EPA Moving Fast to Revise Ozone Standard
Oct 26, 2009 by Matthew Madia
The Environmental Protection Agency is readying a replacement for the current national air quality standard for ozone, or smog, which was roundly fouled up during the Bush administration.
Last Wednesday (Oct. 21), EPA sent to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) – the gatekeeper for all things regulatory – a draft version of a new notice of proposed rulemaking. That notice will propose revisions to the ozone standard finalized in March 2008.
read in fullEPA Releases OMB Comments on Chemical Studies
Oct 15, 2009 by Matthew Madia
As promised, the Environmental Protection Agency is releasing White House comments on EPA assessments of potentially toxic chemicals. Yesterday, EPA released the first batch of comments on four ongoing risk assessments.
read in fullCzar Talk
Sep 18, 2009 by Matthew Madia
Czar oversight, or, more accurately, czar bashing, has been co-opted by conservative commentators and some Republican lawmakers. It seems conservatives are just trying to score political points by smearing czars, and smearing President Obama in the process. That’s a shame, because czar oversight is very much an apolitical issue, or at least it should be.
read in fullEPA May Tighten Smog Standards
Sep 16, 2009 by Matthew Madia
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson announced today that she will review and possibly revise the national air quality standard for ozone, or smog. The Bush administration announced the standard on March 12, 2008, but clean air advocates and good government groups accused Bush officials of ignoring scientific conclusions in the face of political pressure. Today, EPA intimated that it will more closely align the regulation to the underlying science.
read in fullCass Sunstein Confirmed
Sep 10, 2009 by Matthew Madia
As expected after yesterday’s cloture vote, Cass Sunstein was confirmed as the administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. The vote was 57-40. Click here to read OMB Watch’s statement on the confirmation.
read in fullSunstein One Step Closer to Confirmation
Sep 9, 2009 by Matthew Madia
Update (9/10/09): A little after 4:00 pm, the Senate confirmed Cass Sunstein as OIRA administrator. The vote was 57-40. Click here to read OMB Watch’s statement on the confirmation.
Today, Cass Sunstein, President Obama's nominee to head the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, passed a critical test when the Senate voted to end debate on his nomination.
read in fullVehicle Emissions Rule Sent to White House for Review
Aug 27, 2009 by Matthew Madia
In May, President Obama announced that his administration would set new, nationwide standards for vehicle fuel efficiency in order to reduce tailpipes’ contribution to global warming. The administration said it would use a plan developed by the state of California as a model.
read in fullOil Industry Lobbying for Changes to GHG Inventory
Aug 17, 2009 by Matthew Madia
The oil industry is pushing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to change its plans for establishing a greenhouse gas emissions inventory. In April, EPA proposed a regulation that would require facilities to report greenhouse gas emissions above a certain threshold. The data would then be made available in a publicly accessible, online database. (More on the proposed regulation here.)
read in fullSunstein Nomination Will Have to Wait
Aug 6, 2009 by Matthew Madia
It’s all but certain that Cass Sunstein, President Obama's pick to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), will not be confirmed before the Senate recesses tonight or tomorrow. According to Congress Daily (subscription), Senate leaders will try to bring up votes on a few noncontroversial nominees, and Sunstein won’t be one of them.
read in fullAfter White House Interference, EPA to Reconsider Lead Monitoring
Jul 23, 2009 by Matthew Madia
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced yesterday that it may require more air quality monitoring devices to be placed around the country to calculate levels of airborne lead.
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