White House 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

Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Rule Sent to White House for Final Review

Mar 11, 2010 by Matthew Madia

The Obama administration is nearing completion of a major federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions for the first time in U.S. history. The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation will jointly issue a rule regulating vehicle emissions by mandating increases in fuel efficiency over the coming years.

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Scientists Recommend Ways to Restore Scientific Integrity to Government

On March 3, the Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy (SKAPP) released the results of a two-year research effort to explore the working environment of federal scientists in the public health and environmental fields. The results showed that not only is there political interference in their work, but that scientists also faced a series of obstacles that delay the study and dissemination of scientific information that affects the public every day.

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Making the Case for Coal Ash Regulation

Feb 25, 2010 by Matthew Madia

A new report from the Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice uncovers dozens of cases where ponds of toxic coal combustion waste have leaked into nearby wetlands, streams, and groundwater supplies.

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Patchwork Improvements Continue for E-Rulemaking

Several federal government websites have recently incorporated changes that better highlight regulatory issues and expand online access to rulemaking information. However, the changes appear independent of one another, not parts of a conscious effort by the Obama administration to transform the government's beleaguered e-rulemaking systems.

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Last-Minute Changes Will Improve Air Pollution Monitoring, EPA Says

Feb 17, 2010 by Matthew Madia

Allegations that the White House watered down an EPA rule on air pollution monitors are false, according to a senior EPA official who says the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) actually made the rule stronger.

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Annual Cost-Benefit Report Gives Clues to Regulatory Changes

The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) annual report to Congress on the costs and benefits of federal regulations provides clues to the changes the Obama administration will seek in the regulatory process. While the report includes some important changes to the way agencies might approach calculating the impacts of new rules, it does little to suggest that major changes to the central role OMB plays in the process are likely.

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What is the Obama Administration’s Record on Regulation?

Feb 4, 2010 by Matthew Madia

Today at 3 p.m., OMB Watch will be webcasting a panel discussion titled, The Obama Administration and Public Protections: A First-Year Regulatory Assessment. The panel discussion will address whether regulatory agencies are being proactive on a number of important issues, such as workplace safety, consumer protections, and the environment.

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OMB Watch Calls on the Obama Administration to Revise Regulatory Process

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2010—President Barack Obama issued a memorandum to executive department heads and agencies on Jan. 30, 2009, calling for a revision to the principles guiding the federal regulatory process. The memo required agencies to submit within 100 days recommendations for a new executive order. The memo also precipitated a call for public comments by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) to gather the public's ideas for reforming the regulatory process. At the one-year mark of his administration, OMB Watch calls on the president to complete this process by issuing a revised executive order.

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White House Meddling in EPA Rule on Air Pollution Monitors

Jan 28, 2010 by Matthew Madia

Update (02/17/10): "Last-Minute Changes Will Improve Air Pollution Monitoring, EPA Says."

It’s looking more and more like the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) overruled the EPA in a decision to place more air pollution monitors near major roadways.

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EPA Sets New Standard for Nitrogen Dioxide Pollution

Jan 26, 2010 by Matthew Madia

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) yesterday revised the national air quality standard for nitrogen dioxide for the first time in 35 years. In addition to the annually-measured standard (which EPA actually kept the same) the agency will, for the first time ever, enforce a one-hour standard intended to limit short-term exposure to NO2. The new one-hour standard is set at 100 ppb (parts per billion).

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