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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Congress Begins Prodding OMB to Release Whale Protection Rule

Apr 24, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Today, the Senate Commerce Committee approved a bill that would force the White House Office of Management and Budget to stop sitting on a regulation to protect the North Atlantic right whale. The rule has been held up at OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) since Feb. 2007. The North Atlantic right whale is one of the most critically endangered marine species in the world. Although the species has benefited from federal protections for years, it is still having difficulty recovering. Collisions between whales and shipping vessels are a particularly serious problem.

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White House Claims on Safety of Smog Set Aside

Apr 23, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, the National Academy of Sciences' National Research Council (NRC) released a report citing "strong evidence" that exposure to ozone, or smog, contributes to premature mortality. According to BNA news service (subscription), "John Bailar, who led the National Research Council team, told BNA the agency is 'quite sure there is an effect, but not knowing how big it is, that's the challenge for the EPA. They have to find out the size of the problem.' "

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Objection to Member Disclosure Law Continues

Apr 22, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

Yesterday, April 21, was the first filing deadline for lobbying reports under provisions of the new Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (HLOGA). And unfortunately for the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), a federal district judge turned down their request for a delay of the April 11 decision upholding the member disclosure provision. In addition, NAM's "emergency appeal" with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit was denied. NAM's last hope was the Supreme Court.

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Polar Bear Decision Continues to Be Pushed Back

Apr 22, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is once again changing its tune on when it will announce plans to protect the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act. The agency has said it needs 10 more weeks to make the decision, according to the Associated Press. The legal deadline for making the decision was Jan. 9. At that time, FWS, which is an agency within the Department of the Interior, said it would make its decision in early February. The latest announcement of delay indicates the decision may be pushed into early July at the earliest.

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House Panel Subpoenas OMB for Ozone Documents

Apr 17, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Henry Waxman (D-CA), Chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, subpoenaed the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requesting all documents related to its role in EPA's recent revision to the national air quality standard for ozone, or smog. In that rule, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson tightened the standard but did not go as far as its staff and scientific advisors had recommended.

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White House Sitting on Mad Cow Rule

Apr 16, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The Bush administration continues to delay a rule that could protect the public from being exposed to mad cow disease. The Food and Drug Administration rule would prohibit farms from using certain animal by-products as feed for cattle. (FDA rules already prohibit some similar kinds of feed. The current FDA proposal would strengthen existing regulations.)

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Federal Researchers Acknowledge Risks of Plastics Chemical

Apr 15, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The National Institutes of Health's National Toxicology Program (NTP) released a report today that acknowledges adverse health effects associated with exposure to Bisphenol-A, according to The Washington Post. Bisphenol-A is a chemical substance common in plastics and in the lining of food cans. According to the Post, the report, released in draft form, "Says exposure to the chemical may be linked to breast cancer, prostate cancer, early puberty in girls and such behavioral changes as hyperactivity."

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Member Disclosure Law Upheld, NAM To Appeal

Apr 15, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The National Association of Manufacturers' (NAM) challenge to a new member disclosure law was dismissed on April 11. NAM was challenging a provision in the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (HLOGA) that requires coalitions and associations to reveal organization that contribute at least $5,000 per quarter and actively participates in the lobbying campaigns. The lawsuit attempted to block implementation of the new law, charging that the provision was too vague, and would interfere with their First Amendment right of free association.

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Whereabouts of Recalled Meat a Mystery for Consumers

Apr 15, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The USDA is preparing to finalize a rule that would help consumers identify grocery stores that recalled meat has been sold to. Typically, under current regulations, neither USDA nor slaughterhouses and processors disclose the names of retailers who have received potentially contaminated meat. USDA does disclose the brand and type of meat but, by failing to name retailers, leaves consumers in the dark as to whether their community might be at risk.

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White House Gains Influence in Toxic Chemical Assessments

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced changes to its process for assessing the human health effects of common chemical substances. The revised process will allow the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to play a larger role in the evaluation of the substances.

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