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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Multinationals Push for New Greenhouse Gas Emissions Regulations

Two calls-to-action on cutting greenhouse gas emissions were released Nov. 30, shortly before world leaders met in Bali to begin outlining a global agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol. First, business leaders from 150 global firms issued a communiqué calling for "a comprehensive, legally binding United Nations framework to tackle climate change." Second, a report sponsored by a coalition of U.S businesses and nongovernmental organizations said the U.S. could reduce its output of greenhouse gas emissions substantially using existing technologies and low-cost emerging alternatives, but to do so "will require strong, coordinated, economy-wide action that begins in the near future."

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From Industry, a Big Push for Bad Regs

Dec 3, 2007 by Matthew Madia

In September, Reg•Watch blogged about a New York Times article highlighting a recent trend in which businesses are asking the federal government to regulate them. In some cases, the businesses' intentions seem good. In other cases, the requests may be nothing more than political maneuvering. An article in yesterday's Times revisits the latter of those two cases:

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Draft Guidance Would Create Drug Approval Loophole

Nov 30, 2007 by Matthew Madia

An investigation by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee shows that FDA is considering a new policy (which would take the form of a draft guidance document) that would allow drug companies to market unapproved use of pharmaceuticals by distributing journal articles. In a letter to FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach, Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) explains the problem:

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OSHA Issues Personal Protective Equipment Rule

Eight years after proposing it, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has finalized a worker safety rule. The final rule mandates employers pay for worker personal protective equipment (PPE). OSHA published the rule in the Federal Register on Nov. 15, and it is to take effect Feb. 13, 2008.

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More of the Same: Import Safety Panel Leaves Business in Charge

The Bush administration's cabinet-level Interagency Working Group on Import Safety released its final report Nov. 6 on ways to improve the safety of food and consumer products imported into the U.S. The report calls for limited increases in some federal agencies' responsibilities but does little to change the current voluntary regulatory scheme that governs some $2 trillion worth of products, 800,000 importers and more than 300 ports-of-entry.

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Industry Science Raises Concern over Safe Meat Packaging

Nov 14, 2007 by Matthew Madia

At a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing yesterday, members, meat industry representatives and federal regulators debated the safety of using carbon monoxide to make packaged meat appear red for longer periods of time. Critics believe using the gas to preserve the redness of the meat, even after it has potentially spoiled, is misleading to consumers. Tests into the safety of the practice revealed dubious results. According to The Washington Post:

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Vice President Reemerging in Regulatory Review Meetings

Representatives from the office of Vice President Richard Cheney have been involved in three current administration rulemakings. Their presence is indicative of a recent trend in which Cheney has involved his office in high-profile regulations.

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Regulatory Proposals from Industry Don't Address Underlying Problems

By Gary D. Bass and Rick Melberth, OMB Watch
Published on ombwatch.org
October 31, 2007
In light of stories of tainted lettuce, lead paint on toys, disease-causing flavorings in microwave popcorn, safety concerns with cough medicine, and other hazards, many industries and business associations are proposing new regulations they hope will restore consumer confidence. Many of these proposals call for new quality assurance programs and stronger regulation of foreign imports. Some of the approaches even call for strengthening federal agencies' regulatory powers or increasing their budgets, many of which have been cut to the bone during the Bush administration's business-friendly flurry of dismantling public protections. But most of these industry-led efforts are palliatives and do not solve the underlying problems.

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House Members Press Dudley on Review of OSHA Rule

Oct 30, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Last week, Reg•Watch blogged about an OSHA rule currently under review by the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). The rule would require employers to pay for protective equipment for their employees. Yesterday, Rep. George Miller (D-CA and chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee) and Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA and member of the appropriations committee with jurisdiction over OSHA) wrote to OIRA Administrator Susan Dudley expressing their concern with the White House's review of the rule. (Read the letter here.)

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White House Already Involved in EPA Plans to Regulate GHG Emissions

Oct 29, 2007 by Matthew Madia

As OMB Watch recently reported, EPA is preparing to announce the regulatory scheme it will pursue for regulating greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Supreme Court's April decision which said greenhouse gases could be considered a pollutant under the Clean Air Act.

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