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

Coal Ash Delay Silences the Voice of the Little Guy

Mar 23, 2010 by Matthew Madia

A citizen advocacy group is asking the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) to take a closer look at the environmental and human health impacts of coal ash – a toxic byproduct of coal combustion often precariously stored in outdoor retention ponds. The request was placed on day 153 of OIRA’s review of an EPA proposal to more strictly regulate coal ash. By its own rules, OIRA is to spend no more than 120 days reviewing agency proposed and final regulations.

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White House Increasing Pressure over Invalid Rules

Mar 18, 2010 by Matthew Madia

Federal rulemaking agencies continue to fail to submit new regulations to Congress, potentially invalidating them, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

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Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Rule Sent to White House for Final Review

Mar 11, 2010 by Matthew Madia

The Obama administration is nearing completion of a major federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions for the first time in U.S. history. The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation will jointly issue a rule regulating vehicle emissions by mandating increases in fuel efficiency over the coming years.

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Senate Bill Threatens Greenhouse Gas Limits

Mar 4, 2010 by Matthew Madia

Congress’s push to kneecap greenhouse gas regulation got a little stronger today when Sen. John Rockefeller (D- ~~coal~~ WV) introduced a bill that would delay for two additional years any EPA regulation of stationary sources like power plants and oil refineries.

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Making the Case for Coal Ash Regulation

Feb 25, 2010 by Matthew Madia

A new report from the Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice uncovers dozens of cases where ponds of toxic coal combustion waste have leaked into nearby wetlands, streams, and groundwater supplies.

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Last-Minute Changes Will Improve Air Pollution Monitoring, EPA Says

Feb 17, 2010 by Matthew Madia

Allegations that the White House watered down an EPA rule on air pollution monitors are false, according to a senior EPA official who says the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) actually made the rule stronger.

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What is the Obama Administration’s Record on Regulation?

Feb 4, 2010 by Matthew Madia

Today at 3 p.m., OMB Watch will be webcasting a panel discussion titled, The Obama Administration and Public Protections: A First-Year Regulatory Assessment. The panel discussion will address whether regulatory agencies are being proactive on a number of important issues, such as workplace safety, consumer protections, and the environment.

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White House Meddling in EPA Rule on Air Pollution Monitors

Jan 28, 2010 by Matthew Madia

Update (02/17/10): "Last-Minute Changes Will Improve Air Pollution Monitoring, EPA Says."

It’s looking more and more like the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) overruled the EPA in a decision to place more air pollution monitors near major roadways.

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EPA Sets New Standard for Nitrogen Dioxide Pollution

Jan 26, 2010 by Matthew Madia

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) yesterday revised the national air quality standard for nitrogen dioxide for the first time in 35 years. In addition to the annually-measured standard (which EPA actually kept the same) the agency will, for the first time ever, enforce a one-hour standard intended to limit short-term exposure to NO2. The new one-hour standard is set at 100 ppb (parts per billion).

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Time’s about up for OIRA on Coal Ash Rule

Jan 14, 2010 by Matthew Madia

Today, Jan. 14, marks day 90 of the White House’s review of EPA’s proposed coal ash regulation. As I blogged on Monday, the rule has been discussed at dozens of meetings featuring the EPA, the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), and various stakeholders. My updated count has industry stakeholders at 22 meetings and environmental stakeholders at four.