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Big Oil Looks to White House to Weaken Ozone Standard
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's bid to tighten the national standard for ozone, more commonly known as smog, has raised the ire of many industry representatives and anti-regulatory lobbyists. On January 25, representatives from ExxonMobil and the American Petroleum Institute met behind closed doors with officials from EPA and the White House to dicuss the proposal. Read more...
Bush Budget Ignores Consumer Safety Needs
President Bush's 2009 budget request proposes level funding for the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Bush has chosen to flat-line the agency's funding even though the public, media, and Congress are realizing resource shortfalls at CPSC have undermined its ability to ensure product safety. A new article by OMB Watch tracks the history of budget and staffing cuts at the agency and shows how CPSC's resources have not kept pace with the growth of the industries it regulates, specifically the toy industry and the ATV industry. Read the article...
Oil and Gas Companies Win, Polar Bears Lose
The Department of Interior has approved a lease program for oil and gas companies to operate in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's coast. Meanwhile, the administration has delayed a decision to list polar bears under the Endangered Species Act. Because of the convenient timing of the two decisions, oil and gas companies will not have to take special precautions to ensure the safety and health of the polar bear species in the area. Read more...
Bush Budget Would Cut Endocrine Disruptor and Other EPA Research
President Bush is proposing serious budget cuts at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — $330 million, or 4.4 percent. Of note, Bush is proposing cuts to EPA's endocrine disruptor research and prevention programs. Read more...
More In-depth Coverage
For more in-depth coverage of regulatory policy news, please read OMB Watch's biweekly publication The Watcher.
The regulatory policy article from the February 5, 2008 issue is:
This is the February 11, 2008 edition of Reg Watch in Review |