Industry Influence and Interference

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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House Legislation Would Force Regulatory Review

The House has approved legislation that would expand the ability of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to aid small businesses in complying with federal and state regulations. However, the bill would also allow SBA to target regulations that the small business community finds objectionable.

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EPA Announces Proposed Smog Standard

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced proposed changes to the national standard for ground-level ozone, also known as smog. Scientific consensus supports a limit substantially lower than the current standard. EPA's proposal has drawn criticism for being too weak to fully protect the public from the adverse health effects of ozone. A lack of transparency in the rulemaking process has left the public in the dark as to whether EPA, the White House or industry lobbyists may be to blame.

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House Moves on FDA Reform, PDUFA Renewal

Jun 25, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Last week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bill to reform certain drug regulation practices at FDA and renew the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA). The full Senate approved a similar bill in May. (For a detailed analysis of the Senate version, click here. The Pharmalot blog has a good summary of some of the drug safety provisions in the House bill which go beyond what the Senate approved.

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EPA's Weak Ozone Proposal: A Case for Regulatory Transparency

Jun 21, 2007 by Matthew Madia

On June 21, EPA announced a proposal for a revised national standard for ozone exposure. The proposal, mandated by court order, proposes a range from which EPA will pick its final standard. Any limit picked from within the proposed range will fall short of what is needed to protect the public health. EPA's proposed range is 0.070 to 0.075 parts per million, but in recent months scientific consensus has emerged in supporting a limit no greater than 0.070 ppm and ideally closer to 0.060 ppm. EPA has already caught a lot of flack for skirting a real decision and proposing limits weaker than scientists have recommended. But the role of the White House should be scrutinized as well.

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White House Listens as Industry Calls for Weak Ozone Standard

Jun 15, 2007 by Matthew Madia

OMB Watch and Clean Air Watch have been carefully watching as the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) reviews EPA's rule to revise the national standard for ozone, a.k.a. smog. OIRA already entertained industry reps on two occasions (read more on that here). The press is starting to pay attention to this issue. Articles in Greenwire (subscription) and The Hill discuss the importance of a tighter standard and the scientific basis behind it. The articles also chronicle industry's efforts to block EPA from developing a more protective standard.

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Latest Watcher

Jun 13, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Regulatory policy articles this time: Democratic Disarray on Greenhouse Gases May Let Bush off the Hook White House Meets with Industry on Smog Standard Long-delayed EPA Risk Assessment of Endocrine Disruptors Exhibits Flaws

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House to Drug Makers: "Hey, That's Our Job!"

Jun 12, 2007 by Matthew Madia

This week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will begin tackling its version of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) reauthorization/FDA reform bill the Senate passed in early May. The House has already uncovered disturbing (but not surprising) information about the bill. FDA drafted and provided to Congress the basis for the Senate bill. However, FDA apparently had a lot of help from the pharmaceutical industry in composing the legislative language. According to a report in today's Washington Post:

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Long-delayed EPA Risk Assessment of Endocrine Disruptors Exhibits Flaws

In its ninth year of work on the issue, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is about to begin the risk assessment process for an important but little-known group of chemicals called endocrine disruptors. However, scientists are concerned early indications of the assessment's construction will produce scientifically suspect results.

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White House Meets with Industry on Smog Standard

The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is reviewing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) revision to the national ozone standard. A number of scientists have urged EPA to adopt a more stringent standard for ozone, also known as smog. Unusually, Vice President Dick Cheney's office has involved itself in the review of the standard. OIRA has also been consulting with industry representatives as it prepares to make edits to the standard and make recommendations to EPA.

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FDA to Establish Panel on Risk Communication

Jun 4, 2007 by Matthew Madia

FDA has announced the creation of an advisory panel which will aid agency officials in communicating food and drug safety risks to the public. Last year, the Institute of Medicine recommended Congress pass legislation creating such a panel. FDA should be applauded being proactive on the recommendation. During recent food and drug safety crises, FDA has seemed unwilling or unable to allay public fears with immediate communications and relevant information. Establishing this panel has the benefit of being both good politics and good policy.

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