Sited at George Mason University, the Mercatus Center is funded by industry and promotes industry-friendly market-based theories in policy debates. "Mercatus," unsurprisingly, means "market." For a good introduction to the Mercatus Center, read Garance Franke-Ruta, "Bull Market," Washington City Paper, Mar. 8-14, 2002, available on-line. And be sure to read the entry for the Mercatus Center in the Disinfopedia.

A top Bush campaign contributor could benefit from an EPA decision to weaken a Clinton-era proposal to restrict handling of certain hazardous wastes. The rule, originally proposed under Clinton, would have enforced stringent handling restrictions on factory shop towels contaminated with solvents that can harm the health of workers. However, during the Bush administration, industry advocates were allowed to view an advanced copy of the regulation and propose changes, which were then adopted by the EPA, according to the Washington Post.

White House officials have overridden a decision by the U.S. Forest Service to deny a Texas energy company's request to explore for natural gas in a national forest, according to correspondence uncovered by the Los Angeles Times. Although the Forest Service originally denied the request by El Paso Corp. two years ago, the agency made an about-face earlier this month and laid the groundwork for a future approval of the company's request to drill in the Carson National Forest, a section of New Mexico's Valle Vidal adjacent to the nation's largest Boy Scout camp.

A front-page story in the New York Times August 9 examined the Bush administration's record over the last four years of subordinating mine safety issues to the special interests of the mining companies, stressing in particular the role of former mining executive Dave Lauriski, who is now head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Among the rollbacks of mining safety protections under Lauriski's leadership:

• A proposed change to allow coal-dust levels in mines to quadruple, thus putting miners at a significantly increased risk of black lung.