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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ALERT: EPA Proposes Rollback on Toxic Pollution Reporting

EPA recently announced plans that would essentially dismantle its Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), the nation's premier tool for notifying the public about toxic pollution. The TRI annually provides communities with details about the amount of toxic chemicals released into the surrounding air, land, and water. The information enables concerned groups and individuals to press companies to reduce their pollution, resulting in safer, healthier communities. Despite the program's widely hailed success, however, EPA is proposing to significantly rolling back the program's reporting requirements.

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OIRA Meetings on HexChrome, Dry-Cleaning Rules

Oct 4, 2005 by Guest Blogger

OIRA met with chemical industry representatives on Sept. 26 to discuss "the economic effects on co-residential dry cleaning facilities of proposed EPA regulations under consideration." The rulemaking in question is presumably the forthcoming proposed NESHAP rule for perchloroethylene dry cleaning facilities residual risk standards. OIRA also met on Oct. 3 to discuss OSHA's rulemaking on occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium with SBA's Office of Advocacy, representatives of the metal finishing, aerospace and steel industries as well as Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

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Katrina's Unnatural Disaster

Sep 28, 2005 by Guest Blogger

The Center for Progressive Reform has released a comprehensive report detailing how the systemic failures of the federal government to heed past calls for health, safety and environmental protections contributed to the magnitude of devastation in New Orleans. The report also examines policy decisions related to emergency response that led to the dismal failures of FEMA to adequately evacuate, shelter, rescue and relocate storm victims. From the report:

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OMB To Expand EPA Guidance Reviews

Sep 23, 2005 by Guest Blogger

According to InsideEPA (subscription only), OMB is planning an unprecedented expansion of its review authority that will include reviews of almost all agency guidance documents, further stymieing agency efforts to implement new protections. From the article:

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Recent OIRA Meetings

Sep 23, 2005 by Guest Blogger

On Sept 14, OIRA met with representatives from the computer and electronics industry, including Panasonic, Hewlett Packard and Intel, to discuss a final rule regarding cathode ray tubes.
On Sept. 15, OIRA met with Environmental Defense regarding the prevention of significant deterioration of nitrogen oxide.
On Sept. 21, OIRA met with the family member of a TWA Flight 800 victim over a proposed Federal Aviation Administration rule on fuel tank flammability.

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Don't Mess With Texas (Unless You're Homeland Security)

Sep 22, 2005 by Guest Blogger

The Department of Homeland Security's ">decision to waive all law in order to expedite construction of border area fencing near San Diego now has some landowners in Texas worried that their private property rights are endangered. Read more.

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Blaming Katrina on Environmentalists

Sep 21, 2005 by Guest Blogger

The blame game for the massive failures that left over 1,000 (and still counting) dead has targeted the environmental movement. A special report from the Center for Progressive Reform demolishes the arguments in that blame game. The Army Corps of Engineers had opted to pursue one of two options for levee construction before being sued for having failed to conduct an environmental assessment -- which, when the Corps finally conducted it and other analyses, inspired the Corps to choose the other option. The CPR report concludes with this:

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Resolution to Reject Mercury Rule: Rejected

Sep 13, 2005 by Guest Blogger

The Senate voted 47-51 to reject the CRA resolution of disapproval of the mercury rule. Look for a mercury hot spot in a poor community near you.

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Know What's In the Toxic Goop?

Sep 13, 2005 by George Sorvalis

If you haven't seen it already, be sure to check out OMB Watch's page of environmental data on potential toxic sites in New Orleans, courtesy of OMB Watch's Information & Access department.

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Resolution to Reject Mercury Rule Proceeds

Sep 13, 2005 by Guest Blogger

The Senate voted 92-0 yesterday to allow a floor vote for ">S. J. Res. 20, a joint resolution under the Congressional Review Act to reject EPA's mercury rule. A White House Statement of Administration Policy threatens a veto, but Congress Daily is reporting that the White House will probably not need to brandish its veto pen because the Senate is ultimately expected to defeat the CRA resolution when it finally comes to the floor today.

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