Citizen Health & Safety

Nation's Top Scientists Strongly Reject OMB's Regulatory Guidance

Jan 11, 2007 by Matthew Madia

This morning, the National Academy of Sciences rejected the White House Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Proposed Risk Assessment Bulletin. OMB charged NAS with the task of peer-reviewing the bulletin, and NAS issued a stinging rebuke. The Bulletin calls for an overly standardized method across all agencies of assessing the potential risks of regulatory action. No matter if the issue is the environment, consumer products, or massive buildings and infrastructure, the framework would be the same.

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Dudley Renominated to be Regulatory Czar

Jan 10, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Last night, President Bush renominated Susan Dudley to the position of administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) — the powerful regulatory arm of the White House. Has President Bush been reading Reg Watch? In two Monday blogs (here and here), Reg Watch chided the Bush administration for considering naming the controversial nominee, who failed to win confirmation last year, an OIRA senior advisor.

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Latest Watcher

Jan 10, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Reg policy articles this time: OIRA Back Door Open to Dudley? EPA: Home for the Holidays

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EPA Takes Positive Action on Pressure-treated Lumber

Jan 9, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Monday, EPA rejected calls from industry to allow the use of a chromium based substance in pressure-treated lumber. The chemical, acid copper chromate (ACC), contains a known carcinogen, hexavalent chromium. This decision is a continuation of a positive trend EPA began in 2004 when the agency banned arsenic from pressure-treated lumber. Kudos to citizens and public interest groups such as Environmental Working Group who called for the ban on ACC; and thanks to EPA for preserving the safety of a product so common in our everyday lives. Read Washington Post coverage of the issue here.

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EPA: Home for the Holidays

While legislators were leaving Washington and families across America spent time celebrating the holidays, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continued to issue rules and contemplate regulations. Several issues received little attention from media and lawmakers despite their potentially significant impact on the nation’s public health and welfare. Here is a brief summary of some of EPA's work during late December and early January.

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EPA Finalizes Rules for Toxics Release Inventory

Just before the holidays, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) delivered industry an early present — a final rule relaxing reporting requirements for the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), the country's flagship database on toxic pollution. The agency has moved forward with these changes despite findings in an OMB Watch report, Against the Public's Will (released Dec. 14, 2006), that the American public is overwhelmingly opposed to a reduction in reporting on toxics.

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8 Year Stall on Worker Protections Might Come to An End

Jan 8, 2007 by Matthew Madia

In March of 1999, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed an uncontroversial—and long overdue—regulation that would require employers to pay for personal protective equipment, including eye goggles, work gloves, and fall gear, for employees, many of whom go without protective gear rather than pay for it out of pocket. The rule was already in its final stages when Bush came into office, but in 2004, OSHA reopened the comment period—five years after the original rule was proposed.

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President May Chill Bipartisan Climate with Dudley Appointment

Jan 8, 2007 by Matthew Madia

As Reg Watch blogged earlier today, the White House is considering naming anti-regulatory zealot Susan Dudley an OIRA senior advisor, once again prioritizing big business above public welfare.

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Dudley May Occupy OIRA Office

Jan 8, 2007 by Matthew Madia

BNA news service (subscription required) reports today that controversial OIRA administrator nominee Susan Dudley may be named a senior OIRA advisor. This move by the White House would end Dudley's official nomination, yet allow her to have an active role in policy making within the highly influential OIRA office. Dudley's nomination stalled last year when the then Republican controlled Senate failed to schedule a vote.

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An Unimpressive Century of Food Safety

Jan 3, 2007 by Matthew Madia

This week marks the 100th Anniversary of the implementation of the Pure Food and Drug Act, a landmark piece of legislation calling for federal inspection of food products and paving the way for the creation of the Food and Drug Administration. However, as a January 2 New York Times editorial points out, advances in food safety are far from adequate considering how much time has elapsed.

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