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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Bush Continues Anti-Regulatory Efforts with Industry Nominee to CPSC

In nominating Michael E. Baroody Mar. 1 to be chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), President Bush demonstrated yet another example since the 2006 elections of his efforts to slow down or roll back government regulation. CPSC is the independent regulatory agency charged with protecting the public against injury and death from a wide range of consumer products.

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One Step Closer to Less Smog

Mar 6, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, the EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) unanimously voted on recommendations to EPA concerning ground-level ozone (or smog), according to BNA news service (subscription). CASAC voted to lower the allowable standard to between 0.060 ppm and 0.070 ppm from its current level of 0.08 ppm. CASAC purposefully used an extra digit so regulators could not manipulate the standard by rounding. And you thought you would never use significant figures after high school. CASAC's recommendation is similar to that of an EPA staff paper released in January. The EPA should now adopt the recommendation when it revises the standard which the Clean Air Act requires EPA to do every five years. Though based on sound science and developed by bright minds, the CASAC recommendation took some guts too. Industry has been vocal in opposing a tighter standard on smog. Also, EPA has been meddling with CASAC's ability to act independently, as a recent Senate oversight hearing uncovered. EPA has until Mar. 2008 to make its final decision, but with this administration it's never too early to start urging administrators to prioritize science and the public interest ahead of politics and special interests.

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FDA Ignoring Medical Advice on Antibiotic Resistance

Mar 5, 2007 by Matthew Madia

The Washington Post on Sunday ran a front page story about the FDA's pending approval of a bovine antibiotic, despite grave concerns over antibiotic resistance. Public health organizations including the American Medical Association — as well as the agency's own advisory board — warned against approval of the drug which is an important "medicine of last resort" in treating otherwise "nearly invincible infections." If the antibiotic is used on cows, resistant bacterial strains will likely develop with the ability to infect the human population. The effectiveness of this appropriately powerful drug will be severely weakened. In the Post article, epidemiologist Edward Belongia chides the drug industry for exerting its influence: The industry says that 'until you show us a direct link to human mortality from the use of these drugs in animals, we don't think you should preclude their use.' But do we really want to drive more resistance genes into the human population? It's easy to open the barn door, but it's hard to close the door once it's open. As the case for reform at FDA grows, this example is merely another brick in the wall. FDA is once again showing its disregard for medical consensus and scientific integrity, and jeopardizing public health in the process.

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Bush Nominates Manufacturing Ally to CPSC

Mar 2, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Thursday, President Bush nominated Michael Baroody to be a commissioner on the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Baroody is the current executive vice president of the National Association of Manufacturers, a trade group whose mission includes "shaping a legislative and regulatory environment" on behalf of manufacturers. Baroody's ability to shape America's regulatory environment will take on new meaning if he becomes a CPSC commissioner. The CPSC is the independent agency charged with protecting the public from dangerous products. The commissioners (of which there are only three) must be able to work with manufacturers to assess product safety, but also exert authority when industry cooperation does not go far enough in protecting the public. If you think a commissioner with such obvious strong ties to the industry he must regulate is a bad idea, you are not alone. Public interest groups are already sounding the alarms, and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) says she will give the nomination "thorough scrutiny," according to the LA Times. As Reg•Watch has blogged in the past, the CPSC has been short a commissioner since July, and its voting quorum recently expired. I find it depressing to have to contemplate which is worse: a commissioner like Michael Baroody, or no commissioner at all.

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Latest Developments on Bush Changes to the Regulatory Process

Mar 1, 2007 by Matthew Madia

OMB Watch has created a new web center to be the one-stop source for news and developments on President Bush's recent amendments to Executive Order 12866. The web center will be frequently updated with fresh insights, news from Capitol Hill, and links to media coverage.

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Bush Executive Order Will Make It Harder to Protect the Public

Feb 28, 2007 by Matthew Madia

OMB Watch's Drs. Gary Bass and Rick Melberth have an op-ed posted on CommonDreams.org. The piece derides President Bush's recent changes to E.O. 12866: His actions ... set in motion changes that could further delay or hinder public health, safety, environmental, and civil rights protections. Read the whole thing here

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Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows ... Then Enjoys a Smoke

Feb 27, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Roll Call (subscription) ran an article this morning discussing the lobbying efforts aimed at the tobacco regulation bills currently in both chambers of Congress. In addition to the tobacco industry, the Petroleum Marketing Association of America and three advertising industry coalitions oppose the bill, according to the article. Why would seemingly disinterested parties oppose a common sense bill to regulate tobacco products? Because gas station owners make big money by selling cigarettes, and advertising companies make big money by promoting them. As if Big Tobacco is not enough of a force in Washington, now it's lining up its friends. Nonetheless, the bill moves forward. One of the Senate sponsors, Ted Kennedy, chairs a committee hearing on the bill today. As the Roll Call article points out, no industry representatives are scheduled to testify. Stay tuned to Reg Watch for more.

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Latest Watcher

Feb 22, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Reg policy articles this time: Congress Holds Hearings on Bush's Changes to Regulatory Process FDA Drug Approval Process under Scrutiny

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Big Rigs and Big Government

Feb 22, 2007 by Matthew Madia

TomPaine.com has an interesting opinion piece on a proposed regulation that would deem 97 foot long rigs safe for highway use. These rigs have four separate trucks behind the cab, and are longer than an NBA basketball court. What's really galling is that the law being implemented would violate the principles of federalism by overriding current state statutes: Under current federal regulations, states are allowed to impose an overall length limit of 75 feet on four-ways. Almost every state has imposed such limits… [T]his federal law is likely to be interpreted as actually prohibiting any state from protecting its residents by passing a law restricting four-ways to less than the 97-foot federal standard. As a native Pennsylvanian, I wonder how these trucks will be able to navigate the obstacle course that is the PA turnpike. I hope the Bush administration does not make me find out.

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FDA Drug Approval Process under Scrutiny

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is facing renewed criticism over the process by which it approves drugs for market. Recent reports indicate many drugs are approved before they are proven safe, and problems with the agency's structure and processes prevent it from fulfilling its mission. Subsequently, Congress has started using its oversight powers to scrutinize the agency, and the clamor for FDA reform is growing louder.

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