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...

read in full

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...

read in full

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...

read in full

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...

read in full

more news

Government Performance & Results Act of 1993

Text of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) One Hundred Third Congress of the United States of America AT THE FIRST SESSION Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday, the fifth day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-three An Act To provide for the establishment of strategic planning and performance measurement in the Federal Government, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE

read in full

Administration Kills Contractor Responsibility Rule

Two days after Christmas, with no one around to object, the Bush administration quietly revoked a Clinton-era rule that promotes greater accountability for federal contractors -- to make sure they comply with important public protections. Specifically, this contractor responsibility standard instructed government contracting officers to look at a bidding company's compliance with the law (including tax laws, labor laws, employment laws, environmental laws, antitrust laws and consumer protection laws) before awarding taxpayer dollars.

read in full

OMB Identifies Regulations for Repeal

As part of its annual report to Congress on the costs and benefits of federal regulation, released last week, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a list of 23 "high priority" regulations it believes should be rescinded or revised. Many of these regulations are health, safety, and environmental standards, including major clean air and water standards (e.g., New

read in full

OMB Watch Launches First Issue of the Executive Report

This monthly report will provide an in-depth look at a variety of executive branch issues.

read in full

EPA Seeks to Delay Pollution Cuts for Utilities

Though announcement serves as another example of how the Bush administration will cater to industry interests at the cost of public health, EPA spokesperson says it is not an attempt to roll back the rule.

read in full

The Bush Administration Weakens Wetlands Rules

On January 14 the Army Corps of Engineers announced changes to several wetlands rules that will make it easier for developers, mining companies and others to qualify for general permits to dredge and fill wetlands, according to the Washington Post. This action comes on the heels of an October 2001 decision in which the Army Corps of Engineers issued a policy that allows developers to offset losses of wetlands on one site by protecting wetlands, or even dry land, elsewhere.

read in full

Scalia Escapes Senate Confirmation to Become DOL Solicitor

As Solicitor, Scalia has jurisdiction over a wide range of legal and regulatory issues, ranging from mine safety and job training, to migrant workers and pension rights.

read in full

Information Collection Requests up for Expiration

Normally, when agencies have pending paperwork requests at OIRA that do not get reviewed by the expiration date, approval for one year is inferred under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA).

read in full

Senate Confirms Daniels for OMB in 100-0 Vote

After a mere 20 minutes of debate, the Senate unanimously confirmed Bush's choice for director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Mitch Daniels. The decisions Daniels makes will be critical, and not just to OMB, but to the entire federal government. For a discussion of what Daniels may mean for OMB, see the January 22, 2001 Watcher.

read in full

Supreme Court Upholds Clean Air Rulemaking

Feb., 28 2001 In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled (on Feb. 27) that EPA had exercised proper authority in promulgating its 1997 clean air standards on ozone (smog) and particulate matter (soot). This represents a major victory for public health advocates and a major blow to industry polluters – which argued, first, that EPA had taken on powers reserved to Congress and, second, that it had improperly excluded cost considerations in developing the rules. The Supreme Court’s action overturns an earlier ruling by a U.S.

read in full