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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Latest Watcher

Oct 25, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Reg policy articles this time: Opposition to Dudley as Regulatory Czar Mounts A Senate committee recently announced a hearing for Nov. 13 to consider the nomination of Susan Dudley to be the head of the White House's regulatory office. The Dudley nomination has created a firestorm of protest from organizations representing workers, environmental issues, consumer protections, and other public interest concerns. Ballot Initiative Threatens Regulatory Protections

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Dudley Hearing Scheduled for Nov. 13

Oct 23, 2006 by Guest Blogger

The Homeland Security and Goverment Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the White House's nomination of Susan Dudley to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on Nov. 13. During her time as head of regulatory policy for the Mercatus Center, Dudley racked up a pretty extensive anti-regulatory record, opposing regulations to get arsenic out of drinking water, reduce smog levels and make cars more fuel efficient.

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Stop Susan Dudley Now!

Oct 21, 2006 by Guest Blogger

The Bush administration is on the attack -- again. This time, it's with the nomination of Susan Dudley as administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). OIRA is an important regulatory agency that reviews everything from auto safety standards to limits on industrial chemicals and air and water pollutants. Susan Dudley would cripple OIRA. As director of regulatory studies at the industry-funded Mercatus Center, she opposed countless environmental, health and safety rules, including:

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Politics in Science: Soot Edition

Oct 15, 2006 by Guest Blogger

A New York Times editorial on Saturday explains how--and perhaps why--EPA has once again ignored scientific experts in favor of politically expedient solutions:

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Is FDA Ready for Nanotechnology?

Oct 10, 2006 by Guest Blogger

While nanotechnology could provide some exciting innovations, its impact on people is still largely unknown. As we pointed out last year, some scientists believe nanotechnology could pose risks similar to ultrafine particles released through combustion and welding, which are known to cause a range of health problems that include respiratory and cardiac ailments. But while scientists are still investigating the health effects of nanoparticles, industry is already rushing to get new nanotech products on the market.

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Scientists Resign in Protest of Advisory Panel

Oct 10, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Three scientists resigned from an EPA advisory committee panel reviewing the management of chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

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Judge Reinstates Roadless Rules

Sep 25, 2006 by Guest Blogger

A California judge overturned a 2005 regulation that would have allowed state governors to petition the Forest Service to develop land protected under the Clinton-era roadless rule. The Clinton rule sought to protect 60 million acres of national forests from development. But the Bush administration has repeatedly attempted to undermine the regulations.

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A Hybrid Car, An Environmentalist Does Not Make

Sep 19, 2006 by Guest Blogger

In her latest column, Cindy Skrzycki of The Washington Post summarizes the opposing view points of OMB Watch and the Mercatus Center over the nomination of former Mercatus Regulatory Program Director Susan Dudley to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs: OMB Watch and Public Citizen . . . released a 68-page report last week using Dudley's writings to attack her. It chastised her for ties to corporate donors and for what it called "Dudleynomics," an emphasis on free-market solutions to health and safety issues at the public's expense.

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Latest Watcher

Sep 13, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Reg policy articles this time: Criticism of Draft Risk Assessment Bulletin May Delay Implementation Report Finds Dudley Unfit to Serve

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