Citizen Health & Safety / Environment
UPDATED: Three Reasons the REINS Act Must Be Stopped (Again)
May 22, 2013 by Katie Greenhaw
If passed, the REINS Act would require congressional approval of all major rules, potentially endangering the most important safeguards to our health, safety, environment, and economy.
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BLM Fracking Rule Bows to Industry, Ignores Public Concerns
May 21, 2013
On May 16, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a revised proposed rule for hydraulic fracturing on federal public lands (commonly referred to as fracking). The new proposed rule not only ignores concerns about the public health and environmental risks of the natural gas drilling method, it also disregards recommendations by lawmakers and the U.S. Department of Energy's Shale Gas Production Subcommittee, which called for transparency and full public chemical disclosure. The proposed rule suggests the agency has placed industry concerns ahead of public health and safety. It also contradicts the new data standards the Obama administration issued just last week by executive order.
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BLM Fracking Rule Violates New Executive Order on Open Data
May 16, 2013 by Sofia Plagakis
Today, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its revised proposed rule for natural gas drilling (commonly referred to as fracking) on federal and tribal lands. The much-anticipated rule violates President Obama's recently issued executive order that requires new government information to be made available to the public in open, machine-readable formats.
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Is Anhydrous Ammonia a Risk to Your Community?
May 7, 2013
Anhydrous ammonia and ammonium nitrate are the two substances that have been investigated as possible causes of the April 17 explosion of the West Fertilizer Company plant in Texas. Though experts now believe the explosion was due to the ammonium nitrate, the facility did have two 12,000-gallon tanks of anhydrous ammonia, which could have exacerbated the tragedy in Texas had they leaked or exploded.
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Local Citizen Group Demands Groundwater Testing Near Ammunition Plant
May 1, 2013 by Amanda Frank
Community members living near an army ammunition plant traveled to Washington, DC, on Monday to deliver petitions to their senators and representatives calling for groundwater testing near the plant. The work of local residents demonstrates the importance of citizen action and environmental data in protecting public health.
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A Big Job, on a Tiny Budget
Apr 29, 2013 by Randy Rabinowitz
The biggest problem illustrated by the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Tex., is not that OSHA is focusing on the wrong threats, but that its hands are tied and that it does not have the resources or the support to ensure that our nation’s workplaces are safe. The explosion at the West Fertilizer Company illustrates why Congress should act swiftly to strengthen our main workplace safety law so OSHA has the authority and the resources to protect workers.
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OMB, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hold Forum on Trade Agreements and Regulations
Apr 23, 2013
On April 10, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) co-hosted a two-day stakeholder session with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as part of its annual High Level Regulatory Cooperation Forum. The forum provides an opportunity for members of the business community to tell American and European officials how they would like the standards and safeguards that regulate their activities to be "harmonized." For the business community, "harmonization" is generally viewed as an opportunity to move to the lowest standards, or in the language of free trade, to remove or reduce "trade irritants." The exchange at the forum was between business and government; few public interest representatives were allowed to participate.
read in full Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion Raises Important Questions about Risks Industrial Facilities Pose
Apr 23, 2013
On April 17, there was a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant in central Texas, which killed at least 14 people and injured more than 200. Though investigators are still trying to determine the exact cause of the incident, the West Fertilizer Company's explosion raises serious questions about managing the risks that facilities can pose to local communities.
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We Need Protection from Industrial Hazards in Our Communities
Apr 19, 2013 by Randy Rabinowitz
On Wednesday, a fire at the West Fertilizer Co. in West, TX, caused an explosion so powerful it registered 2.1 on the Richter scale and leveled significant parts of this rural community. As many as 15 people died and around 200 were injured, many gravely. We still do not know what caused the explosion or whether it could have been prevented with better safety practices and regulatory oversight.
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EPA's Proposed Gasoline Standards Benefit Public Health, the Environment, and Automakers
Apr 8, 2013
On March 29, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a new rule setting stricter emissions standards for cars and trucks and requiring a reduction in the sulfur content of gasoline beginning in 2017. The proposal addresses health risks posed by breathing hazardous vehicle pollution, such as asthma and other respiratory infections that can cause premature death. Together, the more stringent sulfur limit and new emissions standards will lead to rapid improvements in air quality nationwide.
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