Notice and Comment

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

Obama Administration Accepting Ideas for Regulations.gov

May 26, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Obama administration has launched a website to prompt a discussion of the federal government’s online portal for viewing and commenting on agency regulations – Regulations.gov. The new website, Regulations.gov/exchange, includes ideas for improving Regulations.gov and allows users to comment on the ideas.

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Good News/Bad News on New Roof Strength Rule

May 1, 2009 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced its long-awaited new rule requiring stronger roofs in vehicles in an attempt to better protect passengers in rollover crashes.

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Obama Administration to Withdraw Bush Rule on Endangered Species

Apr 28, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Obama administration will withdraw a Bush-era regulation designed to undermine the Endangered Species Act, specifically, the role of science in protecting species. The departments of Commerce and the Interior, the agencies responsible for issuing the regulation in December 2008, announced the withdrawal today in a press release.

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White House Accepting Comments on Scientific Integrity

Apr 23, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announced today that it is seeking public input on ways to restore scientific integrity in the federal government. In March, President Obama asked OSTP to come up with recommendations on a variety of issues situated at the nexus of science and politics.

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Guns-in-Parks Rule on Hold Indefinitely

Apr 20, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Obama administration will accept a federal judge’s ruling that blocked implementation of a rule allowing loaded firearms to be carried in national parks. While the National Park Service (NPS) goes back to the drawing board, the 26-year-old ban on guns in parks will go back into effect.

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EPA Calls Greenhouse Gases a Danger to the Public

Apr 17, 2009 by Matthew Madia

As expected, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to deem greenhouse gases a public threat. Today, EPA unveiled its endangerment finding for the six gases culpable in causing climate change.

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OSHA, NHTSA to Have Leaders – Roof Crush Rule to Follow

Apr 9, 2009 by Matthew Madia

President Obama has yet to nominate leaders for many of the regulatory agencies responsible for protecting public health and safety, but two more of those agencies may soon have leaders.

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EPA to Finally Declare Greenhouse Gases Harmful

Mar 24, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Environmental Protection Agency stands ready to declare greenhouse gases a harmful air pollutant, setting the federal government on a path toward regulating emissions, according to a plethora of news sources. The New York Times predicts the effects.

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OSHA Agenda Will Include Diacetyl, Secretary Says

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis announced that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) intends to limit workers' exposure to the food flavoring chemical diacetyl. Diacetyl regulation was one of the many worker protection issues left unresolved by the Bush administration.

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Labor Dept. Reviewing Bush Worker Protection Rules

Mar 17, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Labor Department today announced separately that it will review two controversial Bush administration policies.

The first is an OSHA proposal that could limit worker exposure to diacetyl, a chemical used to give food a buttery flavor. Factory workers (and possibly consumers) exposed to diacetyl are at a higher risk for developing bronchiolitis obliterans, a potentially fatal lung disease. (Background here.)

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