Citizen Health & Safety

Minnesota Pesticide Rule Weakened after Industry Meetings

Jan 29, 2008 by Matthew Madia

A recent article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune reminds us industry meddling in the regulatory process is not solely a federal problem, it is occurring at the state level as well: After three years of research, [Minnesota] was ready to impose the nation's first water-quality limit for acetochlor, a potent farm chemical that was washing into rivers and lakes.

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EPA Staff Advised Johnson Against Denying California

Jan 24, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, Reg•Watch blogged about EPA's refusal to release background documents on its decision to deny California's attempt to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. EPA rattled off several lame excuses for withholding the information from the public. Details of those documents are beginning to surface. As expected, they show that EPA staff advised Administrator Stephen Johnson to grant California's request and instructed him that, if EPA blocked California from enacting its own regulations, the agency would likely lose in litigation.

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Industry Pushing for Drug Marketing Loophole

Jan 23, 2008 by Matthew Madia

In November, Reg•Watch blogged about an FDA proposal that would allow drug companies to market drugs for unapproved uses by passing out journal articles and other studies. In a letter to FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach, Rep. Henry Waxman — whose committee had discovered the proposal — complained that, by creating the loophole, drug companies could promote their drugs using studies they fund themselves, free from FDA oversight.

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Workers Threatened by Decline in OSHA Budget, Enforcement Activity

The consolidated appropriations bill passed by Congress and signed by President Bush in December 2007 cuts the budget of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for Fiscal Year 2008. OSHA, like many other federal agencies, already faces budget constraints that make it more difficult for the agency to achieve its mission. Over the past three decades, OSHA's budget, staffing levels, and inspection activity have dropped while the American workforce has grown and new hazards have emerged.

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2008 Regulatory Policy Agenda: Congress Debates, States Act

In the current political climate, it is unlikely that Congress will succeed in passing legislation that protects the public from the range of regulatory failures we experienced in 2007. The barriers to substantially improving public health, worker safety, and environmental quality seem too high in this election year, especially given President Bush's willingness to use his veto power. What Congress can accomplish in 2008 is establishing legislative and oversight priorities over numerous health, safety, and environmental issues. In many instances, however, we will see states move ahead with a variety of actions designed to improve public protections. The executive branch will also play an increasingly important role as the Bush administration comes to a close.

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Miner Safety Bill Clears House, Bush Veto Looms

The House passed the Supplemental Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act (S-MINER) on Jan. 16. The bill aims to improve mine safety and the responsiveness of the federal government's chief mine regulator, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), in response to the Crandall Canyon mine collapse and other recent disasters. White House officials have indicated President Bush will veto the bill.

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Americans Is Too Dumb to Understand Enviromint

Jan 23, 2008 by Matthew Madia

On Jan. 10, overcome by optimism and naiveté, Reg•Watch declared that Americans may get answers about who was responsible for EPA's decision to deny California's efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.

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The Price of Regulatory Delay

Jan 18, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The nonprofit group Environmental Defense has released a new analysis showing that a one-year delay in the implementation of a diesel emissions reduction rule could result in 1,400 premature deaths, 3,000 heart attacks, and 24,000 asthma attacks. The regulatory process is often slowed to a halt under the weight of analytical burdens and political pressure from top agency officials or the White House. Environmental Defense's analysis proves regulatory delay is not just a government management issue — it's a public health issue.

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The Bush Administration's Attacks on State Law

Jan 17, 2008 by Matthew Madia

In a new article written for the American Constitution Society, Georgetown law professor David Vladeck examines a toubling yet underreported tactic the Bush administration has been using to undermine public health and safety protections: federal preemption of state tort claims.

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Scientists Gather to Speak Out on Political Manipulation

Jan 16, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Two dozen scientists came from around the country to Washington this week to protest political meddling in decisions on endangered species protections, according to The Washington Post: The scientists say political appointees at [the Department of] Interior, or those who report to them, have been altering their reports recommending "critical habitat" preservation to favor industries whose interests conflict with the findings.

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