CPSC Approves Lower Lead Limit for Children's Products, but Divided Commission Faces Hurdles

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently adopted a new standard that reduces the amount of lead allowed in children's products, providing a clear health benefit to American families. In voting July 13 to implement the lowest limit prescribed by statute, the 3-2 majority drew hostile objections from minority members. Such clashes are familiar to CPSC and could have implications for product safety in the future.

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ExxonMobil's Pipeline Spill is a Revelation

On July 1, an estimated 42,000 gallons of crude oil poured out of ExxonMobil's Silvertip pipeline and into the Yellowstone River in Montana. Significant accumulations of oil have been found more than 40 miles downriver, and traces of oil have floated twice as far. While the cause of the spill has not been determined, speculation has centered on high river waters that could have exposed the pipe to damage.

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EPA Proposes New Expansions to the Toxics Release Inventory Program

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced its plans to expand the industry sectors required to report to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program and to require electronic reporting for all TRI data. These steps are part of EPA's ongoing efforts to improve and reinvigorate the TRI program.

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OMB Publishes List of Upcoming Regulations

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published its spring Unified Agenda on July 7. The agenda is a compilation of regulations that agencies expect to advance between now and April 2012, as well as rules the agencies have completed in the past six months.

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Proposed Congressional Changes to the Regulatory Process Unnecessary

On June 23, several senators outlined proposals for revamping the regulatory system, a system they blame for the nation's economic problems despite evidence to the contrary. Cass Sunstein, administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), told the senators that the proposals were largely unnecessary and could have harmful unintended consequences.

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce Advances the Attack on Regulations

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce (the Chamber) continues to attack public protections and will advance the anti-regulatory community’s agenda with a series of planned public events across the country later in 2011.

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EPA Continues to Improve Chemical Transparency under TSCA

On June 8, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled the identities of more than 150 chemicals that had previously been claimed as confidential by industry. The EPA's action was the latest step in the agency's initiative, announced in 2010, to disclose more chemical information to the public.

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