Executive Report - OMB Watch

Executive Report:

OMB Watch's Executive Report was last published in September 2003. This bi-monthly online bulletin provided in-depth coverage of executive branch issues, such as: electronic government; information policy; the regulatory process; devolution; enforcement of health, safety and environmental protections; and other cross-cutting issues dealing with government accountability. It examined such issues both broadly across government and at specific agencies, with a particular focus on the Environmental Protection Agency and OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), which has review authority over all health, safety and environmental regulations.

Back Issues

Vol. II No. IV - Sept. 10, 2003
The Patriot Act and its Impact on Nonprofits
On Power, Public is Left in the Dark
Iraq Contracts Shrouded In Secrecy
Administration Gains New Power
to Withhold 'Sensitive' Information

Vol. II No. III - May 28, 2003
OMB Exerts Influence Over Science
OMB Weakens Rules On Factory Farm Runoff
Agencies Revise Regulatory Agendas
Administration Fails To Act On Listeria

Vol. II No. II - March 19, 2003
White House Finally Clears Children's Health Report
Industry, OMB Press EPA For Exemptions to Clean Air Standards
Administration Devalues the Elderly
Administration Stacks Advisory Panels

Vol. II No. I - January 15, 2003
Bush Regulatory Output
Administration Advances Few Health, Safety And Environmental Protections
EPA, FDA, OSHA Alter Regulatory Agendas
Agencies to Revisit Regulatory Protections

Vol. I No. VIII - November, 6 2002
OMB Builds Record of Rollbacks
Faith-Based Initiative Moves Forward At Agencies
Ignoring Enron’s Lessons, Bush Regulatory Rollbacks Continue
Agencies Finalize Data Quality Guidelines

Vol. I No. VII - September 4, 2002
OMB Guts Rule on Construction
OMB Weakens Rule Protecting Fish From Power Plants
White House Subverting Health, Safety & Environmental Protection
OMB Changes Difficult To Document

Vol. I No. VI - June 19, 2002
Administration Pushes E-Rulemaking
OSHA A Monster?
Administration in Denial Over Global Warming
Bush Seeks FOIA Exemption in Homeland Security Bill

Vol. I No. V - May 15, 2002
Rejecting Tire Safety, Graham Shows True Colors
EPA Turns Over Documents To OMB Watch On Information Removal, Yet Questions Remain
Agencies ‘Adapt’ Data Quality Guidelines
Federal Contractors Guilty of Lawbreaking

Vol. I No. IV - April 17, 2002
Administration Lags On Safeguards
States’ Failure to Carry Out Laws Signals Need For More Federal Oversight
Small Business Not So Small
Industry Targets EPA Data Quality

Vol. I No. III - March 20, 2002
‘Pricing the Priceless’
Hazard Reduction at Chemical Plants Equals Safer Hometowns
Public Access Key to E-Government
Case Studies Expose Danger in Using Cost-Benefit Analysis or Risk
Assessment to Determine Environmental Standards

Vol. I No. II - February 20, 2002
States Slack Off on Environmental Enforcement
Graham Reasserts White House Regulatory Review Authority
Government Web Portal to Make Major Changes
OIRA Transparency Improves As Action Increases
Questions Surround Handling of FirstGov

Vol. I No. I - January 16, 2002
Welcome To The First Executive Report
Bush Nominees Have Long Industry Ties
Chemical Plants Fail to Reduce Hazards as Concerns Over Terrorism Grow
Chemical Data Down But Not Forgotten
Regulatory Review Data
Chemical Hazards and Our Right To Know

The pages in this section contain leads and links to articles from archived past issues, beginning with the most recent and going back to the earliest, using the numbered links at the bottom.

