Living in the Shadow of Danger: State Scorecards

The Center for Effective Government graded states based on the dangers faced by people of color and and residents with incomes below the poverty line living within one mile of dangerous facilities, compared to white and non-poor people in these areas. How did your state score? View your state's factsheet.

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Living in the Shadow of Danger: Poverty, Race, and Unequal Chemical Facility Hazards

People of color and people living in poverty, especially poor children of color, are significantly more likely to live near dangerous chemical facilities than whites and people with incomes above the poverty line.

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A Tale of Two Retirements: One for CEOs and One for the Rest of Us

The 100 largest CEO retirement funds are worth a combined $4.9 billion, equal to the entire retirement account savings of 41 percent of American families.

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Blowing Smoke: Chemical Companies Say “Trust Us,” But Environmental and Workplace Safety Violations Belie Their Rhetoric

Large chemical companies and their major trade association and lobbying arm, the American Chemistry Council, say they can maintain high safety standards through self-regulation and voluntary actions. Our report finds this isn't the case. Voluntary standards don’t work, and existing regulations are not effectively enforced.

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Gasping for Support: Implementation of Tougher Air Quality Standards Will Require New Funds for State Agencies

New scientific research shows that the current levels of air pollution that we believed to be safe can actually cause serious damage to our health. This new information underscores the urgency for tougher clean air standards and more resources for clean air programs.

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Chemical Hazards in Your Backyard

Local communities in many areas of the country seem unaware and unprepared to deal with chemical emergencies. As the number of chemical facilities increases and population centers expand, as plants age and inspection funds decline, the number of individual Americans at risk from toxic emissions, leaks, and explosions will grow. This report examines the chemical reporting to states that occurs under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA), using a sample of six states, and the reporting to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that was established under the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments and the federal Risk Management Program. It then looks at how well each one helps communities prevent and prepare for disasters.

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Burning Our Bridges: Cutting Offshore Tax Rates Won't Fund Our Infrastructure or Create Jobs

This report identifies the 26 U.S. corporations with the largest stockpiles of untaxed overseas profits and analyzes how much they could help meet U.S. infrastructure needs if these firms paid the taxes they owe on their offshore profits (but can legally put off paying).

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Reducing Our Exposure to Toxic Chemicals: Stronger State Health Protections at Risk

In 1976, the United States enacted the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to address public concerns about the impact of a growing number of untested chemicals on human health. For almost 40 years, this federal law has been the lynchpin of our nation’s chemical safety policy, and it has failed to protect the American people from being exposed to thousands of chemicals in commercial use that are known to cause harm to humans. This report looks at the starkly different Senate bills that attempt to fix these problems.

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Making the Grade: Access to Information Scorecard 2015

We conducted our second annual analysis of the performance of the 15 federal agencies that consistently receive the most Freedom of Information Act requests. Most agencies have improved, but scores are once again low overall.

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2016 Public Protections Budget Dashboard

A critical function of government is to protect citizens from harm. We expect our national government to keep contaminated food off the grocery store shelves and out of restaurants; to prevent industrial facilities from poisoning the air and water in our communities, and to ensure we have safe workplaces. The Center for Effective Government has compiled the budget levels for four key federal regulatory agencies named above using White House budget documents going back to fiscal year 2004 and adjusted them for inflation.

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