Publications

NPAction.org: Online Resource for Nonprofit Advocacy Launches

OMB Watch recently launched NPAction.org, an online resource that provides tools for nonprofit advocacy. NPAction is an attempt to better engage nonprofits in the policy processes that affect them, while strengthening the capacity of those already active. For the first time, nonprofit organizations will be able to access useful materials, read advice from seasoned advocates, and connect to decision-makers through one-stop access to a range of continuously updated content, information services, and reference tools. NPAction is the result of countless input from nonprofits across policy issues and geographic areas. It is supported by an national nonprofit advisory committee, and partner organizations like Charity Lobbying in the Public Interest.

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Administration Refuses to Act on Greenhouse Gases from Automobiles

EPA recently denied a petition from environmental organizations imploring the agency to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles. The petitioners -- Greenpeace, the Sierra Club and the International Center for Technology Assessment -- argued that EPA is obligated by the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gases emitted from mobile sources. The agency countered that it does not have such authority and stated its belief that “setting GHG [greenhouse gas] emission standards for motor vehicles is not appropriate at this time.”

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Administration Relaxes Emergency Room Standards

The Bush administration recently eased emergency room standards in ways that may make it more difficult to receive medical care. Due to the administration’s changes:
  • Patients may have trouble seeing specialists in a timely manner. The new measures give hospitals greater discretion in developing “on-call” lists for staffing emergency rooms. Doctors will now be permitted to be on-call simultaneously at more than one hospital and will be allowed to perform elective surgeries while on-call.
  • Patients may be denied care by certain facilities.

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EPA Allows Sales of PCB-Contaminated Sites

EPA recently lifted a 25-year ban on the sale of land contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, according to USA Today. The newspaper obtained an Aug. 14 internal memo in which an agency official called the ban “an unnecessary barrier to redevelopment.” Previously, polluted properties could not be sold until PCBs were cleaned up. The policy change will make it more difficult to track the sale of contaminated sites, of which there are more than 1,000 nationwide, according to EPA officials.

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Administration Moves to Allow Snowmobiles in National Parks

The Bush administration recently proposed standards to allow the continued use of snowmobiles in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, overturning a Clinton-era ban that was never allowed to take effect.

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EPA Rolls Back Clean Air Standards for Power Plants

The Bush administration recently approved a major rollback of the nation’s clean air standards that will allow increased pollution from the oldest and dirtiest power plants. Under the rule changes, these plants can upgrade their facilities without having to install the latest anti-pollution controls (as they were previously required to do under EPA's New Source Review program) even if it results in new emissions. Anti-pollution controls must be added only if upgrades exceed 20 percent of the value of all equipment used to produce electricity, an extremely high threshold.

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Agencies Cite Privacy More Often When Denying FOIA Requests

Agencies are twice as likely to claim personal privacy in 2002 than in 1998 to justify denials of Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests. In 1998, just under 40 percent of FOIA denials were for personal privacy; in 2002, roughly 80 percent of denials were for privacy. Surprisingly, agencies use national security to explain refusals less often than they did several years ago. That’s the conclusion of an analysis by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press that compared agencies’ annual reports on compliance with the federal open records law for 1998 and 2002.

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Administration Secrecy Obstructs GAO Energy Inquiry

Last week, the General Accounting Office (GAO) released a report culminating a contentious struggle to identify who helped craft the administration’s energy policy. While no startling revelations come from the document, GAO's report repeatedly rebukes the administration for withholding critical information.

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Deficit May Reach $500 billion in 2004

Reuters is reporting that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is expected to release deficit projections tomorrow showing deficits reaching approximately $500 billion for fiscal year 2004. In addition, the CBO's report will also contain 10-year budget forecasts, unlike the Administration's official numbers released through the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which only have a five-year horizon. These longer-range forecasts are expected to show significant long-run damage to the budget outlook.

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