Citizen Health & Safety

Coal Ash Spill in Lake Michigan Heats Up the Debate over Public Protections

Nov 2, 2011 by Katie Greenhaw

On Oct. 31, a landslide at the Wisconsin-based We Energies Oak Creek Power Plant sent piles of coal ash, along with dredging equipment and debris, into Lake Michigan. Thankfully, there were no injuries, but the incident is reminiscent of the disastrous 2008 coal ash spill in Kingston, TN – where a failed impoundment released 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash that buried a community and severely contaminated a nearby river – and raises concerns about how to regulate the storage and disposal of coal ash.

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Updated: Possible Senate Shenanigans on the REINS Act

Nov 2, 2011 by Rick Melberth*

There are rumblings that as soon as today, the Senate GOP may begin to offer up the Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act (S. 299) as an amendment to, or a substitute for, bills moving to the Senate floor for a vote. Such a move would limit the public's ability to have a say on this damaging legislation.

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OIRA Issues Implementation Memo on Retrospective Review Process

Oct 28, 2011 by Katie Greenhaw

A memorandum issued Oct. 26 by the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), Cass Sunstein, instructs federal agencies to submit reports on the implementation of their retrospective review plans for periodically evaluating existing rules. The plans were required by President Obama's Jan. 18 Executive Order 13563, "Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review" (E.O. 13563), and thus far in the process, agencies have largely managed to keep their focus on their main mandate: protecting the public.

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Mine Workers Accuse Massey Energy of "Industrial Homicide"

Oct 27, 2011 by Rick Melberth*

The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) released a report Oct. 25 accusing Massey Energy, the owner of the Upper Big Branch (UBB) mine in West Virginia, of "industrial homicide" for its role in the April 5, 2010, explosion that killed 29 coal miners.

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Agency Heads Fight Back, Defend Their Missions

Rhetorical and legislative attacks on the agencies that protect the public from health, safety, and environmental hazards occur almost daily, coming from corporate interests and their political allies on Capitol Hill. Now, some agency heads appear to be publicly fighting back by openly defending the work their agencies do to protect the American people.

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Farm Dust Frenzy: A Misleading and Distracting Regulatory Myth

For the past several months, members of Congress and agriculture associations have decried a supposedly imminent regulatory threat by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – new standards for a type of air pollution referred to as "farm dust." Despite assurances from EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson that the agency will not issue new Clean Air Act regulations for coarse particulate matter (PM10), which would include farm dust, the mere notion of new air pollution standards has sent legislators and some agriculture groups into a frenzy to block future agency actions.

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FDA Investigation Reveals Likely Causes of Listeria Outbreak

Oct 21, 2011 by Katie Greenhaw

In the Oct. 12 edition of The Watcher, we highlighted the multi-state listeriosis outbreak as an example of the high stakes of food safety regulation. Linked to cantaloupes from Colorado-based Jensen Farms, the deadliest foodborne disease outbreak in a decade has now killed 25 people. This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a report from an investigation conducted in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that reveals some of the factors potentially contributing to the listeria contamination.

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House Coal Ash Bill Is a Threat to Public Health

Oct 14, 2011 by Katie Greenhaw

The House passed by a vote of 267-144 the Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act (H.R. 2273), which would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to defer to states with respect to the regulation of coal combustion residuals, or coal ash, and limit federal oversight. The problem with leaving the regulation of coal ash to the states is that most do not have standards in place to protect against the dangers of uncontrolled coal ash, according to an August report from Earthjustice and the Appalachian Mountain Advocates.

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Ongoing Listeria Outbreak Illustrates the High Stakes of Food Safety Regulation

The multistate outbreak of listeriosis, linked to cantaloupes from Colorado-based Jensen Farms, is the deadliest foodborne disease outbreak in a decade. Infections caused by listeria have taken 23 lives, caused at least one miscarriage, and sickened over 100 people in 24 different states. The grim effects of recent foodborne illness outbreaks illustrate the need for continuous improvements to our food safety programs. Public health depends on agencies having the authority and resources to issue necessary safeguards, conduct adequate inspections, and enforce food safety rules.

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Despite Delays and Threats, EPA Finally Classifies TCE as a Cancer-Causing Chemical

After more than 20 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finally determined that trichloroethylene (TCE), a chlorinated solvent used primarily for removing grease from metal, causes cancer. The assessment was finalized by the EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), an important but troubled program that is tasked with providing the public with critical information about dangerous chemical exposures.

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