MSHA Targets Black Lung with New Rule

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.

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Can Obama Install Lew as Acting OMB Director?

It seems Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) has struck a nerve with her hold of President Obama’s nominee for Office of Management and Budget director, Jack Lew. Last week, the Washington Post launched a salvo against her, penning an editorial titled, “It's a terrible time to be without a budget office head,” lambasting the senator for her hold. The editorial is spot on, and brings some much needed media attention to Landrieu’s absurd actions, which are hurting OMB’s efforts at putting out the 2012 budget request. But what I found most interesting was one line towards the end.

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Interior Lifts Drilling Ban, Crosses Fingers

The Department of the Interior has lifted the moratorium on deepwater offshore drilling, but administration officials do not appear confident that they have done enough to prevent another spill. Interior announced Tuesday that it would end the ban seven weeks before the original Nov. 30 expiration date.

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CBO Monthly Budget Review, September 2010

Congressional Budget Office

Last Thursday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released their last Monthly Budget Review (MBR) for the fiscal year. So how much debt did Uncle Sam rack up in 2010, you ask. Well, just under $1.3 trillion. This figure is $50 billion less than what CBO projected just last month and is "$125 billion less than the shortfall recorded in 2009." Everyone say, "Hooray" for deficit reduction.

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Drilling Ban Lifted, Landrieu Wants More

Just before Congress split town for the campaign trail, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) placed an absurd and irresponsible hold on the president's nominee for OMB Director, Jack Lew. Despite Lew's "[clear possession of] the expertise necessary to serve as one of the President's most important economic advisors," Landrieu declared that she would block the nomination "until the moratorium on deepwater oil and gas drilling is lifted or significantly modified." She also said that she will continue the hold until she "is convinced that the President and his Administration understand the detrimental impacts that the actual and de facto moratoria continue to have on the Gulf Coast." (Whatever that means)

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U.S. Scores Poorly on Transparency of Foreign Aid Spending

A new comparative study of development aid finds the U.S. among the least transparent of the world's donors.

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On Transparent Stewardship of Natural Resources, U.S. is #11

A new study of natural resource transparency in 41 countries finds the U.S. among the top countries but not leading the pack. Brazil and Norway scored the highest marks, while countries such as Russia, Colombia, and Kazakhstan also ranked higher than the U.S.

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Failing to Protect Your Employees? Here’s Your Federal Contract.

The Government Accountability Office found that major worker safety, health, and rights violators hide among the federal government’s most lucrative contract awardees. A new GAO report shows that the government awarded contracts to firms after they were cited for violations or fined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Wage and Hour Division (WHD), the federal agency responsible for worker rights issues like back wages and child labor.

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Would McCaskill's Contingency Contracting IG be Worth It?

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO)

At a Senate Armed Services hearing last week, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) urged officials from the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish a permanent inspector general office for contingency contracting. If the billions wasted through our rebuilding efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan – which, by the way, are likely to be the kinds of wars we are going to fight into the indefinite future – is any measure, it seems a permanent IG might be worth the investment.

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Obama Administration Lays out Plan for Vehicle Fuel Efficiency

After finalizing in April fuel efficiency standards for cars manufactured in model years 2012 through 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation are back to work, laying out options for model years 2017 through 2025.

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