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...

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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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One Nation, Under CO2

Dec 20, 2007 by Matthew Madia

EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson yesterday rejected California's request to set its own vehicle emissions standard for greenhouse gases. (Click here for background.) An article in today's Washington Post summarizes the decision well: Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson yesterday denied California's petition to limit greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks, overruling the unanimous recommendation of the agency's legal and technical staffs.

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House Panel Moves Regulatory Analysis Bill

Dec 18, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Last week, the House Small Business Committee unanimously approved H.R. 4458, the Small Business Regulatory Improvement Act of 2008 (SBRIA). Among other things, SBRIA would amend the Regulatory Flexibility Act to force agencies to perform yet more analysis of proposed regulations' impact, while continuing to allow industry lobbying groups to have access to agency proposals before they are released to the public.

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A Year for Failure: Regulatory Policy News in 2007

In 2007, new regulatory policies and the inability of federal agencies to protect the public made headlines more so than at any time in recent memory. Four themes dominated regulatory policy this year: an increase in White House influence over agency rulemaking activity and discretion, which added a perception of more political manipulation; the inability of the federal government to protect the public by ensuring the safety of imported goods; the voice of some industry groups calling for regulation; and the Bush administration's refusal to regulate in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence, as in the case of climate change. At best, government has attempted to respond to crises instead of getting ahead of the curve. This has left the public uncertain about whether we can count on our government to provide adequate safeguards.

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Agencies' Regulatory Plans Available Online

Dec 12, 2007 by Matthew Madia

On Monday, federal agencies released their semiannual Unified Agenda of regulatory and deregulatory actions. The fall version of the Unified Agenda also includes agencies' annual Regulatory Plan. The Unified Agenda lists all of the rules an agency is in the process of considering. It also lists regulatory actions completed since the last Unified Agenda and potential long-term actions.

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New Senate Rules on Privately Sponsored Travel

Dec 11, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The Senate Ethics Committee has released new guidelines on Senate travel rules in accordance with the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act. According to BNA Money and Politics ($$);

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Congressmen Press EPA on Transparency

Dec 10, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Friday, Reps. John Dingell and Bart Stupak wrote to EPA administrator Stephen Johnson asking about the agency's transparency policies. The congressmen point out that previous EPA administrators have issued memos outlining proper transparency measures for agency activity but that Johnson has not. Dingell and Stupak do not identify any specific points of opacity or examples of EPA cover-ups; but one issue piqued Reg•Watch's interest. In their final question to Johnson (to which they request responses by Dec. 17), the congressmen ask the following:

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The Flaws of Cost-Benefit Analysis: A Case Example

Dec 5, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Reg•Watch often complains about the flaws of cost-benefit analysis and the overemphasis policy makers place on it as a tool in decision making. However, when discussing cost-benefit analysis in the abstract, it is difficult to show the practical problems associated with its use.

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Polluted Logic: How EPA's ozone standard illustrates the flaws of cost-benefit analysis

This analysis tracks EPA's recent revision of the national standard for ozone and uses it as a case example of the problems of cost-benefit analysis in regulatory decision making.

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Sunset Commission Legislation in the 110th Congress

This analysis describes the problems with sunset commissions and compares three sunset commission proposals that have emerged in the 110th Congress.

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Study Proves No Need for Conflicted FDA Panel Members

Dec 4, 2007 by Matthew Madia

In March, FDA issued draft guidelines that would revise its criteria for determining whether scientific advisory committee members have financial conflicts of interest. FDA advisory committees are standing panels comprised of individuals considered experts in a particular field. They provide advice to FDA on matters such as drug and medical device safety.

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