On Jan. 9, 300,000 residents of the Charleston, West Virginia metro area awoke to news that their drinking water had been contaminated when 10,000 gallons of toxic 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) spilled from the storage tanks of Freedom Industries into the Elk River. The toxicity of MCHM, an additive that helps remove impurities from coal, has not been well studied but is known to cause dizziness, vomiting, and rashes, among other things.

News of corporations taking advantage of tax loopholes to avoid paying their fair share toward the cost of government continues to flow in. Usually, closing these loopholes requires legislative action by a divided Congress, but there’s one $10 billion a year loophole that can be closed with a Treasury Department regulation.

Richard “Dick” Haworth is a frequent guest at the semi-annual retreats hosted by Charles and David Koch honoring those who have given more than a million dollars to conservative causes. The Koch brothers’ political machine has been marshalling “dark money” used to lead the charge to shrink the size of government, to roll back taxes, to cut regulations, and to repeal the Affordable Care Act. 

Despite an attempt by some to portray the $299 million increase in EPA's overall fiscal year 2014 budget as a positive compromise, those in Congress who oppose developing and enforcing public health and environmental safeguards have much to celebrate. Of particular concern, the budget includes major cuts to EPA's operations that develop and enforce public health and environmental protections.