OIRA's Role in the Obama Administration Examined

A panel of regulatory policy experts discussed how the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has been functioning during the Obama administration and how reforms could benefit the public. The discussion came as the White House prepares to issue a new executive order that could alter the way regulations are written.

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Food Safety Legislation Progresses Slowly

The first steps on real food safety reforms were the subject of a House hearing June 3 in the Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health. The subcommittee unveiled the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, a synthesis of several different bills that had been introduced earlier this session.



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Bills Would Require Disclosure of "Fracking" Chemicals

Bills recently introduced in both the House and Senate seek to force natural gas drilling companies to disclose what chemicals are pumped into the ground in a practice known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." Although the process has been linked to drinking water contamination and other harms to public health and the environment, companies are currently allowed to conceal the toxic chemicals they use.

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Not All Economic Data are Created Equal

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently released an issue brief that outlined some of the data it used to estimate the effect of the 2008 tax rebates.  Given the debate over the true effect of these rebates, the CBO clearly felt that it needed to provide some detail about its methodology.

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Congress Aims to Turn Down the Volume

“There ought to be a law.” On more than one occasions, that is what I’ve uttered as I struggle upward from my recumbent position on the couch and reach toward the coffee table for the remote – all in an effort to turn down the television volume. Why? Because the commercials are too damn loud.

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Under Bush, OIRA Interfered in Chemical Studies

The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) questioned scientific conclusions and edited language in multiple studies assessing the health effects of chemical substances, according to a report released today by the House Science and Technology Committee subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight.

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FDA Missed Chances to Halt Contaminated Syringes

The Food and Drug Administration failed to stop a derelict manufacturing plant from shipping contaminated syringes that led to more than 160 illnesses and at least four deaths, according to an investigation by ProPublica and the Chicago Tribune.

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OMB Watch Comments on Greenhouse Gas Reporting

OMB Watch has submitted comments on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed mandatory greenhouse gas (GHG) registry. Our comments focused on ensuring that information about emissions is made available to the public in a comprehensive, timely, and useful manner. Without sufficient transparency, the GHG registry could end up sabotaging our nascent climate policies.

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More Transparency Needed in White House Review of Regulations

The Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is asking the White House to improve transparency during its review of agency regulations.

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Food Safety Agency Left Untended; Nomination Forestalled by Lobbying Order

President Obama has yet to nominate an individual to lead the Food Safety and Inspection Service, leaving the agency headless at a time when food safety consistently shows up on the national radar.

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