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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Consumer Product Bill Delivers Win for Consumers

Aug 6, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Reg•Watch has been blogging about Congress's recent passage of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, particularly the provision that bans certain phthalates — a class of chemicals commonly found in plastic and, subsequently, the human body. There are many other provisions in the bill which will keep consumers safe from harmful products and empower the Consumer Product Safety Commission to better regulate a market dominated by cheap imports. OMB Watch has prepared a list of some of the most important aspects of the bill and how they differ from the status quo.

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Will New FDA Guidelines Really Reduce Conflicts of Interest?

Aug 6, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The Food and Drug Administration has finalized guidelines it contends will improve the independence of the expert panels it uses to receive advice on pending decisions for both food and drug policy. But the final guidelines are weaker than the proposed version first unveiled in March 2007.

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Pesticide Problems Go Unnoticed by EPA

The Center for Public Integrity (CPI) has discovered that two groups of common pesticides, generally considered to be "safer" chemicals, are responsible for one quarter of reported human pesticide poisonings, based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) own data. CPI spent several years demanding the release of the data through repeated Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. A trade association representing the interests of the consumer specialty products industry denounced the report.

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Consumer Product Safety Reform Clears Congress

Congress has approved a bill that will revamp the nation's consumer product safety net. The legislation reforms the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to enable the agency to better enforce safety standards in a market dominated by cheap imports and requires new standards for dangerous substances like lead and phthalates.

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Senate Passes Product Safety Bill

Aug 1, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Last night, the Senate passed a bill to reform the Consumer Product Safety Commission which would also mandate new safety standards for consumer products and toys. Like the House, which approved the bill Wednesday, the Senate passed the legislation with overwhelming bipartisan support, 89-3. Also yesterday, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said President Bush would sign the bill, despite some objections. That's great news for the beleaguered CPSC and for consumers. One important provision in the bill would ban certain phthalates, a chemical used in plastics, pending further study of their toxicity. This safety-first approach is a revolutionary concept for the federal government. OMB Watch has released a statement applauding the phthalate ban.

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Product Safety Bill Overwhelmingly Approved by House

Jul 31, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Last night, the House of Representatives gave its final approval to a bill to give more resources and authority to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). House members approved a package, negotiated among House and Senate leaders earlier this week, by a vote of 424-1.

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On Phthalates, Congress Taking Safety-First Approach

Jul 28, 2008 by Matthew Madia

After a protracted House/Senate negotiating period, Democratic and Republican leaders came to an agreement on several controversial provisions in a bill to improve consumer product safety. Early reports indicate that negotiators came down on the side of public health on most or all of the issues that had proved difficult to hash out. CQ.com reports:

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On Consumer Product Bill, More Work Remains

Jul 18, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, Reg•Watch asked the question, "Will Congress Wrap Up Consumer Safety Bill?" The answer turned out to be "no," as lawmakers' talks stalled during a meeting intended to finalize a version of a bill to reform the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Lawmakers did agree to set up a publicly searchable consumer product complaint database which was one of the controversial provisions that needed to be worked out.

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Will Congress Wrap Up Consumer Safety Bill?

Jul 17, 2008 by Matthew Madia

In a few minutes, members of the House and Senate are set to meet to work on sorting out differences between their respective versions of consumer product safety legislation. Both versions of the bill would expand the budget and authority of the beleaguered Consumer Product Safety Commission, but other provisions have proved contentious. Congress Daily (subscription) reports: The House passed its CPSC reauthorization in December and the Senate approved its version in March. Conferees first met last month, when they agreed on 21 items. They left the more troublesome measures for today.

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On Food Tracking, FDA Says "Not Our Responsibility"

Jul 10, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The New York Times has an article this morning further underscoring the problems the FDA has tracking the sources of food-borne illness outbreaks. The toll of the current salmonella outbreak has exceeded 1,000 victims "in what officials said Wednesday was the largest food-borne outbreak in the last decade."

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