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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more news

Lack of Transparency in Oil and Gas Oversight Still a Major Problem

The Department of the Interior's management of oil and natural gas resources suffers from a lack of public access to information, according to government investigators and numerous public interest groups. This lack of openness takes a significant toll on the public's ability to challenge Interior's decisions and impedes accountability. Reforms to the Interior Department's oil and gas management policies announced in recent months have not made transparency a key element, casting doubt on their potential to bring about stronger oversight.

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EPA Behind Schedule for Air Toxics Standards

Jun 28, 2010 by Matthew Madia

A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program to evaluate and regulate air toxics, especially in urban areas, is way behind schedule, according to an Inspector General report released last week. Under the Clean Air Act, EPA established a Integrated Urban Air Toxics Strategy in 1999, but has yet to implement much of the strategy. “For example, EPA has not established baseline risk data to measure progress in reducing air toxics risks,” according to the report.

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EPA Delays Rule Targeting Lead Paint in Homes

Jun 23, 2010 by Matthew Madia

Responding to political pressure, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will push back enforcement of a new rule intended to protect homeowners and occupants from exposure to lead paint.

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Coal Ash Proposal Open for Public Comment

Jun 21, 2010 by Matthew Madia

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today published in the Federal Register its proposal to regulate toxic coal ash. The proposal, steeped in controversy, was announced by EPA May 3 but not immediately published.

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Lack of Transparency Afflicts Oil Spill Response

Adding insult to injury, the worst oil spill in U.S. history has been plagued by a lack of transparency that is hindering the response to the disaster and may impact responses to future spills. Reports of restrictions on media access to the spill site, the delayed disclosure of information on dispersants, and frustrations with BP's overall lack of transparency have confounded efforts to hold the company and government agencies accountable.

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As Senate Defeats Challenge to Climate Finding, EPA Faces Additional Trials

Earth Opponents of climate change regulation are attempting to dismantle the regulatory framework the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has crafted thus far under the Obama administration. The Senate unsuccessfully attempted to overturn a scientific determination in which the agency found that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare. However, EPA still faces court challenges by industry groups on regulations limiting emissions from both vehicles and industrial sources.

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Senate Debates Risk of Greenhouse Gases; Gulf of Mexico Unavailable for Comment

Jun 10, 2010 by Matthew Madia

The Senate is currently debating a resolution that would overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s finding that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and the environment. The finding also sets the stage for regulations to improve fuel efficiency and limit emissions. A vote is expected around 4:00 p.m.

Update: The resolution was defeated in a 47-53 vote.

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EPA Reinstates Hazardous Waste Protections Removed under Bush

Jun 9, 2010 by Matthew Madia

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced yesterday that it is officially withdrawing a December 2008 rule that reclassified thousands of tons of hazardous waste as fuel, allowing it to be burned instead of sensitively managed. The 2008 rule was one of the Bush administration’s midnight regulations, many of which stripped away existing environmental protections.

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EPA Finally Discloses What's in the Oil Spill Dispersants

Jun 8, 2010 by Brian Turnbaugh*

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finally disclosed the chemical identities of the ingredients of the dispersants being used on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Until now, the public was only provided the limited information available in the dispersants' material safety data sheets (MSDS). The MSDSs for the dispersant, known as Corexit, were produced by the dispersant's manufacturer, Nalco Company. The MSDSs provide very little information, hiding chemical identities by labeling them "proprietary" or omitting them entirely.

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Obama Administration Starts Reforms at MMS

In the wake of the worst oil spill disaster in the country's history, the Obama administration has begun to restructure the federal agency charged with the development of energy resources and oversight of the oil and gas industry. Critics argue the changes do not go far enough.

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