Witnesses at Senate Hearing Examine Regulatory Change Proposals

On July 20, a panel of experts and advocates told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee their views on the many proposals to alter the regulatory process. Disagreements revolved around the economic impacts of public protections and whether legislative action on regulation is necessary.

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CPSC Approves Lower Lead Limit for Children's Products, but Divided Commission Faces Hurdles

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently adopted a new standard that reduces the amount of lead allowed in children's products, providing a clear health benefit to American families. In voting July 13 to implement the lowest limit prescribed by statute, the 3-2 majority drew hostile objections from minority members. Such clashes are familiar to CPSC and could have implications for product safety in the future.

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ExxonMobil's Pipeline Spill is a Revelation

On July 1, an estimated 42,000 gallons of crude oil poured out of ExxonMobil's Silvertip pipeline and into the Yellowstone River in Montana. Significant accumulations of oil have been found more than 40 miles downriver, and traces of oil have floated twice as far. While the cause of the spill has not been determined, speculation has centered on high river waters that could have exposed the pipe to damage.

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Agency Rules Could Undermine CUI Reforms

A proposed Department of Defense (DOD) rule has the open government community concerned that agencies may try to undermine the Obama administration's emerging controlled unclassified information (CUI) system before it is even formally in place.

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EPA Proposes New Expansions to the Toxics Release Inventory Program

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced its plans to expand the industry sectors required to report to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program and to require electronic reporting for all TRI data. These steps are part of EPA's ongoing efforts to improve and reinvigorate the TRI program.

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OMB Publishes List of Upcoming Regulations

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published its spring Unified Agenda on July 7. The agenda is a compilation of regulations that agencies expect to advance between now and April 2012, as well as rules the agencies have completed in the past six months.

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The Backup Budget

A bizarre ritual is going on in Congress in advance of fiscal year (FY) 2012. Appropriators are doing their job, writing and passing bills setting the year’s discretionary spending levels, but their efforts might be wasted. With the budget becoming tightly entwined with the looming debt ceiling deadline, all of the recent appropriations activity is probably for naught.

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Campaign to Cut Waste Uses Recovery Tools to Improve Performance, but Challenges Remain

On June 13, President Obama signed an executive order (E.O.) initiating the "Campaign to Cut Waste." The E.O., titled "Delivering an Efficient, Effective, and Accountable Government," builds on many of the administration’s previous reforms while borrowing some of the better tools developed to execute and oversee the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act). However, its impact may be reduced due to recent budget cuts to a key government transparency fund.

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Proposed Congressional Changes to the Regulatory Process Unnecessary

On June 23, several senators outlined proposals for revamping the regulatory system, a system they blame for the nation's economic problems despite evidence to the contrary. Cass Sunstein, administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), told the senators that the proposals were largely unnecessary and could have harmful unintended consequences.

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Commentary: Stronger Estate Tax Should Be Part of Debt Ceiling Deal

Anti-tax ideologue Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) and his allies in Congress are calling for repeal of the estate tax. However, as lawmakers look to address our nation’s long-term fiscal dilemma, they should consider the estate tax a key piece of the puzzle and should include a stronger version of the tax in any deal to raise the debt limit.

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