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

Reforming the Rulemaking Process Requires More than New Technology

Jan 27, 2011 by Gary Bass*

The three ideas for reforming participation in the rulemaking process in Beth’s Noveck's blog post, "Turning Rule Writers Into Problem Solvers: Creating a 21st Century Government That's Open and Competent by Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review," may or may not be useful. They certainly can and should be tested empirically. But the focus on these participation issues must be complemented by reform of the rulemaking process itself.

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Rules to Watch for in 2011

Federal agencies have released their rulemaking agendas for 2011, providing the public with a roadmap of the health, safety, and environmental safeguards it can anticipate in the new year.

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Administration Looks to Expand Online Access to Rules

Dec 9, 2010 by Matthew Madia

The Obama administration has released a best practices document aimed at improving the efficiency and usability of the federal e-rulemaking system. The best practices could lead to significant improvements for Regulations.gov – the public portal where users can find information and comment on rules.

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Last Chance to Comment on Coal Ash Rule

Nov 19, 2010 by Matthew Madia

The public comment period for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to regulate toxic coal ash ends today. OMB Watch urges you to tell the EPA to set standards fully protective of public health and the environment.

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EPA Delays Rewrite of Smog Standards

Nov 1, 2010 by Matthew Madia

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said last week that it will not meet an October deadline for finalizing new air quality standards for ozone, or smog. The announcement marks the second time in two months the agency has delayed the standard.

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Trucks’ Fuel Efficiency to Improve under Administration Proposal

Oct 25, 2010 by Matthew Madia

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced a joint proposed rule that will establish better fuel efficiency standards for heavy-duty vehicles. “Tractor-trailers, school buses, delivery vans, garbage trucks and heavy-duty pickup trucks” are among the vehicles covered by the standards, according to AP.

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Court Strikes Down Drilling Safety Notice

Oct 22, 2010 by Matthew Madia

A federal court invalidated an Interior Department notice imposing greater safety requirements on offshore drilling operations, enacted in response to the BP oil spill. Judge Martin Feldman of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana ruled on Tuesday that the June notice to lessees violated administrative procedure.

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MSHA Targets Black Lung with New Rule

Oct 15, 2010 by Matthew Madia

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is proposing to cut in half the exposure limit for coal dust, the cause of black lung disease. MSHA estimates the new standard will prevent thousands of illnesses and hundreds of deaths over the lifetimes of miners.

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Obama Administration Lays out Plan for Vehicle Fuel Efficiency

Oct 4, 2010 by Matthew Madia

After finalizing in April fuel efficiency standards for cars manufactured in model years 2012 through 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation are back to work, laying out options for model years 2017 through 2025.

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Industry Misleading EPA and the Public on Coal Ash Rule’s Effects

Sep 29, 2010 by Matthew Madia

As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continues to hold hearings across the country on its proposal to regulate coal ash, a toxic by-product of coal combustion that contains lead, arsenic, and other toxics, industry representatives continue to make excuses and concoct ridiculous arguments for why coal ash regulation isn’t necessary.

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