Tennessee Valley Authority Found Responsible for 2008 Coal Ash Disaster
Aug 27, 2012 by Katie Greenhaw
Last week, a federal court held the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the nation's largest public utility, responsible for a massive 2008 coal ash spill near Kingston, TN, that released 5.4 million cubic yards of sludge into the surrounding community. Coal ash can contain arsenic, lead, chromium, and other toxic substances, which many Kingston area residents say contaminated their properties. The decision could provide compensation for many harmed by the spill, but better public protections to prevent these types of spills are still needed.
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How Many More Food Recalls Will It Take to End Delay on New Food Safety Rules?
Aug 24, 2012 by Jessica Randall
On Aug. 22, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that cantaloupes from Chamberlain Farms in Indiana are being recalled because of Salmonella contamination, which has infected 178 people in 21 states, causing 62 hospitalizations and 2 deaths.
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Simpson-Bowles 2.0
Aug 20, 2012 by Patrick Lester
The leaders of a bipartisan panel that unsuccessfully pushed forward a deficit reduction plan last year are quietly meeting behind the scenes to lay the ground work for another push after the November elections, according to an August 17 report in the National Journal.
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Back-to-School Season Safer for Kids Thanks to Product Safety Law
Aug 15, 2012 by Jessica Randall
It's back-to-school season! In cities and towns across the country, parents and kids are out shopping for school supplies, making sure everyone's ready to head back to the classroom. The products they're buying are safer than they were a generation ago thanks to important safety protections we’ve built over the past four decades and recent improvements in those standards.
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Possible 2013 Budget Cuts to Be Specified Within a Month
Aug 14, 2012 by Patrick Lester
The outlines of a broad set of possible cuts in federal domestic and defense-related programs in early 2013 should become more clear within the next month. Under new legislation signed into law on Aug. 7, called the Sequestration Transparency Act, the Obama administration must lay out how an expected $109 billion in cuts will be implemented in 2013 unless Congress takes action to delay or stop them.
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Where Have All the New Rules Gone?
Aug 13, 2012 by Katie Greenhaw
An editorial published in The New York Times over the weekend describes the trend – a matter of serious concern in the public interest community – of public protections being put on hold, due in large part to industry interference.
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Sunstein’s Legacy: Retrospective Reviews = An Unjustified Burden on Regulatory Agencies
Aug 13, 2012 by Randy Rabinowitz
No one is in favor of outmoded, ineffective, duplicative, or unnecessary regulation. But judgments about what rules are necessary or effective are in the eye of the beholder: the same rules that save the lives of consumers and workers may be viewed as burdensome by the firms that have to follow them.
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The Clean Water Act: 40 Years Later
Aug 7, 2012 by
I have two birthdays on my calendar circled with a big red marker this year. One is for my daughter, who just turned one, and the other is October 18th. That’s the day one of my closest friends turns 40. And while getting over the hill is a bittersweet bon anniversaire for most, this one is special. Because this is the day when The Clean Water Act marks its 40th anniversary. (By Alexandra Cousteau, originally posted on National Geographic's blog, Water Currents, on August 2, 2012)
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