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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Lobbying for Recovery Act Funding Restricted

On April 7, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued interim guidance on how to comply with President Barack Obama’s March 20 memorandum that restricts contact between registered lobbyists and executive branch officials regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

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EPA Moving on Climate Change

In the first major move by the federal government to address climate change, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has declared heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions a threat to public health and welfare, setting the stage for potentially major regulations.

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Comments on New Regulatory Order Pour into OMB

Approximately 170 groups and individuals submitted comments for the Obama administration to consider as it begins reshaping or retaining the current regulatory structure. Although they varied significantly in many details, the comments reflect a familiar split between business interests and public interests that has characterized the regulatory debate for years.

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Sunstein Officially Nominated

Apr 20, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The internets are buzzing with the news that President Obama has officially nominated Harvard Law Professor Cass Sunstein to head the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs – the administration’s gatekeeper for all things regulatory.

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Guns-in-Parks Rule on Hold Indefinitely

Apr 20, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Obama administration will accept a federal judge’s ruling that blocked implementation of a rule allowing loaded firearms to be carried in national parks. While the National Park Service (NPS) goes back to the drawing board, the 26-year-old ban on guns in parks will go back into effect.

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Some Agencies Disclose Communications with Lobbyists

Apr 17, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

The Office of Management and Budget's guidance on implementing the president's March 20th memo regarding communications with lobbyists is being criticized as still too restrictive. According to The Hill, "the guidance has not lessened the worries of the coalition of groups that have campaigned against the restrictions."

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Lobbying and Ethics Executive Order Should be Amended

Apr 15, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

OMB Watch has signed on to a letter requesting that the administration amend the Jan. 21 executive order putting in place restrictions on lobbyists who work for the federal government. Expressing frustration with the new rules, the letter urges the White House to focus on the influence of money and isolate public interest lobbying.

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OMB Approves EPA Finding on Greenhouse Gases

Apr 14, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The White House Office of Management and Budget has approved the Environmental Protection Agency’s determination that greenhouse gas emissions threaten the public. (Thanks to Frank O’Donnell at Clean Air Watch for finding this earlier today; he surmises EPA could officially announce the so-called endangerment finding this week or on Earth Day, April 22.)

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OMB Attempts to Explain Lobbyist Communication Rules

Apr 13, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

On April 7 the Office of Management and Budget issued Interim guidance to help employees comply with the March 20 memorandum that put in place restrictions on communications between registered lobbyists and executive branch officials regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, also known as the economic stimulus package.

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Will Sunstein Substitute Information for Regulation?

Apr 10, 2009 by Matthew Madia

Grist, the environmental news website, has posted an interview with Cass Sunstein, President Obama’s supposed pick to lead the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).

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