Risk Assessment

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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OMB Watch Calls on Obama Administration to Improve Scientific Integrity

May 13, 2009 by Matthew Madia

On May 13, OMB Watch submitted to the White House recommendations for improving scientific integrity in the federal government. From the comments:

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EPA to Begin Work on Hormone Disrupting Chemicals

Apr 16, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will finally begin to test the health effects of certain pesticide chemicals suspected of disrupting human or animal endocrine systems.

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OMB Approves EPA Finding on Greenhouse Gases

Apr 14, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The White House Office of Management and Budget has approved the Environmental Protection Agency’s determination that greenhouse gas emissions threaten the public. (Thanks to Frank O’Donnell at Clean Air Watch for finding this earlier today; he surmises EPA could officially announce the so-called endangerment finding this week or on Earth Day, April 22.)

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OSHA Agenda Will Include Diacetyl, Secretary Says

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis announced that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) intends to limit workers' exposure to the food flavoring chemical diacetyl. Diacetyl regulation was one of the many worker protection issues left unresolved by the Bush administration.

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Toxic Communities Shafted by Health Agency, Report Shows

Mar 11, 2009 by Matthew Madia

A federal agency responsible for studying and responding to adverse health effects caused by toxic waste is reticent to acknowledge patterns of illness near contaminated sites, according to a report released by the House Science Committee subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight.

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FDA Falls Further Behind on Plastics Chemical

Mar 6, 2009 by Matthew Madia

It seems as though just about everyone is taking action to limit the use of the ubiquitous chemical bisphenol-A – that is, everyone but the FDA. BPA is a compound used in hard plastics and the lining of food cans that has been linked to developmental disorders. Over the past year or so, the media has been reporting regularly on the scientific studies documenting the risks associated with BPA as well as growing consumer concern over its safety, especially for kids.

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GAO Report Highlights High-Risk Areas

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its latest report to Congress Jan. 22 highlighting the wide range of high-risk areas in government that it urges the new Congress and administration to address. The report updates the areas already on GAO's list and adds three new high-risk areas: the outdated financial regulatory system, medical product oversight and regulation, and toxic chemical assessment.

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Climate Change Disclosure Becomes an Investor Thing

Recent actions by investors and the New York State Attorney General are pressuring companies to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and the risks they face from climate change. Many regard such information as essential to investors' right to know about the potential liabilities facing thousands of industries as the climate warms and new emissions regulations become a near certainty.

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FDA Fighting Mounting Evidence on BPA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to claim there is insufficient evidence about the health effects of a chemical widely used in consumer products to justify regulating the substance. Evidence is mounting from a variety of other sources, however, that bisphenol-A (BPA) may affect human development and mental health. FDA continues to advise consumers that there is no reason to "discontinue using products that contain BPA."

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Secret Risk Assessment Rule Aims to Halt Worker Safety Protections

The Bush administration is trying to rush through a Department of Labor (DOL) draft rule to require new worker safety standards to be based on a new risk assessment process that would potentially tie the hands of future administrations. The new rule was sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review in secret, violating the process OIRA has insisted agencies use for rulemaking.

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