USA Today is reporting on criticisms of Bush administration policy at the Nobel Prize events: Two American Nobel Prize winners said Thursday they are worried about President Bush's attitude toward science and accused his administration of ignoring important research findings.

OIRA's annual report on the costs and benefits of regulations is apparently coming out today, according to an OMB press release. (The OIRA web page hasn't yet been updated to include the report, but that will presumably happen soon.) OMB Watch filed comments on the report when it was released in draft form in March. It will be interesting in particular to find out if OIRA finally addressed the recurring errors that made their way into this year's draft. Stay tuned....

In another sad day for ocean life, EPA announced Dec. 2 a new proposed rule that will allow oil facilities handling up to 10,000 gallons of oil to write their own oil spill prevention plans, without seeking certification by a professional engineer. The proposed rule also indefinitely postpones compliance dates for farms holding up to 10,000 gallons of oil to write their own prevention plans. The proposal "streamlines" the approval process under the auspices of relieving regulatory burden for small businesses.