Blog: The Fine Print

EPA Developing New Standards to Curb Power Plant Water Pollution

Nov 8, 2013 by Justin Santopietro

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently began finalizing a proposed rule to reduce water pollution from coal-fired power plants and their related wastes. These pollutants include lead, mercury, arsenic, selenium, and other dissolved solids, which are harmful to both human health and aquatic life.

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OSHA Provides New Tools for Worker Chemical Protections

Nov 1, 2013 by Ronald White

In an effort to improve protection of workers from exposure to toxic chemicals, OSHA recently unveiled two new tools on their website to assist companies and their workers. The first resource is a toolkit to identify safer chemicals that can be used in place of more hazardous ones.

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Agency Extends Comment Period on Long-Overdue Worker Safety Rule

Oct 28, 2013 by Katie Greenhaw

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced on Oct. 25 that it is extending the public comment period for a proposed rule to lower worker exposure to crystalline silica. Silica dust can be deadly; it kills hundreds of workers every year and sickens thousands more. OSHA stated that in response to requests for an extension, it will give stakeholders an additional 47 days beyond the original Dec. 11 deadline to submit comments on the proposal.

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Senate Briefing Highlights Causes of Regulatory Delays

Oct 25, 2013 by Katie Weatherford

On Oct. 25, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, Federal Rights and Agency Action, chaired by Sen.

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Little Progress Seen in Reducing Risks from Overuse of Antibiotics in Livestock Industry

Oct 25, 2013 by Ronald White

A recent report from the Johns Hopkins University Center for a Livable Future on public health, environmental, and animal welfare concerns in the large-scale livestock industry (sometimes called 'industrial food animal production') provides a distressing picture of the limited progress made in addressing a key public health concern – the use of antibiotics for nontherapeutic uses such as speeding up growth, bulking up livestock weight,

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Protesters Order GOP Obstructionists to “Cease and Desist”

Oct 22, 2013 by Jessica Schieder

Last week, the government reopened and a default on the national debt was averted at the last minute, but not before Americans frustrated by extremist politics and budget brinksmanship turned out to hundreds of protests across the country.

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Workers and Economy to Gain From New Workplace Safety Standards

Oct 18, 2013 by Justin Santopietro

Last month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a long-delayed proposed rule establishing a comprehensive standard to protect more than two million U.S. workers from exposure to silica in general, construction, and maritime industries.

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Exports of U.S. Natural Gas May Present Risks From Receiving Countries

Oct 18, 2013 by Katie Weatherford

On Oct. 10, the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power convened a panel of ambassadors and energy and trade ministers from Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean to discuss the geopolitical implications of the U.S. expanding its export capabilities for liquefied natural gas (LNG).  The delegates primarily highlighted potential economic benefits to receiving nations, such as increased competition in the market and security of supply, and spoke little of the risks that LNG operations pose to human health and the environment.

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Outdoor Air Pollution Identified As Major Cause of Lung Cancer

Oct 17, 2013 by Ronald White

In a groundbreaking Oct. 17 announcement, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an agency of the World Health Organization, classified outdoor air pollution as a known cause of lung cancer.

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Estimate: The Shutdown Caused $24 Billion in Damage to the Economy

Oct 17, 2013 by Nick Schwellenbach

The nearly two-and-a half week government shutdown cost the U.S. economy some $24 billion, according to an estimate by financial company Standard & Poor’s. Similarly, market research firm Moody’s Analytics came up with a nearly identical number of $23 billion, or $1.4375 billion per day.

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