Political 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

New Limits on Toxins in Toys Take Effect

Effective Feb. 10, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will begin enforcing new standards for children's products containing lead and phthalates. The standards take effect just days after a federal court voided a Bush administration effort to legalize the sale of products not meeting the standards if the products had been manufactured before Feb. 10. CPSC is enforcing the regulations in response to a 2008 law that gives the agency new powers and responsibilities to protect the public from potentially dangerous consumer products.

read in full

Obama Begins Regulatory Reform

President Barack Obama took two steps toward reforming the way federal agencies develop public protections. On Jan. 30, the president issued a memorandum to the heads of executive departments and agencies asking for recommendations to help develop a new regulatory executive order. The same day, he issued an executive order overturning two Bush-era executive orders that changed the way regulations were developed.

read in full

States’ Request to Curb Car Emissions to Get Second Look

Feb 6, 2009 by Matthew Madia

begging The Environmental Protection Agency has officially announced its intention to reconsider California’s request to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. President Barack Obama had directed EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to reconsider the waiver request.

read in full

FEC Approves Explanation and Justification for Bundling Rules

Feb 5, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) voted unanimously to approve the Explanation and Justification (E&J), implementing the new disclosure rule for lobbyist bundled contributions. In doing so, the FEC finally put into effect section 204 of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007. The rules were approved by the FEC in Dec. 2008, but are only now in effect with the E&J.

read in full

Support for Contractor Lobbying Disclosure?

Feb 4, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

In June 2008 Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) and then Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) introduced legislation to expand the information available on USASpending.gov, the Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008. The bill was a follow up to the 2006 Transparency Act, which the two senators also worked together on. It would have required USASpending to include information on contractor and grantee performance.

read in full

Obama Revokes Controversial Bush E.O.

Feb 4, 2009 by Matthew Madia

In today's Federal Register, President Barack Obama officially revoked Executive Order 13,422 which was signed by President Bush in January 2007. As you may recall, OMB Watch opposed the changes Bush was trying to advance through E.O. 13,422.

read in full

OMB Watch Applauds Obama's Revocation of Bush-Era Executive Order on Regulatory Review

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 2009—OMB Watch applauds President Barack Obama’s decision to undo one of former President George W. Bush’s attempts to paralyze the regulatory process. In an executive order published in today's issue of the Federal Register, Obama revokes Executive Order 13422 and all implementing guidelines and documents.

read in full

Obama Asks for Recommendations on Regulatory Process, OIRA

Feb 3, 2009 by Matthew Madia

President Barack Obama is asking federal agencies to reform the process for writing new regulations. In a Jan. 30 memo, published in today's Federal Register, Obama instructs Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget Peter Orszag, in consultation with agency officials, to formulate a set of recommendations for transforming the government's rule-writing process. Obama wants the recommendations within 100 days.

read in full

Action on Midnight Rules Switches to Agencies

Jan 29, 2009 by Matthew Madia

One of the first tasks on the to-do list for new Obama administration agency heads will be dealing with the midnight regulations left by the Bush administration. The White House has likely said all its going to say on the issue (more here), but the majority of Bush's regulations are still unaddressed.

read in full

Lobbying and Ethics Reform Takes Center Stage at the White House

On Jan. 21, President Barack Obama signed an executive order on Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel. The order details new restrictions for political appointees that work in the Obama administration. It limits the role lobbyists can play in the executive branch and attempts to reduce the influence of powerful special interests by addressing the revolving door — when government officials move to and from private sector jobs.

read in full