Citizen Health & Safety

How Do Regulatory Agencies Fare in Obama’s Budget?

May 8, 2009 by Matthew Madia

President Obama’s FY 2010 budget proposal, released yesterday, makes major investments in a few agencies critical to protecting the public but shortchanges others. Let’s dive in.

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Questions for OIRA’s Cass Sunstein

May 6, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee has scheduled a hearing on the nomination of Cass Sunstein to be the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12 at 10:00am, and it looks like it will be webcast.

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Under Obama, Sun Setting on Bush Midnight Rules

The Obama administration continues to reverse policies left by the Bush administration, including many controversial regulations finalized near the end of President Bush's term. Administration officials are employing different strategies with the goal of overturning or significantly altering some of the Bush administration's so-called midnight regulations.

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EPA Back in the "Fishbowl"

In a recent memorandum to employees, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) outlined broad principles of transparency that will govern the agency's interactions with the public. By promising to operate EPA as if it were "in a fishbowl," Administrator Lisa Jackson reinstated a principle many considered ignored by the previous administration. Jackson also announced measures to promote transparency in EPA's economic stimulus activities.

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Obama to Continue Underfunding Consumer Safety Agency

May 5, 2009 by Matthew Madia

President Obama’s budget would continue to short change the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the chief regulator of common products like toys and toasters. According to a statement on the White House website, Obama will ask for only $107 million for an agency that has long been starved for resources.

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OMB Watch Unveils Redesigned, Expanded Environmental Right-to-Know Website

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2009—OMB Watch today launched a redesigned and expanded website for the Right-to-Know Network (RTK NET) at www.rtknet.org. The website serves as a source for information about environmental and public health threats and opportunities for public engagement with environmental policy, and it offers news, data, and analysis of environmental right-to-know issues.

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Good News/Bad News on New Roof Strength Rule

May 1, 2009 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced its long-awaited new rule requiring stronger roofs in vehicles in an attempt to better protect passengers in rollover crashes.

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Did the Obama White House Meddle with EPA’s GHG Finding?

Apr 29, 2009 by Matthew Madia

On April 17, the Environmental Protection Agency declared that greenhouse gas emissions are a threat to public health and welfare. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson made the so-called endangerment finding under section 202 of the Clean Air Act. The finding now obliges EPA to regulate emissions under the Act.

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Obama Administration to Withdraw Bush Rule on Endangered Species

Apr 28, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Obama administration will withdraw a Bush-era regulation designed to undermine the Endangered Species Act, specifically, the role of science in protecting species. The departments of Commerce and the Interior, the agencies responsible for issuing the regulation in December 2008, announced the withdrawal today in a press release.

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Obama at 100 Days — Assessments of Government Transparency and Regulatory Reform Efforts

WASHINGTON, April 28, 2009—In November 2008, OMB Watch, together with a diverse set of organizations and individuals, presented Barack Obama (who was then President-elect) and Congress with recommendations on how to improve government transparency, advance Americans' right to know, reform the regulatory process, and ensure that federal agencies are working to advance the public interest. The recommendations were included in two separate reports, Moving Toward a 21st Century Right-to-Know Agenda and Advancing the Public Interest through Regulatory Reform. Both reports included actions for President Obama to undertake within the first 100 days of his presidency. OMB Watch has assessed the Obama administration's work on government transparency and regulatory reform at the 100-day mark.

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