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Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Bush Executive Order Will Make It Harder to Protect the Public

OMB Watch's Drs. Gary Bass and Rick Melberth have an op-ed posted on CommonDreams.org. The piece derides President Bush's recent changes to E.O. 12866:

His actions ... set in motion changes that could further delay or hinder public health, safety, environmental, and civil rights protections.

Read the whole thing here

Posted by Matt Madia, 10:21:27 AM

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows ... Then Enjoys a Smoke

Roll Call (subscription) ran an article this morning discussing the lobbying efforts aimed at the tobacco regulation bills currently in both chambers of Congress. In addition to the tobacco industry, the Petroleum Marketing Association of America and three advertising industry coalitions oppose the bill, according to the article.

Why would seemingly disinterested parties oppose a common sense bill to regulate tobacco products? Because gas station owners make big money by selling cigarettes, and advertising companies make big money by promoting them. As if Big Tobacco is not enough of a force in Washington, now it's lining up its friends.

Nonetheless, the bill moves forward. One of the Senate sponsors, Ted Kennedy, chairs a committee hearing on the bill today. As the Roll Call article points out, no industry representatives are scheduled to testify. Stay tuned to Reg Watch for more.

Posted by Matt Madia, 10:36:38 AM

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Latest Watcher

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Reg policy articles this time:

Congress Holds Hearings on Bush's Changes to Regulatory Process

FDA Drug Approval Process under Scrutiny

Big Rigs and Big Government

TomPaine.com has an interesting opinion piece on a proposed regulation that would deem 97 foot long rigs safe for highway use. These rigs have four separate trucks behind the cab, and are longer than an NBA basketball court. What's really galling is that the law being implemented would violate the principles of federalism by overriding current state statutes:

Under current federal regulations, states are allowed to impose an overall length limit of 75 feet on four-ways. Almost every state has imposed such limits… [T]his federal law is likely to be interpreted as actually prohibiting any state from protecting its residents by passing a law restricting four-ways to less than the 97-foot federal standard.

As a native Pennsylvanian, I wonder how these trucks will be able to navigate the obstacle course that is the PA turnpike. I hope the Bush administration does not make me find out.

Posted by Matt Madia, 10:16:46 AM

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

FDA Helpless in Regulating Drug Industry

The New Standard reports that neither the FDA nor the pharmaceutical industry have proven the safety of hundreds of drugs already approved for the market. How does such a regulatory gaff occur? From the article by Michelle Chen:

Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the FDA can approve drugs despite unresolved safety concerns, but it can also require further studies by the manufacturer once a drug is released onto the market.

The problem is manufacturers aren't holding up their end of the bargain. According to an FDA notice in the Federal Register, for FY 2006, 71 percent of the required further studies are pending and 3 percent are delayed. Meanwhile, only 15 percent are ongoing and a mere 11 percent have been submitted.

Posted by Matt Madia, 04:23:06 PM

Friday, February 02, 2007

Tony Snow Addresses Amendments to Regulatory Process ... Sort of

Yesterday, a reporter asked White House Press Secretary Tony Snow about President Bush’s amendments to the regulatory process. In his response, Snow reached new heights of evasiveness. Instead of just admitting the White House dislikes regulations because they are perceived to be a burden to industry, Snow talked about how much they love the environment. Speaking of climate change:

But no administration in American history, and none on the face of the Earth, has been more aggressive in trying to do sound science on this than this administration.

Considering the administration was recently found to be manipulating climate science, it is hard to believe Snow said this with a straight face. Is it too late to nominate Tony Snow for an Oscar?

Read Tony Snow's comments here

Posted by Matt Madia, 01:11:49 PM

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