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

FDA’s New Salmonella Standard and a Focus on Prevention

Jul 9, 2009 by Matthew Madia

Today, the Food and Drug Administration published a final rule that will reduce the risk of salmonella contamination posed by shell eggs. The agency estimates the new regulation will prevent 79,000 illnesses and 30 deaths every year.

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Obama Administration Pushing Broad Food Safety Agenda

Jul 7, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Obama administration has announced major steps aimed at improving the safety of the nation’s food supply. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Vice President Joe Biden announced the agenda at press conference this afternoon.

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Consumer Product Agency under New Leadership

The Senate recently confirmed Inez Tenenbaum, President Obama’s pick to chair the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the federal regulator of everything from toys to toasters. Tenenbaum’s presence will likely cause a shift in the way the agency operates, including a greater focus on public protection.

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Another Recall, Another Mystery

Jun 23, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is once again chasing after a food safety mystery that is already putting consumers at risk. The agency announced June 19 that E. coli contaminated Nestle cookie dough is tied to a recent rash of illnesses.

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Obama Signs Bill Regulating Tobacco

Jun 22, 2009 by Rick Melberth*

President Obama signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 today giving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) powers to regulate tobacco for the first time. The law bans tobacco advertising within a thousand feet of schools and playgrounds and curbs the marketing of products to children.

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FDA Won’t Pull Punches under Hamburg

Jun 17, 2009 by Matthew Madia

Newly minted FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg has pledged to toughen up the agency’s enforcement practices, according to The New York Times.

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Food Safety Legislation Progresses Slowly

The first steps on real food safety reforms were the subject of a House hearing June 3 in the Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health. The subcommittee unveiled the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, a synthesis of several different bills that had been introduced earlier this session.

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Congress Aims to Turn Down the Volume

Jun 12, 2009 by Matthew Madia

“There ought to be a law.” On more than one occasions, that is what I’ve uttered as I struggle upward from my recumbent position on the couch and reach toward the coffee table for the remote – all in an effort to turn down the television volume. Why? Because the commercials are too damn loud.

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FDA Missed Chances to Halt Contaminated Syringes

Jun 10, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Food and Drug Administration failed to stop a derelict manufacturing plant from shipping contaminated syringes that led to more than 160 illnesses and at least four deaths, according to an investigation by ProPublica and the Chicago Tribune.

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Food Safety Agency Left Untended; Nomination Forestalled by Lobbying Order

Jun 5, 2009 by Matthew Madia

President Obama has yet to nominate an individual to lead the Food Safety and Inspection Service, leaving the agency headless at a time when food safety consistently shows up on the national radar.

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