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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With Concessions to Industry, Right Whale Rule May Be Moving

Aug 26, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration may be making long-overdue progress on a rule to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. A draft of the final rule has been stuck at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs — the White House office that must approve major agency actions — since February 2007.

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In Rare Move, White House Rubber Stamped Abortion Proposal

Aug 25, 2008 by Matthew Madia

In case there is any question as to whether the Bush administration is trying to hurry a new rule that could potentially limit access to reproductive health services, Reg•Watch offers the following nugget of information. The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, which acts as the administration's clearinghouse for proposed and final regulations, reviewed the rule in less than one day. The Department of Health and Human Services sent the rule to OIRA on Thursday, August 21 and OIRA sent it back "consistent with change" later that day.

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Bush Signs Consumer Product Safety Bill

Aug 14, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Today, as promised, President Bush signed into law the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (H.R. 4040). You can read a summary of the bill's major provisions here. Kudos to the president and to Congress for creating far-reaching reforms that are protective of consumers and will empower the Consumer Product Safety Commission to adequately police the marketplace.

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For EPA Staff Trying to Protect the Planet, "Disappointment is Profound"

Aug 8, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Last week, a group of EPA staffers wrote to administrator Stephen Johnson chiding him for the agency's recent decision to delay federal action on greenhouse gas emissions and the damaging climatic effects they cause. In July, EPA issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (a relatively minor step in the rulemaking process) that solicits public comment on various regulatory options for curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

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Secret Risk Assessment Rule Aims to Halt Worker Safety Protections

The Bush administration is trying to rush through a Department of Labor (DOL) draft rule to require new worker safety standards to be based on a new risk assessment process that would potentially tie the hands of future administrations. The new rule was sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review in secret, violating the process OIRA has insisted agencies use for rulemaking.

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Crane Rule Held Back by Bush Administration Ideology

Aug 4, 2008 by Matthew Madia

A Saturday New York Times editorial criticized the Bush administration for its lack of progress on a much-needed new standard for crane and derrick safety:

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Occupational Risk Assessment Rule Revealed

Jul 25, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The Washington Post has obtained a copy of the mysterious Department of Labor risk assessment rule that has been the subject of much speculation over the past couple weeks (see this post for more). The rule would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Mine Safety and Health Administration to conduct their risk assessments for occupational health hazards in certain ways. Based on an initial reading, Reg•Watch sees four main problems:

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For Mysterious Occupational Risk Rule, Shenanigans Abound

Jul 23, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Details about a mysterious Department of Labor (DOL) rule on occupational health risks are beginning to surface. In today's Washington Post, reporter Carol Leonnig sheds new light on the situation. The Post obtained an early draft of the rule which Reg•Watch and others have been speculating about for the past couple weeks. The Post's account gives credence to some of the suspicion:

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White House Climate Change Policy -- Delay, Delete, and Deny

The Bush administration continues its strong efforts to censor climate change information that reaches the public and Congress. Recent reports indicate that the White House pressured the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make changes to its regulatory process regarding climate change and that Vice President Dick Cheney's office was responsible for suppressing key sections of the congressional testimony of a high-level official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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Lawmakers Probe on Occupational Risk Rulemaking

Jul 14, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Two lawmakers are attempting to shed light on a mysterious Department of Labor rule that may change the way the federal government looks at occupational health risks. As of now, all we know of the rule is its title: "Requirements for DOL Agencies' Assessment of Occupational Health Risks."

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