Citizen Health & Safety

Senate Votes to Stop Medicaid Changes

May 23, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, the Senate passed an amendment to the war supplemental bill that will put the brakes on several controversial Medicaid regulations. The Bush administration has finalized, or is preparing to finalize, the regulations in an effort to cut federal funding for a variety of Medicaid programs administered by the states.

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Polar Bear Called "Threatened," Federal Protection to Follow

May 15, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, after a period of long delay, the Department of the Interior announced it would list the polar bear as a "threatened" species under the Endangered Species Act. Designating a species as threatened is not as serious as calling it endangered, but it still affords the species federal protections and special considerations. The debate over whether to list the polar bear has been a hot button issue, because the main threat to the species is global climate change which is affecting the ice cover and sea conditions the bear needs to subsist.

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CPSC Chief Balks at Would-Be Lead Standard

May 14, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Speaking yesterday to the National Retail Federation, Nancy Nord, head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said a new federal standard limiting lead in children's products "might prove to be overly broad," according to BNA news service (subscription). The limit on lead is contained in a product safety bill currently being considered by Congress. The bill would require CPSC to set a standard limiting lead in children's products to trace amounts (100 parts per million for the content and 90 parts per million for paint or coatings).

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Bush Sets Policy on Midnight Regulations

May 13, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Friday, White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten sent a memo to the heads of federal agencies outlining the administration's policy on rules those agencies want to finalize by the end of the Bush administration. The memo states, "Except in extraordinary circumstances, regulations to be finalized in this Administration should be proposed no later than June 1, 2008, and final regulations should be issued no later than November 1, 2008." So, agencies will have just three weeks to announce proposed rules they want to finalize by year's end.

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Whistleblower Week in Washington

Whistleblower advocates convene in Washington, DC, this week (May 12-16) for events dedicated to honoring whistleblowers, promoting their protection, and educating the public and Congress about the most pressing issues for whistleblowers today.

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EPA Official Forced Out for Being Effective

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 administrator Mary Gade felt the full force of Dow Chemical's influence in Washington when on May 1, she was told to resign or be fired by June 1. Gade, who used to represent industries and often advocated against increased regulation, was on the other side of protracted negotiations with Dow over clean-up of dioxin contamination at its plant in Midland, MI. Gade chose to resign following the ultimatum.

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OMB Interference under Scrutiny in Congress

The White House Office of Management and Budget's review of federal agencies' draft regulations and scientific information was highlighted in two congressional hearings the week of May 5. The review process gives Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials an opportunity to delay or undermine public health and safety standards. One hearing examined the constitutional implications of OMB review, the other the scientific implications.

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White House Blocking Whale Protection Rule

Multiple White House offices are working in concert to block a new policy that would expand federal protections for the North Atlantic right whale. The offices, including the office of Vice President Cheney, are questioning the findings of scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the agency attempting to finalize the rule.

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Criminal Investigation of Utah Mine Officials Urged

On May 8, Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, released the results of a nine-month committee investigation into the collapse of the Crandall Canyon mine in Utah. In the memorandum summarizing the investigation, Miller reveals that he sent a letter of criminal referral to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recommending the agency investigate the mine's general manager.

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Gade Ouster Will Have Chilling Effect on Environmental Regulators

May 5, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The head administrator for EPA's Midwest Region, Mary Gade, resigned last week amid a political firestorm. Aides to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson "told her to quit or be fired by June 1," according to the Chicago Tribune.

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