Safeguarding Public Health and the Environment

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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States Turn to Courts to Allow GHG Regulation

Jan 3, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, 16 states sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its refusal to allow California to implement a program for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. Had EPA granted California permission, the other 15 states in the suit would have adopted the California program.

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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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One Nation, Under CO2

Dec 20, 2007 by Matthew Madia

EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson yesterday rejected California's request to set its own vehicle emissions standard for greenhouse gases. (Click here for background.) An article in today's Washington Post summarizes the decision well: Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson yesterday denied California's petition to limit greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks, overruling the unanimous recommendation of the agency's legal and technical staffs.

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House Panel Moves Regulatory Analysis Bill

Dec 18, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Last week, the House Small Business Committee unanimously approved H.R. 4458, the Small Business Regulatory Improvement Act of 2008 (SBRIA). Among other things, SBRIA would amend the Regulatory Flexibility Act to force agencies to perform yet more analysis of proposed regulations' impact, while continuing to allow industry lobbying groups to have access to agency proposals before they are released to the public.

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EPA Begins Rulemaking on Air Pollution Standard for Lead

Dec 18, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, EPA published an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for its planned revision to the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for lead. Lead is one of six pollutants regulated by the NAAQS program under the Clean Air Act. An Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) is a relatively minor step in the rulemaking process. Nonetheless, the ANPRM for the lead standard has been controversial because of the range of policy options EPA is considering. According to the ANPRM, EPA may tighten the standard to a level as low as 0.02 μg/m3 from the current level of 1.5 μg/m3. EPA is also considering maintaining the current standard, or eliminating the regulation for lead air quality altogether — an option EPA's own advisors say has no scientific basis. EPA will take comments through Jan. 16 on any and all of its surprisingly broad range of policy options. EPA's revision to the lead standard has been the subject of varying scientific interpretations.

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Update on Bond Amendment

Dec 14, 2007 by Matthew Madia

As Reg•Watch blogged Tuesday, Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) was pushing an amendment which would have forced agencies to analyze a rule's potential impact on "agricultural entities." Because of the way the amendment is written, this designation could apply to almost any business or even entire industries.

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House Small Business to Consider Regulatory Analysis Bill

Dec 13, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Thursday morning, the House Small Business Committee is scheduled to mark-up the Small Business Regulatory Improvement Act.

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Bond Amendment Targets Enviro Regs; Tell Your Senators to Vote "No"

Dec 11, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) has introduced an amendment to the Farm, Nutrition and Bioenergy Act (H.R. 2419) which would add another analytical burden to the regulatory process. Bond's amendment would require federal agencies to perform additional impact analyses on any rules that may affect a "substantial number of agricultural entities." Because of the way the amendment is written, this designation could apply to almost any business or even entire industries.

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Congressmen Press EPA on Transparency

Dec 10, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Friday, Reps. John Dingell and Bart Stupak wrote to EPA administrator Stephen Johnson asking about the agency's transparency policies. The congressmen point out that previous EPA administrators have issued memos outlining proper transparency measures for agency activity but that Johnson has not. Dingell and Stupak do not identify any specific points of opacity or examples of EPA cover-ups; but one issue piqued Reg•Watch's interest. In their final question to Johnson (to which they request responses by Dec. 17), the congressmen ask the following:

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The Flaws of Cost-Benefit Analysis: A Case Example

Dec 5, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Reg•Watch often complains about the flaws of cost-benefit analysis and the overemphasis policy makers place on it as a tool in decision making. However, when discussing cost-benefit analysis in the abstract, it is difficult to show the practical problems associated with its use.

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