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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For Bush-Era Regulations, the Clock Is Ticking

In a memorandum to regulatory agencies, White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten has set a Nov. 1 deadline for any new regulations agencies wish to finalize by the end of the Bush administration. The memo will shape the work of White House officials and federal agency heads as they consider which regulations to push through in the coming months, with an eye toward securing an administrative legacy for President Bush.

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White House Involved in EPA's California Waiver Decision

A report released May 19 by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform concluded the White House improperly intervened in a decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deny California's request for a waiver under the Clean Air Act. The waiver would have allowed the state to set standards for greenhouse gas emissions from new vehicles. In denying the waiver, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson went against the recommendation of EPA staff, who concluded there was no legal or scientific basis to deny the waiver.

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Krill Protection Rule Clears White House

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is proposing to prohibit fishing for krill, an important species in the marine ecosystem, in U.S. waters. The proposed rule comes after NOAA responded to objections from the White House.

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Krill Rule Clears White House, Opens for Comment

May 23, 2008 by Matthew Madia

On Tuesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) proposed a rule to ban the harvest of krill in U.S. waters off the west coast. Krill are small shrimp-like crustaceans abundant in the Pacific Ocean. They are a vital link in the marine food chain and serve as a food source for a variety of marine animals including whales, salmon and some sea birds.

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Update on EPA Changes to the IRIS Assessment Process

May 21, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently made changes to its program for studying the toxic effects of industrial chemicals — the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). Under the revised process, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is given unprecedented control over the content and conduct of these studies. Today, OMB Watch released a factsheet "OMB Interferes in IRIS Assessments of Toxic Chemicals," which details the problems with the revised process. The factsheet answers the following questions:

What is IRIS?

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White House Thwarted State Efforts on CO2 Emissions

May 20, 2008 by Matthew Madia

An investigation by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee shows that the White House pressured the Environmental Protection Agency to refuse a request by the state of California to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

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Bush Sets Policy on Midnight Regulations

May 13, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Friday, White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten sent a memo to the heads of federal agencies outlining the administration's policy on rules those agencies want to finalize by the end of the Bush administration. The memo states, "Except in extraordinary circumstances, regulations to be finalized in this Administration should be proposed no later than June 1, 2008, and final regulations should be issued no later than November 1, 2008." So, agencies will have just three weeks to announce proposed rules they want to finalize by year's end.

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OMB Interference under Scrutiny in Congress

The White House Office of Management and Budget's review of federal agencies' draft regulations and scientific information was highlighted in two congressional hearings the week of May 5. The review process gives Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials an opportunity to delay or undermine public health and safety standards. One hearing examined the constitutional implications of OMB review, the other the scientific implications.

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White House Blocking Whale Protection Rule

Multiple White House offices are working in concert to block a new policy that would expand federal protections for the North Atlantic right whale. The offices, including the office of Vice President Cheney, are questioning the findings of scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the agency attempting to finalize the rule.

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Scientific Interference and the Unitary Executive

May 7, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on administrative law held a hearing to investigate how the Bush administration has used rulemaking practices to advance the Unitary Executive Theory . President Bush and his minions use the Unitary Executive Theory to claim the president has complete control over the conduct of the executive branch, and that he is accountable to no one in exerting said control. Bush's penchant for issuing signing statements and his refusal to accept congressional input in his conduct of the war in Iraq are two examples of this theory.

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