Citizen Health & Safety
Return of the Regulatory Accountability Act: A Veiled Threat to Public Protections
Jun 18, 2013
On May 23, Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) reintroduced the Regulatory Accountability Act (RAA), a serious threat to environmental standards, workplace safety rules, public health, and financial reform regulations. The Regulatory Accountability Act of 2013, (S. 1029, and its counterpart in the House, H.R. 2122), is the latest version of a bill first introduced in 2011 and then again in 2012. The seemingly innocuous legislation is a drastic overhaul of the Administrative Procedure Act that would undermine the regulatory process. Advertised by its sponsors as a bipartisan proposal to improve rulemaking, the RAA would actually do the opposite.
read in full
Only a Trickle of New Rules, Not a Wave
Jun 18, 2013
The business community and its allies on Capitol Hill have warned for over a year that a "tsunami" of new regulations will be flowing out of the Obama administration, undermining the anemic growth of the economy. To prevent this imagined emergency, they continue to propose draconian "reforms" of the regulatory system – changes that would further delay and obstruct the work of federal agencies attempting to implement the laws they were established to enforce.
read in full
Explosion at Louisiana Chemical Plant is the Latest in a String of Chemical Accidents
Jun 18, 2013
On June 13, an explosion and fire occurred at a petrochemical plant in Geismar, LA (just south of Baton Rouge), killing one person, injuring at least 70, and forcing residents within a two-mile radius of the plant to stay indoors. The Williams Geismar olefins plant explosion was just the latest in a string of chemical accidents, highlighting the risk that hazardous chemicals can pose to workers and communities and the urgent need to shift to safer chemicals.
read in full
Wildfires to Cost U.S. Forest Service More Under Sequestration
Jun 17, 2013 by Jessica Schieder
A 16,000 acre wildfire blazing in the Black Forest of Colorado has burned more than 485 homes and taken two lives, but the efforts of firefighters may be hindered by budget disagreements in Washington.
read in full
Shelanski Lays Out Top Priorities if Confirmed as Next OIRA Administrator
Jun 12, 2013 by Katie Weatherford
At his Senate confirmation hearing this morning, Howard Shelanski, nominated to serve as the next administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), laid out his top priorities for the office. Among them are addressing long-standing delays of crucial standards and safeguards and the lack of transparency in OIRA's rule review process.
read in full
Looking at Only One Side of the Regulatory Scorecard Tells Misleading Story
Jun 11, 2013 by Katherine McFate
Last Friday, in The Washington Post, Katherine McFate responded to a recent anti-regulatory attack by columnist George Will.
read in full
Obama Nominates Howard Shelanski to Lead Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Jun 10, 2013 by Katie Weatherford
On April 25, President Obama nominated Howard Shelanski as administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). If confirmed, Shelanski would replace Cass Sunstein, who resigned from the position last August, leaving behind a record of lengthy delays.
read in full
Industry Interests Testify in Support of Bill Targeting Public’s Right to Hold Government Accountable
Jun 7, 2013 by Katie Weatherford
The House Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law, held a hearing Wednesday on proposed legislation that would limit the rights of citizens to enforce legal deadlines and hold government agencies accountable when they fail to perform the tasks assigned to them by Congress. Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) and Sen.
read in full
White House Recognizes Higher Cost of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Jun 7, 2013 by Katie Greenhaw
In May, the Obama administration increased the "social cost of carbon," a monetized estimate of damage caused by carbon emissions that is used to analyze the impacts of certain standards, by roughly 60 percent. Updated to reflect new scientific modeling, the new figure may help agencies implement tougher standards to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.
read in full
We Need a Chemical Safety Bill Worthy of Sen. Lautenberg's Legacy
Jun 4, 2013
On May 23, the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) introduced the Chemical Safety Improvement Act of 2013. The bill would amend the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, the nation's primary and outdated chemical safety law. Despite being promoted as a significant reform, the proposed legislation fails to improve the health and safety protections missing from current law. As it stands, it represents a significant retreat from the Safe Chemicals Act of 2013 that Lautenberg introduced earlier this year. The earlier bill should be the senator’s legacy.
read in full
