Citizen Health & Safety

U.S. Waters Still Toxic Dump Sites

A new report from Environment America uncovers a dirty truth in publicly available government databases about the country’s waterways – widespread toxic pollution dumped by industrial facilities. More than 230 million pounds of toxics were discharged into 1,900 waterways across all 50 states in 2007, including chemicals known to cause cancer and birth defects.

read in full

EPA Inspector General Targets Water and Air Enforcement

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently provided two assessments of EPA's weaknesses in enforcing water and air programs. The OIG cited management problems at the federal and regional levels that largely indict the Bush administration's lax approach to environmental enforcement.

read in full

White House Seeking Comment on Information Policy

Oct 27, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs is asking the public for ideas on ways to improve the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) – the 29-year-old law that governs federal information collection, dissemination, and management. In a notice in today’s Federal Register, the White House announces the opening of a 60 day public comment period.

read in full

EPA Moving Fast to Revise Ozone Standard

Oct 26, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Environmental Protection Agency is readying a replacement for the current national air quality standard for ozone, or smog, which was roundly fouled up during the Bush administration.

Last Wednesday (Oct. 21), EPA sent to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) – the gatekeeper for all things regulatory – a draft version of a new notice of proposed rulemaking. That notice will propose revisions to the ozone standard finalized in March 2008.

read in full

Turning Back the Clock on Bush Midnight Rules

Oct 23, 2009 by Matthew Madia

Today, OMB Watch released a report highlighting the ways the Obama administration has dealt with midnight regulations left by the Bush administration:

read in full

Turning Back the Clock: The Obama Administration and the Legacy of Bush-era Midnight Regulations

In the waning days of the Bush administration, federal agencies finalized scores of new regulations. Many of these so-called midnight regulations were deregulatory in nature, targeting public protections for the environment, workers, and the general citizenry. In this new analysis, OMB Watch examines the Obama administration's efforts to address these deregulatory measures and presents a rule-by-rule progress report on some of the most controversial Bush-era midnight regulations.

read in full

Update on Labor Department Nominees

Oct 22, 2009 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, the Senate confirmed Joe Main to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health. Main was a long-time safety official at the United Mine Workers Association.

read in full

While Industry Attacks OSHA Nominee, Dems Bypass Hearing

Oct 20, 2009 by Matthew Madia

Tomorrow morning, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee is scheduled to vote on the nomination of David Michaels, President Obama’s pick to head the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Michaels nomination was not subject to a confirmation hearing, though he did meet individually with some Senators, according to E&E Daily (subscription).

read in full

Data Use a Key Element of EPA Clean Water Plan

Oct 16, 2009 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency released a "Clean Water Act Enforcement Action Plan." The plan lays out a broad vision for clean water enforcement as well as specific goals the agency will take in the coming months and years to improve enforcement at the state and federal level.

read in full

EPA Releases OMB Comments on Chemical Studies

Oct 15, 2009 by Matthew Madia

As promised, the Environmental Protection Agency is releasing White House comments on EPA assessments of potentially toxic chemicals. Yesterday, EPA released the first batch of comments on four ongoing risk assessments.

read in full

Pages

  • ©2025 Project On Government Oversight
  • All Rights Reserved.
  • This an archive site of the materials produced by the Center for Effective Government (formerly OMB Watch) and is maintained by the Project On Government Oversight.