Blog: The Fine Print / Citizen Health & Safety

Groups Demand Better Protection for Katrina Cleanup

Oct 11, 2005 by Guest Blogger

From Medical News Today: Gulf Coast Cleanup Workers Must Be Protected from Serious Health Hazards The U.S. Congress should immediately act to protect the health and safety of workers and residents engaged in the cleanup of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, according to a group of more than 100 of the nation's foremost labor, religious, environmental, community, public health and public interest organizations and more than 100 academic, medical, religious and public health leaders.

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New Mad Cow Rule Fails to Close Loopholes

Oct 5, 2005 by Guest Blogger

The Food and Drug Administration squandered yet another opportunity to close loopholes in its BSE firewall yesterday. According to an href="http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2005/new01240.html"> agency press release, a new rule proposed by FDA to control mad cow disease expands current protections by banning the use of specified-risk material-brain and spinal cord tissue-from older cattle, but the proposed rule fails to close loopholes that allow cattle to be fed other cow parts through restaurant plate scrapings, chicken litter, and calf formula. A proposed 2004 rule

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OIRA Meetings on HexChrome, Dry-Cleaning Rules

Oct 4, 2005 by Guest Blogger

OIRA met with chemical industry representatives on Sept. 26 to discuss "the economic effects on co-residential dry cleaning facilities of proposed EPA regulations under consideration." The rulemaking in question is presumably the forthcoming proposed NESHAP rule for perchloroethylene dry cleaning facilities residual risk standards. OIRA also met on Oct. 3 to discuss OSHA's rulemaking on occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium with SBA's Office of Advocacy, representatives of the metal finishing, aerospace and steel industries as well as Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

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Katrina trumps No Child Left Behind

Sep 30, 2005 by Guest Blogger

The Washington Post is reporting on the Dep't of Education's decision to ease NCLB regs for schools affected by Katrina: 'No Child' Rules to Be Eased for a Year   Under pressure from hurricane-stressed states, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings announced yesterday that the agency will for one year relax academic accountability standards under the administration's signature education initiative, allowing schools affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita to... [Via washingtonpost.com - washingtonpost.com - US government, national security, science and national news and headlines.]

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Katrina's Unnatural Disaster

Sep 28, 2005 by Guest Blogger

The Center for Progressive Reform has released a comprehensive report detailing how the systemic failures of the federal government to heed past calls for health, safety and environmental protections contributed to the magnitude of devastation in New Orleans. The report also examines policy decisions related to emergency response that led to the dismal failures of FEMA to adequately evacuate, shelter, rescue and relocate storm victims. From the report:

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OMB To Expand EPA Guidance Reviews

Sep 23, 2005 by Guest Blogger

According to InsideEPA (subscription only), OMB is planning an unprecedented expansion of its review authority that will include reviews of almost all agency guidance documents, further stymieing agency efforts to implement new protections. From the article:

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Recent OIRA Meetings

Sep 23, 2005 by Guest Blogger

  • On Sept 14, OIRA met with representatives from the computer and electronics industry, including Panasonic, Hewlett Packard and Intel, to discuss a final rule regarding cathode ray tubes.
  • On Sept. 15, OIRA met with Environmental Defense regarding the prevention of significant deterioration of nitrogen oxide.
  • On Sept. 21, OIRA met with the family member of a TWA Flight 800 victim over a proposed Federal Aviation Administration rule on fuel tank flammability.

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Don't Mess With Texas (Unless You're Homeland Security)

Sep 22, 2005 by Guest Blogger

The Department of Homeland Security's ">decision to waive all law in order to expedite construction of border area fencing near San Diego now has some landowners in Texas worried that their private property rights are endangered. Read more.

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Labor: Limited Waiver of Affirmative Action in Fed Contracts

Sep 22, 2005 by Guest Blogger

The Homeland Security website has what it calls the List of Government Waivers and Dispensations Authorized for Hurricane Katrina Response, but don't rely on it as a comnprehensive list of all regulatory protections waived or weakened in the name of Katrina. For example -- layers under layers deep in the Dep't of Labor website is a notice that DOL is waiving some affirmative action requirements for federal contracts, including requirements for job postings targeted to reach veterans and the disabled. The waiver lasts for three months, but it is also subject to extension.

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Blaming Katrina on Environmentalists

Sep 21, 2005 by Guest Blogger

The blame game for the massive failures that left over 1,000 (and still counting) dead has targeted the environmental movement. A special report from the Center for Progressive Reform demolishes the arguments in that blame game. The Army Corps of Engineers had opted to pursue one of two options for levee construction before being sued for having failed to conduct an environmental assessment -- which, when the Corps finally conducted it and other analyses, inspired the Corps to choose the other option. The CPR report concludes with this:

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