Setting and Enforcing Regulations

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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Corporate Failures Not Enough to Trigger Meaningful Regulatory Change in 2010

In 2010, Big Business was often in the news for the wrong reasons. The BP oil spill disaster, the explosion at a Massey Energy mine that killed 29, and the recall of millions of Toyota vehicles, to name a few, made headlines throughout the year, both for their human, economic, and environmental toll and for the negligence they exposed. Despite these failures, 2010 was an excellent year for America's corporate elite. Profits skyrocketed, lobbyists fended off new regulation, and corporate access to Washington decision makers grew even more robust.

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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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E-rulemaking Legislation Seeks Greater Transparency and Participation

On Nov. 17, Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced a bill that would expand public participation and transparency in the rulemaking process by improving aspects of the current electronic rulemaking (e-rulemaking) system. The bill would enhance technical aspects of the current federal system, encourage agency experimentation, and allow the public to track rules and better contribute to agency decisions.

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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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One Year Later, Catfish Safety Rule Still at OIRA

Nov 16, 2010 by Matthew Madia

The advocacy group Food & Water Watch is blasting the Obama administration over the delay in the creation of a program to conduct mandatory safety inspections of catfish. Over a year ago, Nov. 13, 2009, the UDSA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) submitted to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) a draft proposed rule laying out the details of the program. The White House has yet to approve the proposal.

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Agency Moves Should (but Won’t) Put a Damper on Anti-Regulatory Hysteria

Nov 10, 2010 by Matthew Madia

The Department of Health and Human Services is granting waivers exempting insurers and employers from requirements under the new health care law, according to The New York Times. “Concerned about the potential disruption […] the administration has granted dozens of additional waivers and also made clear that it would modify other rules affecting these policies.”

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All Eyes on Regulation in Post-Election Environment

Facing a Republican majority in the House and a slimmer Democratic majority in the Senate, President Obama and administrative agencies may increasingly turn toward regulation to accomplish policy goals. In contrast, new lawmakers and congressional leaders vow to use their power to roll back regulations, cut spending, and shrink the size of government.

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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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