OIRA meets on animal feed rule

OIRA met with animal feed associations and cattle associations from both the U.S. and Canada to discuss substances prohibited in animal feed. Loopholes in the mad cow disease regulations allow cow parts to be fed back to cows in animal feed products, thereby potentially spreading the disease among cows. This meeting is one of several recently held by OIRA on mad cow-related topics. The agency also recently met with industry over substances prohibited in human food products as well as on the prohibition of specified-risk materials.

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Paralysis by Analysis: Snowmobiles in Yellowstone

A New York Times op-ed examines the Bush administration's decision to authorize a fourth study of the environmental impact of snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park, despite the wealth of scientific information already available:

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OIRA meeting with Rendering, Feed Industry

OIRA met on Aug. 23 to discuss substances prohibited in human food with rendering industry representatives including the National Renderers Association, Valley Proteins, Kaluzny Bros. and Griffin Industries, Inc. Rendering is "the process of transforming waste from the meat industry into useable products for animal feeds and technical use," according to the NRA website. OIRA met over the same rule on Aug. 24 with the American Feed Industry Association.

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OIRA Meeting on EPA Rules

  • On Aug 2, OIRA, EPA and SBA met with the Natural Resources Defense Council over EPS's Pretreatment Streamlining Rule.
  • OIRA and EPA met with the Halogenated Solvents Industry Alliance (HSIA) on July 27 to discuss dry cleaners residual risk.

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OIRA Meeting on Mad Cow Disease

OIRA met with the North American National Casing Association on July 12 over the prohibition of specified-risk material for human food and the requirements for disposition of non-ambulatory cattle. Specified-risk material is the part of the cow most likely to transmit the mad cow disease prion. Currently regulation prohibits the use of specified-risk material in meat products. However, several loopholes to the regulation exist. Non-ambulatory cattle are essentially cattle that appear to be ill (i.e. they can't walk).

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Nine States Commit to Reducing Global Warming

Facing a standstill in the Bush administration, nine states have decided to take matters into their own hands and cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, according to the New York Times. Read more about state efforts to raise the bar on public protections in the latest Watcher: States Present Opportunities and Pitfalls for Progressive Regulation.

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Failure on Fuel Economy

The Bush administration unveiled a plan to modestly increase fuel economy for some but not all vehicles. Get some public interest perspectives on the weakness of the proposal and the missed opportunity to do something to protect the environment and save us all money at the pump:
  • Public Citizen
  • PIRG
  • Union of Concerned Scientists
  • Sierra Club

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OIRA meets over Black Carp Rule

Representatives from OIRA and Fish and Wildlife Services met with interested parties on July 7 to discuss a proposed rulemaking to add black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) to the list of injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act.

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OIRA Meetings with Industry, Senate

  • On Tuesday August 9, Microsoft lobbyists met with OIRA, Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security administrators to discuss labor certification for permanent employment of aliens in the U.S.
  • Also on August 9, pesticide manufacturers Bayer CropScience and Crop Life America met with EPA and OIRA to discuss protections for test subjects in human research.

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States Present Opportunities and Pitfalls for Progressive Regulation

Although many progressives have begun to focus resources on winning battles in the states, the regulatory record at the state level is characterized by both opportunities and potential pitfalls. Successes at the State Level Under the Bush administration, many important federal regulations have been stalled, weakened or even rolled back. In such cases, states have often been forced to take matters into their own hands, developing their own regulations that are more stringent than the national standards.

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