Center for Effective Government | Because government matters

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ALERT: EPA Proposes Rollback on Toxic Pollution Reporting

EPA recently announced plans that would essentially dismantle its Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), the nation's premier tool for notifying the public about toxic pollution. The TRI annually provides communities with details about the amount of toxic chemicals released into the surrounding air, land, and water. The information enables concerned groups and individuals to press companies to reduce their pollution, resulting in safer, healthier communities. Despite the program's widely hailed success, however, EPA is proposing to significantly rolling back the program's reporting requirements.

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Nonprofit Anti-Advocacy Language Proposed for Housing Bill

Supporters of H.R.1461, the Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2005, are optimistic it will go to the House floor soon, without nonprofit anti-advocacy language proposed by a group of conservative Republicans. The language would have disqualified any nonprofit that lobbies or carries on other advocacy activities from applying for grants under a proposed new affordable housing program.

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Early Reports of FEMA Reimbursement Policy Misleading

Early reports about the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursements to faith-based groups for their hurricane relief services were misleading and lacked essential details. At a press conference last week, FEMA announced that it will reimburse churches and faith-based groups; however, this is simply an extension of its Public Assistance Program that currently provides funding to private nonprofit groups that have provided food, shelter and supplies to victims of Hurricane Katrina at the agency's request. A Sept. 27 Washington Post story gave the impression that only faith-based groups would receive such reimbursements, prompting some protest.

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Katrina Update: Government's Inadequate Response Continues

Even weeks after Hurricane Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) response to the storm's aftermath continues to be grossly inadequate. The insufficiency of its testing for environmental hazards, the absence of informative health warnings for recovery workers and returning residents, and its failure to provide protective equipment all clearly point to the agency's inability to accomplish its goal of protecting public health and the environment.

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Scrambling to Offset Katrina Costs, Republicans Continue Dangerous Fiscal Policy

After five years of ill-conceived and reckless tax and budget policies that have led the federal government to be deeply in debt, weak, and vulnerable, Republican congressional leaders and the White House are now talking about fiscal responsibility in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. While nearly all the current proposals emerging from Congress and the administration are cloaked in the rhetoric of balancing the budget, this serves simply to hide their one-sided emphasis on shrinking the role of government through cutting spending rather than increasing revenue.

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Yet Another Reason to Distrust Reorg Power

Oct 4, 2005 by Guest Blogger

For another case example proving the point that government reorganization is not merely a technocratic exercise but is, instead, fraught with potential consequences for all of us, check out today's Progress Report:

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Gag Orders Extended; Library Consortium Must Remain Silent

The U.S. Court of Appeals extended a gag order on a library consortium that received a National Security Letter (NSL) while it considers a lower court ruling that the organization has a First Amendment right to fully participate in the discussion surrounding the USA PATRIOT Act. The gag order is preventing the NSL recipient, an unidentified member of the American Library Association, from discussing its experience openly and participating in the broader debate about the controversial legislation.

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House Effort to Create Sunset, Results Commissions Meets Resistance

A House hearing on White House proposals to overhaul the federal government was marked by criticism of their "good government" justifications and impassioned arguments about separation of powers. The Sunset and Results Commissions The House Government Reform Subcommittee on Federal Workforce and Agency Organization held a hearing Sept. 27 on two bills that advance a White House proposal for fast-track reorganization authority and mandatory program sunsets.

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OIRA Meetings on HexChrome, Dry-Cleaning Rules

Oct 4, 2005 by Guest Blogger

OIRA met with chemical industry representatives on Sept. 26 to discuss "the economic effects on co-residential dry cleaning facilities of proposed EPA regulations under consideration." The rulemaking in question is presumably the forthcoming proposed NESHAP rule for perchloroethylene dry cleaning facilities residual risk standards. OIRA also met on Oct. 3 to discuss OSHA's rulemaking on occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium with SBA's Office of Advocacy, representatives of the metal finishing, aerospace and steel industries as well as Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

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EPA May Be Next for Power to Waive Law

The push to establish an Imperial Presidency kicked into overdrive when Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) introduced a bill that would give the Environmental Protection Agency the power to waive or weaken the law for matters related to Hurricane Katrina.

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Oct 4, 2005 by Guest Blogger

Oct 4, 2005 by Guest Blogger

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