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

Toy Factory Owner Commits Suicide

Aug 13, 2007 by Rick Melberth*

The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that one of the Chinese owners of the toy manufacturer tied to the Mattel, Inc. recall of 1.5 million toys committed suicide Aug. 11. Cheung Shu-hung, an owner of Lee Der Industrial Co., killed himself at his Chinese factory.

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Latest Watcher

Aug 8, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Regulatory policy articles this time: Toy Recalls Bring Attention to Commission's Inadequacies OMB Manipulates Science in Cost-Benefit Analysis for Ozone Rule Size Matters: Nanotechnologies Present New Challenges

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Toy Recalls Bring Attention to Commission's Inadequacies

The Aug. 2 recall by Mattel, Inc. of 1.5 million toys that may contain excessive levels of lead paint once again calls into question the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) voluntary approach to regulating industry. Mattel's recall follows the June recall of 1.5 million toys by the RC2 Corp. for the same lead-based paint danger.

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CPSC May Conduct Formal Business Once Again

Aug 6, 2007 by Matthew Madia

On Friday, President Bush signed into law S. 4, Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007. The bill contains a provision which will extend the voting quorum of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) by six months. CPSC is an independent regulatory agency responsible for ensuring product safety by promulgating rules and negotiating or forcing recalls.

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Expert Urges FDA to Pull Diabetes Drug from Market

Jul 30, 2007 by Matthew Madia

An FDA scientist has recommended the diabetes drug Avandia be pulled from the market for heightening heart attack risks associated with its use. Dr. David Graham made the recommendation during a meeting of a scientific advisory panel which will consider whether the drug should continue to carry FDA approval, according to the Associated Press. In May, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine called attention to heart problems associated with the drug.

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Another Risk to Consumer Safety

Jul 27, 2007 by Rick Melberth*

As we blogged earlier this month, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has been without a quorum since July 2006. This has prevented it from fully addressing all of its responsibilities since January of this year. The agency oversees the safety of thousands of domestic and foreign consumer goods used in homes, schools, and sports.

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Progress in the FDA? Think again.

Jul 25, 2007 by Rick Melberth*

You'd think that U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials would be willing to listen to their own employees as public confidence in the agency diminishes among a string of regulatory lapses and congressional investigations. However, a BNA report ($) suggests otherwise.

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Amidst Increased Scrutiny, FDA Wants to Shut Testing Labs

Amidst increased scrutiny by the public and Congress of the problems with food imports and instances of bacterial outbreaks in the domestic food supply, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to close 7 of 13 laboratories that test for food safety.

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Senate Examines Chinese Imported Product Safety

Jul 18, 2007 by Matthew Madia

In 2007 alone, Chinese imports have been responsible for a nation-wide tire recall, a ban on five types of seafood containing potentially toxic additives, toys manufactured with lead-based paint, contaminated pet-food, and various other defective goods. In response to these concerns the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation held an unofficial meeting today to shed light on why government agencies have been so slow to combat product safety violations.

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Don't Forget about a CPSC Commissioner

Jul 10, 2007 by Matthew Madia

This is a Reg•Watch friendly reminder to President Bush that he has not yet announced a suitable nominee to head the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). CPSC is an independent regulatory agency responsible for ensuring product safety by promulgating rules and negotiating or forcing recalls. In May, consumer advocates rightly heralded the withdrawal of the nomination of former industry lobbyist Michael Baroody. But a month-and-a-half later, Bush has not announced a new nominee.

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