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...

read in full

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...

read in full

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...

read in full

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...

read in full

more news

Latest Watcher

Dec 6, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Reg policy articles this time: Supreme Court Wades Through Decision on Climate Change FDA Negotiates Increase in Drug Industry User Fees

read in full

FDA Negotiates Increase in Drug Company User Fees

Amidst concerns raised by public interest advocates, the Food and Drug Administration is negotiating with drug industry representatives to increase controversial user fees, according to news reports.

read in full

Boxer Threatens to Put Hold on EPA IG Nominee

Nov 14, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Susan Dudley isn't the only controversial nominee that might be snuck through during the lame duck session. According to CongressDaily, future chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), is threatening to put a hold on the nomination for the Environmental Protection Agency's nominee for Inspector General. The IG is responsible for sussing out waste, fraud and abuse in the agency.

read in full

Industry Opposes EPA's Smog Reduction Proposal

Nov 7, 2006 by Matthew Madia

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported this past weekend that industry is stridently opposing an EPA recommendation to reduce ozone, often referred to as smog. EPA released the recommendation in a staff paper last July. For a summary, click here. The staff paper recommends tightening ozone emissions by lowering the allowable limit to 0.07 parts per million (ppm). The current limit is 0.08 ppm, set in 1997.

read in full

Ballot Initiatives Threaten Regulatory Protections

November ballot initiatives in six states would force state governments to provide compensation for lost property value as a result of regulation or be forced to waive the regulatory protection.

read in full

Scientists Resign in Protest of Advisory Panel

Oct 10, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Three scientists resigned from an EPA advisory committee panel reviewing the management of chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

read in full

Possible Recess Appointment for Mine Safety Head

Oct 5, 2006 by Guest Blogger

The Senate has now failed to act on the nomination of industry-man Richard Stickler to head the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) twice. As we reported in February, Stickler is an industry man with a poor track record when it comes to health and safety. According to the United Mine Workers, mines run by Stickler had accident rates double that of the national average for six of eight years, including two fatal accidents at a mine Stickler managed for five years.

read in full

Latest Watcher

Sep 13, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Reg policy articles this time: Criticism of Draft Risk Assessment Bulletin May Delay Implementation Report Finds Dudley Unfit to Serve

read in full

The Cost is Too High

Sep 13, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Read OMB Watch and Public Citizen's new report on the White House's radical nominee for OIRA, Susan Dudley.

read in full

Industry Buying Leverage at FDA

Sep 6, 2006 by Guest Blogger

According to Wall Street Journal (subscription only), the FDA has been negotiating with industry to increase user fees, money paid by the drug industry to FDA ostensibly to help speed up drug approval. Small user fees were first introduced at FDA in the early 90's after industry complained that drug approval was too slow. The fees now make up over half of FDA's budget for drug reviews. Now FDA if negotiating yet another increase in these fees at closed-door meetings with industry representatives, several of them former FDA officials, according to the article:

read in full