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 Backs Meat and Milk from Clones; Where's USDA?

Jan 15, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The Washington Post has obtained a copy of an FDA risk assessment that endorses the safety of food from cloned cattle, pigs, and goats. The assessment, long expected, comes on the heels of a European Union draft scientific opinion which came to similar conclusions. The Post has a summary of and excerpts from the risk assessment and background on the issue in an article published today.

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Questions for the Year Ahead: Regulatory Policy Outlook for 2008

Jan 11, 2008 by Matthew Madia

As Reg•Watch mentioned last week, in 2007, new regulatory policies and the inability of federal agencies to protect the public made headlines more so than at any time in recent memory. Newspapers continually ran stories on White House interference, unsafe imports, and new hazards being ignored by government despite scientific evidence imploring regulation.

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First Signs of Teeth in CPSC Enforcement

Jan 9, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Nancy Nord, head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, will use the agency's newly-boosted budget to station product inspectors at the nation's busiest ports, according to an article in Congress Daily (via GovExec.com).

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Congress Limps Toward Product Safety Reform

Despite a record number of consumer product recalls in 2007, Congress adjourned in December without agreeing on legislation to restore the federal government's safety system. The House passed new legislation that would vastly improve the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) ability to regulate unsafe products. Weaker Senate legislation was blocked by a lack of bipartisan agreement.

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A Year for Failure: Regulatory Policy News in 2007

Jan 2, 2008 by Matthew Madia

In 2007, new regulatory policies and the inability of federal agencies to protect the public made headlines more so than at any time in recent memory. Four themes dominated regulatory policy in 2007: White House influence over agency rulemaking activity and discretion; the inability of the federal government to ensure the safety of imported goods; the influence of industry groups; and the Bush administration's refusal to regulate in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence. Click on these links for a recap of 2007's highlights and lowlights:

White House Interventions

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CPSC Reform Bill Clears House Committee

Dec 19, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously approved H.R. 4040, the Consumer Product Safety Commission Modernization Act of 2007. The bill is similar to a bill passed by the Senate Commerce Committee in October which would expand the resources and authority of the agency. Among other things, the bill would:

Dramatically increase the budget and staffing at CPSC and dedicate funds for improving its much-maligned testing facility;
Require third-party testing and certification for children's products;
Ban lead in children's products; and

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A Year for Failure: Regulatory Policy News in 2007

In 2007, new regulatory policies and the inability of federal agencies to protect the public made headlines more so than at any time in recent memory. Four themes dominated regulatory policy this year: an increase in White House influence over agency rulemaking activity and discretion, which added a perception of more political manipulation; the inability of the federal government to protect the public by ensuring the safety of imported goods; the voice of some industry groups calling for regulation; and the Bush administration's refusal to regulate in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence, as in the case of climate change. At best, government has attempted to respond to crises instead of getting ahead of the curve. This has left the public uncertain about whether we can count on our government to provide adequate safeguards.

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New Database Measures Chemicals in Toys

Dec 6, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Today, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced another recall of a children's product for excess levels of lead. The grand total for 2007 is now 99 recalls totaling more than 16 million products, based on CPSC data compiled by OMB Watch. That is nearly six times more than the number of product recalled in 2006. While a feckless and under-funded CPSC continues to struggle with its mission to ensure product safety, another group has decided to pick up CPSC's slack. Yesterday, the Ecology Center launched a new database at HealthyToys.org.

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Recap of Oral Arguments in Supreme Court Preemption Case

Dec 5, 2007 by Matthew Madia

The New York Times has a recap of the oral arguments heard yesterday by the Supreme Court in Riegel v. Medtronic. As Reg•Watch blogged yesterday, the issue is whether federal regulation preempts state common law claims against medical device manufacturers.

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Study Proves No Need for Conflicted FDA Panel Members

Dec 4, 2007 by Matthew Madia

In March, FDA issued draft guidelines that would revise its criteria for determining whether scientific advisory committee members have financial conflicts of interest. FDA advisory committees are standing panels comprised of individuals considered experts in a particular field. They provide advice to FDA on matters such as drug and medical device safety.

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