OMB Watch Asks President’s Advisors to Support Scientific Integrity
Nov 4, 2010 by Matthew Madia
Today, OMB Watch asked the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) to help ensure the finalization of new government-wide policies on scientific integrity. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy was to have developed recommendations on scientific integrity for review by President Obama, but the recommendations have been delayed for more than a year.
read in fullLawsuit Targets Delayed Scientific Integrity Rules
Oct 22, 2010 by Gavin Baker
A good government group this week sued the White House for records relating to the administration's long-delayed scientific integrity rules.
read in fullMSHA Targets Black Lung with New Rule
Oct 15, 2010 by Matthew Madia
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is proposing to cut in half the exposure limit for coal dust, the cause of black lung disease. MSHA estimates the new standard will prevent thousands of illnesses and hundreds of deaths over the lifetimes of miners.
read in fullInterior Does About-face on Scientific Integrity
Oct 1, 2010 by Gavin Baker
This week, the Interior Department released a new policy to protect scientific integrity in the department. OMB Watch joined other public interest groups in submitting comments on the department's draft policy in September. The new policy attempts to address concerns, raised in those comments and others, that the draft policy did not go far enough to prevent abuses of the department's scientific activities and decision making.
read in fullProposed Interior Policy Inadequate to Protect Scientific Integrity
Sep 21, 2010 by Gavin Baker
Today, OMB Watch joined comments filed by the Union of Concerned Scientists and other public interest and environmental groups on the Interior Department's proposed scientific integrity policy. Unfortunately, the policy fails to address the full range of threats to scientific integrity at DOI, such as those evidenced by abuses at the former Minerals Management Service.
read in fullWhy Doesn't Federal Spending Add Up?
Sep 9, 2010 by Gavin Baker
A new report by the Sunlight Foundation found widespread errors in USASpending.gov data.
read in fullHouse Moves to Reform Advisory Committees
Aug 3, 2010 by Matthew Madia
We’re a little late in reporting this, but on July 26, the House passed a bill to improve the transparency and accountability of federal advisory committees.
read in fullNew Study Finds High Levels of Controversial Plastics Chemical in Paper Receipts
Jul 28, 2010 by Rachel Sauter*
A new analysis by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) suggests that many Americans are at risk of exposure to a dangerous chemical that has been found in baby bottles, the lining of food and beverage containers, and now paper receipts. Significant levels of bisphenol-A (BPA), a controversial chemical that is not currently regulated by the Food and Drug Administration or the Environmental Protection Agency, was found in 40 percent of paper receipts collected from major retailers, grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations, fast-food restaurants, post offices and ATMs.
read in fullFDA Panel Warns of Diabetes Drug’s Safety
Jul 14, 2010 by Matthew Madia
A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel debated the safety of the diabetes drug Avandia today. In 2007, a study determined that Avandia raises the risk of heart attack in patients taking it. The drug’s safety and effectiveness have been hotly contested ever since.
read in fullObama Faltering on Pledge to Restore the Role of Science
Jul 9, 2010 by Matthew Madia
One year after the White House was supposed to chart a new course for the role of scientists and the integrity of scientific information in government, federal employees and the public continue to await reform.
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