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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No End in Sight for Sunstein Nomination

Jul 15, 2009 by Matthew Madia

Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) is not lifting his hold on the nomination of Cass Sunstein – President Obama’s pick to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). Per the senator’s request, Sunstein met face to face with Chambliss yesterday to discuss the reasons for the hold.

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New Food Safety Agenda Emphasizes Prevention and Protection

The Obama administration unveiled a broad food safety agenda July 7, pledging to recraft a national food safety system that focuses on preventing, rather than reacting to, foodborne illness outbreaks. The agenda includes a raft of new policies and longer-term proposals that aim to empower officials and strengthen food safety regulation.

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FDA’s New Salmonella Standard and a Focus on Prevention

Jul 9, 2009 by Matthew Madia

Today, the Food and Drug Administration published a final rule that will reduce the risk of salmonella contamination posed by shell eggs. The agency estimates the new regulation will prevent 79,000 illnesses and 30 deaths every year.

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Obama Administration Pushing Broad Food Safety Agenda

Jul 7, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Obama administration has announced major steps aimed at improving the safety of the nation’s food supply. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Vice President Joe Biden announced the agenda at press conference this afternoon.

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OMB Watch Comments on E-Rulemaking

Jul 6, 2009 by Matthew Madia

As OMB Watch wrote in the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter The Watcher, the Obama administration is asking the public for ideas on reforming e-rulemaking – government’s system for displaying regulatory information and receiving public comments on proposed rules.

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OMB Watch Calls for E-Rulemaking Reforms

On July 2, 2009, OMB Watch made the following comments as a contribution to the Obama administration’s Open Government Initiative. The comments were posted here: http://mixedink.com/OpenGov/ERulemaking.

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HHS Reinstates Medicaid Benefits Removed under Bush

Jul 2, 2009 by Matthew Madia

This week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rolled back three Bush administration regulations designed to limit Medicaid services.

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Chambliss Placing Hold on Sunstein Nomination

Jun 30, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Hill has identified Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) as the Senator who has placed a hold on the nomination of Cass Sunstein, President Obama’s pick to head the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). The Hill outlines Chambliss’s concerns.

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Obama Administration Asks for Public Views on E-Rulemaking

The Obama administration is asking for feedback on its efforts to include the public in regulatory decision making. E-rulemaking allows citizens and stakeholders to comment on regulations and other government documents online, but existing challenges have limited public participation.

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Sunstein Nomination Delayed over Views on Animal Rights

Jun 16, 2009 by Matthew Madia

Senate Republicans are holding up the nomination of Cass Sunstein, President Obama’s pick to head the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, according to Congress Daily (via govexec.com).

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