Senate Currency Bill Saddled with Unrelated Anti-Regulatory Amendments

Some members of the Senate used floor consideration of the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act of 2011, S. 1619, to push anti-regulatory measures through last-minute amendments. The bill was introduced to curb Chinese currency manipulation, yet it could now be tagged by amendments aimed at delaying or preventing environmental safeguards and obstructing the regulatory process.

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New Database Sheds Light on Anti-Environment Congress as Attacks on Public Protections Continue

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, unveiled on Monday a database of anti-environment votes by the 112th Congress. According to the minority page of the Committee's website, "the most anti-environment House in the history of Congress" has voted 125 times "to block action to address climate change, to halt efforts to reduce air and water pollution, to undermine protections for public lands and coastal areas, and to weaken the protection of the environment in other ways." The votes are searchable by legislation, topic, statute, or agency, and the database provides the American people with information about each bill or amendment, including a summary, the sponsoring member, and the outcome of the final vote.

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Latest Food Recall Illustrates Need for Strong Public Safeguards and Equipped, Responsive Agencies

Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the recall of approximately 36 million pounds of ground turkey products that may be contaminated with an antibiotic-resistant strain of Salmonella Heidelberg. This latest recall, one of the largest in U.S. history, should remind us why we need able government agencies to help identify, respond to, and prevent threats to public health.

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Congress Passes Bipartisan Bill to Amend the CPSIA

Both chambers of Congress Aug. 1 approved legislation to amend the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). The bill, H.R. 2715, moved through the House by a roll call vote of 421-2 before passing the Senate by voice vote. Unlike previous attempts to "fix" the CPSIA, this bill received bipartisan support.

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Agencies’ Regulatory Review Plans To Be Released Soon

Today is the deadline for federal agencies to submit their final plans for reviewing existing regulations to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The plans are the second step in a process outlined by the Obama Administration to get rid of redundant, needlessly burdensome and outdated rules.

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Obama Announces New Fuel Efficiency Standards, Joined by Automakers

President Obama today announced new fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks that are expected to produce savings for consumers, reduce U.S. oil dependence, and reduce air pollutants. Joined by executives from the top auto manufacturers in a rare showing of agreement, the president put forward new standards that would require cars and light trucks for Model Years 2017-2025 to achieve 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.

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Appropriations Riders Threaten Fundamental Environmental Protections

Republicans in the House are loading the 2012 spending bill for the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with dozens of policy riders that would hamper efforts to protect our health, air, water, and wildlife.

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Causes of Yellowstone River Spill Still Unknown, Montana Landowners Fear Consequences

In the July 12 edition of The Watcher, we observed how disasters like the Yellowstone River oil spill in Montana underscore the need for safeguards and oversight of industry. On Thursday, members of the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials held a hearing to investigate the Silvertip Pipeline oil spill, but received no answers as to the causes of the pipeline failure.

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New Critique of Crain and Crain Study Rejects Claim about Costs of Public Safeguards

An estimate of the cost of public protections often cited by regulatory opponents has been rejected by researchers from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). The critique, Flaws Call for Rejecting Crain and Crain Model, concludes that because the $1.75 trillion cost estimate is heavily based on flawed methodology and flawed data, it "should not be used either as a valid measure of the costs of regulation or as a guide for policy."

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House Passes Bill That Could Undo Gains in Water Quality

A bill passed Wednesday by the House of Representatives would remove crucial federal oversight from the Clean Water Act (CWA) and leave the quality of our nation’s waters at risk. The Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011 (H.R.

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