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States Average a D-Minus on Disclosure 11/20/2007
A new report by Good Jobs First finds that states have not kept up with technology in creating certain disclosure systems, and in some cases actively resist advances. The State of State Disclosure analyzed state websites for publicly available data on economic development subsidies, state procurement contracts and lobbying activities. Connecticut scored the highest, with an average of 84 percent, but more than half of the states received failing grades, placing the average score at 60 percent, a D-minus. Read More

Open Government Rising Issue for 2006 Elections 08/22/2006
With November--and its many state, local and midterm Congressional elections--just around the corner, candidates are promising citizens a more open government in exchange for their vote. Access advocates believe that recent revelations about government secrecy (such the National Security Administration's covert warrantless spying program) and Washington corruption scandals have boosted public support for more democratic and less secretive government at the national, state and local levels, and campaigns are picking up on it. Read More

House Bill to Roll Back Food Safety 03/21/2006
The "National Uniformity for Food Act" (H.R. 4167) that would preempt nearly 200 food safety laws and affect state law in all 50 states, passed out of the House on March 8, to ire of consumer advocates. The legislation was introduced by Reps. Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Ed Towns (D-NY). Read More

Louisville Air Quality Program Threatened 03/21/2006
Kentucky state lawmakers are considering a bill that would threaten the future of a fledgling air pollution program in Louisville. The program, called the Strategic Toxic Air Reduction (STAR) program, was passed unanimously by the Louisville Air Pollution Control Board in June 2005, and requires industrial facilities in the area to reduce emissions of 18 hazardous air pollutants. Read More

One in Five Women Carries Too Much Mercury 02/22/2006
On Feb. 8, the Environmental Quality Institute (EQI) at the University of North Carolina-Asheville released the largest ever biomonitoring study of mercury levels in the U.S. population. Based on hair samples from more than 6,600 women, researchers found that 20 percent of women of childbearing age exceed the EPA's recommended mercury limit. Read More

EPA Gets an Earful on Plan to Reduce Toxic Reporting 01/24/2006
More than 70,000 citizens voiced opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposals to cut chemical reporting under the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), during the agency's public comment period that ended Jan. 13. Those speaking out against EPA's proposals included state agencies, health professionals, scientists, environmentalists, labor, Attorneys General, and even Congress, all of whom raised substantive concerns with the plan. Read More

TRI: The Tool For Public Protection Against Toxic Pollution 11/01/2005
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implied that the public had already received most of the benefits the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) could offer when the agency recently proposed significantly cutting the amount of information companies report under the program. This is not, however, reflected in the facts, which show the TRI continues to be an important public health tool widely used by community groups, labor unions, local officials and citizens. Read More

California Biomonitoring Bill Stumbles in its Final Hurdle 10/18/2005
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the Healthy Californian's Biomonitoring Program (SB 600), after its narrow passage by the state legislature. The bill would have established America's first state-wide program to assess levels of human chemical exposure. The governor struck down the bill despite its support by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the California Medical Society, and numerous health advocacy organizations. Read More

Open Records Problems in Old Kentucky 10/18/2005
Kentucky has recently experienced challenges implementing its Open Records Act. Officials have already been accused of abusing new homeland security exemptions to the state's open records law to avoid public scrutiny of matters unrelated to terrorism concerns. One decision to withhold information will be reviewed in court this week. In another case, Governor Ernie Fletcher will likely go to court to challenge the state attorney general's decision to make certain records available to the public. Read More

Katrina Update: Government's Inadequate Response Continues 10/04/2005
Even weeks after Hurricane Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) response to the storm's aftermath continues to be grossly inadequate. The insufficiency of its testing for environmental hazards, the absence of informative health warnings for recovery workers and returning residents, and its failure to provide protective equipment all clearly point to the agency's inability to accomplish its goal of protecting public health and the environment. Read More

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