Cost-benefit Analysis

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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Big Problems with Cost-Benefit Analysis

Jun 12, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, OMB Watch submitted comments on OMB's Draft 2007 Report to Congress on the Costs and Benefits of Federal Regulations. Congress has mandated OMB prepare this report each year. OMB Watch's comments point out the process of aggregating costs and benefits is a waste of time producing largely meaningless results: "Aggregation is economically unsound, distorts the virtue of strong federal regulations, and does not provide practical utility for public policy."

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Presidential Mulligan: Bush Nominates Dudley yet Again

May 17, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Last night, President Bush nominated Susan Dudley to the position of administrator of OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). No, you have not traveled back in time. The White House has nominated Dudley to the position in which she currently serves. Bush recess appointed Dudley in April.

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Latest Watcher

May 16, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Regulatory policy articles this time: House Hearing Asks Interior: Entangled in Politics, or Enlightened by Science? Cost-Benefit Provision Latches onto Fuel Economy Standard Senate Passes FDA Reform Bill, Expands User Fees

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Cost-Benefit Provision Latches onto Fuel Economy Standard

A Senate panel has approved a bill reforming the federal standard for passenger vehicle fuel economy. The bill aims to increase vehicle fuel efficiency over the next 25 years, but a proposal to mandate cost-benefit analysis could undermine meaningful regulation. The bill raises questions as to the limits of cost-benefit analysis in the federal regulatory process.

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Cost-Benefit Language Inserted in Fuel Economy Bill

May 10, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Monday, the Senate Commerce Committee sent a vehicle fuel economy reform bill to the floor. The bill would do some good by providing more information on fuel efficiency to car buyers and increasing funding for our national fuel economy program — the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). However, the bill would also mark a shift in the legislative view of vehicle fuel economy — from protecting the environment and strengthening national security to making economic factors a paramount consideration.

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I Want My Reg Watch in Review!

May 7, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Reg•Watch in Review is a biweekly e-newsletter highlighting recent news from the world of regulatory policy. By signing up for Reg•Watch in Review, you will receive convenient updates on White House regulatory policy, scientific integrity, agency rulemakings and much more. (Click here to see the latest issue.) Just fill in your email address and name below, and you will soon receive Reg•Watch in Review in your inbox. Email Address: * First Name: * Last Name: *

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Latest Watcher

May 2, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Regulatory policy articles this time: OSHA's Lack of Standard Setting under Fire White House Tightens Grip on Regulatory Power Grab House Subcommittee Steps Up Oversight on Regulatory Changes

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White House Tightens Grip on Regulatory Power Grab

The White House has released a memo instructing agencies on how to implement President George W. Bush's recent changes to the regulatory process. OMB Watch had anticipated the release of such a memo due to the need for clarification of certain controversial provisions within Bush's executive order. However, the memo offers little new information and further confounds issues in some areas.

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House Subcommittee Steps Up Oversight on Regulatory Changes

A House subcommittee held a second hearing April 26 on the regulatory changes President George W. Bush issued in January. Subcommittee Chairman Brad Miller (D-NC) hoped to discover the reasons that the White House issued the changes, but the hearing turned stormy as Miller's inquiries were repeatedly rebuffed by an administration official. After tense exchanges with the official, Miller promised to seek additional documents from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and to hold additional hearings on regulatory changes "that affect the lives of millions of Americans."

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Spring Unified Agenda Published

Apr 30, 2007 by Matthew Madia

The Federal Register has published the semi-annual Unified Regulatory Agenda. Browse today's issue to find the planned regulatory (or deregulatory) actions of your favorite federal agency! The Unified Regulatory Agenda is published twice a year in compliance with Executive Order 12866 — Regulatory Planning and Review. The Agenda includes prerules, proposed rules, final rules, and long-term rules as well as items completed or withdrawn since the last agenda period. For more background on the Agenda, click here. For OMB Watch's analysis of the last Agenda (Dec. 2006), click here.

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