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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Critics Diagnose Systemic Maladies of FDA

A Senate Finance Committee hearing on Vioxx and a series of studies by a leading medical journal reveal systematic breakdowns in FDA's evaluation of drug safety, prompting advocates to call for an independent agency to review drug safety. Drug Researcher Testifies: The System is 'Broken'

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Graham Defiant in Hearing, Dems Probe Mercury Rule

The last regulatory policy hearing of a House Government Reform subcommittee was split into two disconnected halves, as committee Republicans considered the White House's policy of inviting industry to suggest rollbacks of regulatory protections while Democrats assailed the Environmental Protection Agency's pending rulemaking for mercury pollution.

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NAS Biases Panel With Industry Interests

The National Academies biased a panel to study the risks from disposing coal wastes in abandoned mines by appointing six members with ties to the mining, coal, and electric utility industries, of whom two have subsequently stepped down after criticism from public interest groups.

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Of snow jobs and smog

Nov 23, 2004 by Guest Blogger

Yet another giveaway of the public interest for corporate special interests. EPA has removed several chemicals from its list of smog-forming volatile organic compounds subject to Clean Air Act regulation. The NRDC has examined the delisting of one of those -- tertiary butyl acetate, or TBAC -- and found that the EPA has distorted basic chemistry and compiled a dubious economics analysis to justify deregulating this chemical that causes ground-level ozone, which is harmful to the lungs. Find out more here.

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9/11 bill dead?

Nov 20, 2004 by Guest Blogger

The New York Times is reporting now that last-ditch efforts by a House/Senate conference committee to negotiate a final package on the bill to overhaul intelligence operations and implement reforms suggested by the 9/11 Commission have failed. Reports vary over what was the sticking point.

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Secret deals for drilling in Nat'l Park Serv. areas

Nov 17, 2004 by Guest Blogger

Amazing bit of investigative work from the Sierra Club:

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NPS Fails to Address Species Impacts of Snowmobile Trails

In the aftermath of two court rulings rejecting rulemakings on winter use plans for Yellowstone, the National Park Service is once again being challenged in court for failing to consider the effects on bison populations of winter use plans that accommodate snowmobile use.

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Industry influence with distorted safety message?

Nov 14, 2004 by Guest Blogger

Public interest groups often use the phrase "astro-turf" to refer to fake, industry-funded pseudo-grassroots groups that dress themselves up as legitimate public interest groups but parrot industry messages. The New York Times is reporting today on a nonprofit group called "Operation Lifesaver" which has many ties to the rail industry and has a railroad safety message that -- surprise!

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NAS moves in right direction

Nov 12, 2004 by Guest Blogger

The NAS, which has an unfortunate track record of stacking advisory panels with scientists whose pockets are fat with industry funding, has moved in the right direction by offing two industry-tainted panelists from its committee to study coal combustion wastes. Two down... but there are still four more to go!

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Bush judge picks are tied to energy/mining corporations

Nov 7, 2004 by Guest Blogger

The Center for Investigative Reporting has compiled a comprehensive database of disclosure forms and background information of Bush's nominees to federal appeals courts. The results reveal significant ties to big corporations, in particular the mining and energy industries:

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