Protecting Consumers

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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more news

On Bisphenol-A Policy, the Lobbyists Are in Charge

May 18, 2009 by Matthew Madia

When it comes to bisphenol-A (BPA), a ubiquitous and likely dangerous chemical found in hard plastic products like water bottles, there seems to be three repeating story lines: state and local governments continue to take action, new studies continue to prove frightening, and evidence continues to surface showing that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has no interest in protecting American consumers.

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How Do Regulatory Agencies Fare in Obama’s Budget?

May 8, 2009 by Matthew Madia

President Obama’s FY 2010 budget proposal, released yesterday, makes major investments in a few agencies critical to protecting the public but shortchanges others. Let’s dive in.

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Obama to Continue Underfunding Consumer Safety Agency

May 5, 2009 by Matthew Madia

President Obama’s budget would continue to short change the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the chief regulator of common products like toys and toasters. According to a statement on the White House website, Obama will ask for only $107 million for an agency that has long been starved for resources.

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Good News/Bad News on New Roof Strength Rule

May 1, 2009 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced its long-awaited new rule requiring stronger roofs in vehicles in an attempt to better protect passengers in rollover crashes.

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OSHA, NHTSA to Have Leaders – Roof Crush Rule to Follow

Apr 9, 2009 by Matthew Madia

President Obama has yet to nominate leaders for many of the regulatory agencies responsible for protecting public health and safety, but two more of those agencies may soon have leaders.

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Signs of Salmonella Date Back to 2007

Apr 7, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The latest salmonella scare, this one tied to contaminated pistachios from California, has, thankfully, not proven to be a major public health crisis like the months-old peanut scandal. But an examination of the facts can be just as frustrating.

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FDA Delaying Creation of Food Safety Registry

Apr 3, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has once again announced that it is behind schedule in creating a registry for the reporting of food safety problems, according to Congress Daily (via nextgov.com).

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Bad Recordkeeping Leaves Food Safety Net Frayed

Mar 26, 2009 by Matthew Madia

Today, Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General Daniel Levinson testified before an appropriations subcommittee to discuss the FDA’s ability to keep track of the comings and goings of food. “FDA’s ability to fulfill its duties largely depends upon whether it can follow a food product’s movement through each stage of the food supply chain, a process referred to as traceability,” Levinson said in testimony.

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Efforts to Reform FDA Begin

President Barack Obama and Congress recently began efforts aimed at shoring up the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an agency battered by recent consumer safety problems and declining resources. In a March 14 address, Obama named two officials he wants to lead the agency and announced the creation of a working group to propose food safety reforms. Congress is once again trying to craft legislation aimed at providing greater consumer protections and restoring resources to the agency.

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Obama Pledges Food Safety Reform

Mar 16, 2009 by Matthew Madia

Ensuring the safety of the food and drug supply is something “only a government can do,” President Obama said on Saturday. Obama used his weekly address to shine a bright spotlight on food safety, focusing on government’s role in fixing the problems that have led to recent high-profile foodborne illness outbreaks like the current peanut contamination scare.

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