 by Sofia Plagakis
On Oct. 1, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a public meeting on a new proposal that would allow water systems to electronically deliver drinking water quality reports to the public. Currently, these reports, required under the Safe Drinking Water Act, are mailed to customers, often with their water bills.
read in full
Regulations.gov Releases New Features
Oct 3, 2012 by Katie Greenhaw
This week, Regulations.gov released new enhancements to the site as part of a continuing redesign and improvement effort. There are more changes to come, but the latest features make rulemaking dockets easier to navigate and understand.
read in full
State Enforcement Too Weak to Protect the Public from Violations by Oil and Gas Producers
Sep 28, 2012 by Sophia Zeng*
States are failing to enforce oil and gas extraction rules, according to a report released Sept. 25 by Earthworks, an environmental group. The report, Breaking All the Rules, analyzes enforcement data, including well inspections, violations, enforcement actions, and penalties in six states: Colorado, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The report concluded that state inspection agencies are inadequately staffed, and inspections are arbitrarily conducted.
read in full
