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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more news

EPA Announces Rule to Reduce Lead in Air

Oct 17, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a new national air quality standard for lead which will lead to cleaner air and healthier children. EPA tightened the standard to 0.15 μg/m3 from the current level of 1.5 μg/m3. The standard has not been revised since it was first set in 1978. The new standard is consistent with the advice of EPA staff and its scientific advisors who had called for a standard between 0.10 μg/m3 and 0.20 μg/m3.

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Advice on Plastics Chemical Marred by Scandal Again

Oct 14, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Over the weekend, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel broke the news that the head of an FDA advisory panel studying the safety of the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) has ties to an "anti-regulation activist" who happens to think BPA is perfectly safe.

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Industry Ties Bind FDA Advisors

Oct 10, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a new report describing how the Food and Drug Administration handles conflicts of interest on its advisory panels. Financial conflicts plague a significant number of FDA advisors and FDA panels, according to the report.

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Right Whale Protection Rule Finally Here

Oct 9, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has finalized a long-awaited rule that will protect the North Atlantic right whale, one of the planet's most critically endangered marine species. Fewer than 400 right whales are left, according to NOAA.

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Industry Pressuring EPA to Weaken Lead Rule

Oct 7, 2008 by Matthew Madia

EPA is finalizing a potentially major revision to the national air quality standard for lead, and industry has come a knockin'. On Oct. 2, several officials from the Office of Management and Budget's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) — the arm of the White House in charge of reviewing and editing new rules — met with several lobbyists from the battery recycling industry. That industry would eventually face new compliance requirements if EPA adopts a strict new standard.

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Lobbyists, Allies in Congress Work to Derail Greenhouse Gas Limits

With the support of special interest lobbyists, congressional Republicans are pushing legislation to hinder the federal government's ability to address climate change. Proposed legislation would halt early efforts by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to place new limits on greenhouse gas emissions.

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More Evidence of Harm on BPA, but FDA Unmoved

Sep 16, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Today, the Food and Drug Administration debated the safety and potential need for regulation of bisphenol-A (BPA), a common chemical used in hard plastics and the lining of food cans. There has already been one surprise at the long-awaited meeting: today, a group of scientists revealed the results of a study linking BPA exposure to heart disease and diabetes.

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Commentary: Bush's Last-Minute Rush to Dismantle Public Protections

by Gary D. Bass, OMB Watch Executive Director
Those who keep an eye on the federal government know the Bush administration is not friendly toward regulation — particularly health, safety, environmental, civil rights, and consumer protections. When they have been forced to regulate, Bush officials have advanced policies that mostly let the market control the game, while the idea of strong government intervention has been left to gather dust. However, even outside the recent regulatory takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, events show the administration is starting to kick things into high gear on regulations, trying to lock the next administration into a Bush legacy.

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Mine Agency Proposes Mandatory Drug Testing

Sep 8, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The Bush administration has proposed yet another rule that may be in violation of the controversial Bolten memo. On May 9, White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten instructed federal agencies to propose by June 1 any rule they wished to finalize by the end of the Bush administration. However, a number of agencies are rushing through controversial rules that defy Bolten's deadline, and the White House seems to have no objections.

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With Concessions to Industry, Right Whale Rule May Be Moving

Aug 26, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration may be making long-overdue progress on a rule to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. A draft of the final rule has been stuck at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs — the White House office that must approve major agency actions — since February 2007.

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