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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Senate Passes Ethics and Lobbying Reform Bill

On Jan. 18, the Senate passed its first major piece of legislation, S. 1, the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007. The sweeping measure covers congressional travel, gifts, and lobbying activity and increases disclosure. However, senators rejected proposals to create an independent ethics panel and to require big dollar grassroots lobbying campaigns to disclose their spending. Grassroots lobbying disclosure and other proposals now move to the House, which has passed its own ethics rules, but has yet to act on amending the Lobbying Disclosure Act. Travel and Gifts

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Grassroots Lobbying Provision Stripped from S.1

Jan 19, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The Democrats were under great pressure to complete their ethics and lobbying reform bill. The comprehensive bill approved last night unfortunately did not include Sec.220 for grassroots lobbying disclosure, after Senator Bennett's amendment was passed calling for the removal of the measure. As the Washington Post reports; "One provision that was stricken from the bill last night would have forced interest groups to disclose funds spent on grass-roots campaigns that implore the public to contact their representatives about legislation." The amendment was passed by a vote of 43-55.

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Senate Passes Ethics and Lobbying Reform Package

Jan 19, 2007 by Dana Chasin

Late last night, the Senate passed S. 1 by a 96-2 vote, after a deal was struck between Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) to allow Gregg's non-germane presidential line-item or 'enhanced recission' authority amendment to be brought up next week during the Senate debate on the minimum wage. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, who appeared willing to hold S. 1 hostage so long as any accommodation of Gregg's amendment was made, dropped his objections and permitted a vote on S. 1.

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Bush Administration Undermines Public Protections with Executive Order Amendments

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2007—On Jan. 18, President Bush issued amendments to Executive Order (E.O.) 12866, which further centralize regulatory power in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and shift it away from the federal agencies given this power by legislative enactments.

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President Bush's Changes to Rulemaking Process Undermine Public Protections

Jan 18, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Read OMB Watch's preliminary analysis here.

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Undermining Public Protections: Preliminary Analysis of the Amendments to Executive Order 12866

On January 18, President Bush issued amendments to Executive Order (E.O.) 12866, which further centralize regulatory power in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and shift it away from the federal agencies given this power by legislative enactments.

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Action Alert: Urge Your Senator to Vote NO on the Bennett Amendment

Jan 18, 2007 by Kay Guinane

A proposal to make big money grassroots lobbying campaigns on federal legislation more transparent is under fire from opponents that have exaggerated the impact it will have on nonprofits. Sen. Bennett has proposed an amendment to strip the provision (Sec. 220) from S. 1, the Senate ethics and lobby reform bill. THE VOTE ON THE BENNETT AMENDMENT IS LIKELY TO TAKE PLACE IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. To support transparency and expose "Astroturf" campaigns please contact your Senators and ask them to VOTE NO on the Bennett Amendment. To take action click here

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McCain to Vote in Favor of Removing Grassroots Lobbying Disclosure

Jan 18, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The Hill reports that Senator McCain plans on supporting Senator Bennett's amendment that would remove the grassroots lobbying provision from S.1, despite previous support of such a measure. "McCain sponsored legislation last Congress that included an even broader requirement for grassroots lobbying coalitions to reveal their financial donors. But now he will vote to defeat a similar measure." This amendment could still be voted on. Opponents argue that the provision will directly affect the level of activism by citizen groups.

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S. 1 Hits Snag Over Line-Item Veto

Jan 18, 2007 by Dana Chasin

S. 1 (text), the Senate ethics and lobbying bill (now in its second week on the floor), lies in a state of legislative limbo following the failure of a cloture vote, 51-46, late last night. Because S. 1 contains Senate rules changes, a two-thirds vote is required for cloture, rather than the usual 60 votes.

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Work on S.1 Continues

Jan 17, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

As work on S.1 continues on, Senators Lott and Bennett have offered changes to a Reid amendment that would allow nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations to pay for congressional travel if the trips are pre-approved by the Senate Ethics Committee. And as reported in BNA($$); "Another key cloture vote, expected to come Jan. 17, will be on a larger amendment offered by Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), as a substitute for the underlying reform bill.

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more resources

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

Senate Passes Ethics and Lobbying Reform Bill

Grassroots Lobbying Provision Stripped from S.1

Jan 19, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

Senate Passes Ethics and Lobbying Reform Package

Jan 19, 2007 by Dana Chasin

Bush Administration Undermines Public Protections with Executive Order Amendments

President Bush's Changes to Rulemaking Process Undermine Public Protections

Jan 18, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Undermining Public Protections: Preliminary Analysis of the Amendments to Executive Order 12866

Action Alert: Urge Your Senator to Vote NO on the Bennett Amendment

Jan 18, 2007 by Kay Guinane

McCain to Vote in Favor of Removing Grassroots Lobbying Disclosure

Jan 18, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

S. 1 Hits Snag Over Line-Item Veto

Jan 18, 2007 by Dana Chasin

Work on S.1 Continues

Jan 17, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

Pages

Living in the Shadow of Danger: Poverty, Race, and Unequal Chemical Facility Hazards

A Tale of Two Retirements: One for CEOs and One for the Rest of Us

Blowing Smoke: Chemical Companies Say “Trust Us,” But Environmental and Workplace Safety Violations Belie Their Rhetoric

Gasping for Support: Implementation of Tougher Air Quality Standards Will Require New Funds for State Agencies

Citizen Health & Safety Topics

Recent Reports

Living in the Shadow of Danger: State Scorecards

Living in the Shadow of Danger: Poverty, Race, and Unequal Chemical Facility Hazards

A Tale of Two Retirements: One for CEOs and One for the Rest of Us