News

When it Comes to Power, Public is Left in the Dark 09/10/2003
The public is demanding answers in the aftermath of the massive blackout that swept through Cleveland, Detroit, New York, parts of New Jersey, and southern Canada. What went wrong? How reliable is our electrical grid? Is there sufficient generating power? Could it happen again? Read More

Iraq Contracts Shrouded in Secrecy 09/10/2003
Before bombs even began falling on Baghdad, the Bush administration awarded a secret, no-bid contract to repair and operate Iraq’s oil infrastructure -- worth up to $7 billion -- to Kellog Brown & Root (KBR), a subsidiary of Halliburton, a Houston-based oil services and construction company. Read More

OMB Waters Down Standards on Factory-Farm Runoff 05/28/2003
The Office of Management and the Budget (OMB) watered down already weak EPA draft rules to address pollution from factory-style animal farms -- resulting in standards that are more protective of corporate polluters than of public health and the environment. Read More

OMB Expands Influence Over Scientific Decisions 05/28/2003
Under the leadership of John Graham, OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), which acts as an arm of the White House, is expanding its influence over scientific questions that have previously been left to federal regulatory agencies, hiring a number of scientific experts for the first time in its history. Read More

Bush Administration Fails to Act on Listeria 05/28/2003
The Bush administration has refused to issue a standard to control listeria monocytogenes (commonly known as listeria), a dangerous food-borne bacterium often found in ready-to-eat foods that can lead to death, meningitis, miscarriages and premature births. There are approximately 2500 victims of listeria-contaminated food each year, 500 of which are deadly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read More

Bush Changes to NHTSA?s Regulatory Agenda 05/28/2003
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has made significant changes to its regulatory agenda over the course of the Bush administration, withdrawing 18 rulemakings and adding 83. This agenda, which NHTSA (as well as other agencies) updated on May 27, describes rulemakings under review, anticipated actions, and progress toward completing new standards. Read More

Agencies Revise Regulatory Agendas 05/28/2003

May 2003 Update

Federal agencies released updated regulatory agendas on Tuesday, May 27, which describe rulemakings under review, anticipated actions, and progress toward completing new standards. These agendas -- which are updated every spring and fall -- provide an important window into the administration's regulatory priorities and objectives, even though they are frequently inaccurate in their predictions. In January, OMB Watch examined the agendas of three agencies -- the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration -- to see what has changed during the Bush administration. Here, we update that data and add new information about the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Read More

Industry, OMB Press EPA to Offer Exemptions to Clean Air Standards 03/19/2003
At the urging of industry and the White House Office of Management and Budget, and in apparent violation of the Clean Air Act, EPA is considering whether to offer regulatory exemptions to facilities that emit hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) based on the level of health risks posed to surrounding communities. Such a move signals a desire within the administration to abandon stringent technology-based controls -- successfully employed for more than a decade -- which could significantly weaken clean air standards and result in more pollution over time.
Read More

After White House Delay, EPA Issues Children's Health Report 03/19/2003

After nine months of delay by the White House, EPA finally released its long-awaited report on children's health and the environment, finding, most notably, that 8 percent of women ages 16 to 49 have mercury levels in the blood that could lead to reduced IQ and motor-skills for their offspring.

This marks the first time EPA has formally acknowledged an increased risk to children's health from mercury, emitted primarily from coal-fired power plants, and signals the need for strong regulatory action. According to knowledgeable sources, this is what caused the White House Office of Management and Budget to launch an extensive -- and unprecedented -- interagency review of the report last year as EPA neared completion. Read More

Administration Devalues the Elderly 03/19/2003

The elderly frequently suffer the consequences of a lifetime's exposure to industrial contaminants, including heart or lung failure from smog and soot, and cancer from toxic chemicals. Tens of thousands die prematurely every year as a result.

Over the years, we have made significant strides in addressing these problems, and improving the quality of life for our seniors, through strong regulatory protections. Yet the Bush administration has recently taken steps that could halt this progress.
Read More

| < 1 >

| 2

| 3

| 4

| 5

| 6

| 7

| Next >>