Blog Posts of Guest Bloggers

An Agenda to Weaken Protections

 Agencies released today the Fall 2006 Unified Agenda and Regulatory Plan, which sums up the work of the last six months and sets priorities for the coming year. Unfortunately, this year's regulatory plan has a few too many familiar faces. Agencies have failed to make progress on important regulations such as reducing worker's exposure to crystalline silica or upgrading energy efficiency standards. What's even more troubling about the Bush's regulatory plan for 2007 is the return of some industry favorites that aim to rollback health, safety and environmental standards.

With the Dems taking control of Congress next month, it looks like the administration might be turning its attention more towards the executive branch. The intro to the Reg Plan sets out four overarching priorities for regulation that should mollify industry interests on the verge of losing their tax breaks:

  • Regulations that are particularly good examples of the Administration's ``smart'' regulation agenda to streamline regulations and reporting requirements, which is a key part of the President's economic plan.
  • Regulations that are of particular concern to small businesses.
  • Regulations that respond to public nominations submitted to OMB in 2001 or 2002.
  • Regulations that address 2004 nominations for promising regulatory reforms in the manufacturing sector.
Those last two bullets refer to the regulatory hit lists, regulations nominated by industry for "reform" or repeal during Bush's first term. And sure enough, the regulatory plans for each agency are chock full of hit list favorites, such as weakening regulations controlling listeria in ready-to-eat meat products and reducing the reporting requirements for the Toxic Release Inventory (despite the fact that EPA has publicly said they're backing away from the idea). More déjà vu on the agency's agenda for 2007:

The Regulatory Plan and Unified Agenda is currently only available on the GPO website, but check back soon to this website to view the agenda in a more searchable format.

(Guest Bloggers 12/12/06; 0 comments)

Latest Watcher

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

Supreme Court Wades Through Decision on Climate Change

FDA Negotiates Increase in Drug Industry User Fees

(Guest Bloggers 12/06/06; 0 comments)

Good News on Dudley

 According to the Federal Times, the Dudley nomination may be indefinitely on hold:
The nomination of President Bush’s controversial pick to head the government’s regulatory policy office is dead, according to a leading Republican senator.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who chairs the committee considering the nomination, said she decided not to bring the nomination of Susan Dudley to a vote this month by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. She said she did this because of the lack of time remaining in this Congress and opposition to Dudley’s nomination from Democrats.

“It is pointless to proceed to a markup when the nomination isn’t going anywhere,” Collins, who supported Dudley, told Federal Times on Dec. 6. “The president could send the nomination up again next year, but it’s clear that it would be not a good use of the committee’s time.”

Great work to all those who took action against Dudley! We'll let you know if any further developments occur, but for now it looks like the coast is clear.

(Guest Bloggers 12/06/06; 0 comments)

NRDC Wins Battle to Raise Energy Efficiency Standards

 After years of the Department of Energy dragging its feet on producing new energy efficiency standards for appliances, the Natural Resources Defense Council, two low-income consumers groups and 15 states have forced the agency into action through a settlement issued November 13. The lawsuit contended that the Department of Energy was as much as 13 years behind on issuing new standards. Now, under court order, the DOE will be forced to issue new energy efficiency standards on a strict timetable. "The standards that DOE will issue under this agreement could save enough energy each year to meet the needs of as many as 12 million American households, and avoid the need to build dozens of new electric power plants, according to NRDC."

Of course, this news must have seemed very grim to OIRA nominee Susan Dudley, who has historically opposed DOE efforts to raise the energy efficiency of applicances. It might be a sad day for Dudley, but it's certainly a happy one for low-income families faced with skyrocketing energy bills.

(Guest Bloggers 12/04/06; 0 comments)

USDA Backs Away from Animal ID System

 Prompted by pressure from industry, USDA has backed away from requiring ranchers to ID livestock in a federal database. The database was proposed last year in order to allow the agency to quickly track and stop the spread of disease between animals as well as disease spread from animals to humans. Currently, 23 percent of farms are voluntarily registered in the program. In April, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced a timetable and implementation plan for the ID system, calling for all farms to be registered by 2009. Johanns now says the program will be mandatory sometime in the future, according to CBS.

The database was proposed in response to the discovery of several cases of mad cow disease beginning in late 2003. One only has to look as far as USDA's website to see why an animal identification program is needed to protect the food supply. The ability to track a herd could be essential to containing a more serious outbreak of mad cow disease or another threat to our food supply.

Like the recent spinach E. Coli outbreak, mad cow disease shined a spotlight on the failures of our food inspection system. Unfortunately, USDA has failed to live up to many of the promises it made after the first BSE-infected cow was discovered.

(Guest Bloggers 11/29/06; 0 comments)

More Oversight in the Next Congress?

 The new Cindy Skrzycki column bodes well for federal oversight in the next Congress:
Some of the new masters of oversight are eager to get to work. [Pending Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Rep. James] Oberstar's agenda includes tightening port security and improving the operations of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, much maligned for its Hurricane Katrina performance.

Rep. John D. Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, is set to return as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over consumer protection, telecommunications, air quality, energy, and food and drug safety.

Dingell has a reputation for relentless investigation, and his "Dingellgrams" -- requests for exhaustive paperwork from federal agencies and witnesses -- are remembered and feared in Washington.

Other Congressmen with oversight agendas include Rep. George Miller, who will oversee occupational health and safety on the Education and Workforce Committee, and Sen. Edward Kennedy, who will do the same on the Senate side.

(Guest Bloggers 11/14/06; 0 comments)

Boxer Threatens to Put Hold on EPA IG Nominee

 Susan Dudley isn't the only controversial nominee that might be snuck through during the lame duck session. According to CongressDaily, future chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), is threatening to put a hold on the nomination for the Environmental Protection Agency's nominee for Inspector General. The IG is responsible for sussing out waste, fraud and abuse in the agency.

Unfortunately, Bush's pick, Alex Beehler, has more experience in industry than oversight. As the Defense Department's assistant deputy undersecretary for environment, safety and occupational health, Beehler sought to exempt the military from environmental regulation. Beehler also worked for Koch Industries, distributing money to anti-regulatory groups, including Susan Dudley's own Mercatus Center.

All ten Republicans on the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee have said they will support the nomination, guaranteeing the nomination would pass a committee vote. Boxer has threatened to put a hold on the nomination if it passes committee.

Former EPA IG Nikki Tinsley resigned in January. Tinsley's tenacious investigations often put her at odds with the White House. Her reports on EPA's failure to regulate smog and mercury emissions were particularly damning. Check out this WaPo article for more on Tinsley.

Read Beehler's testimony from his September hearing.

(Guest Bloggers 11/14/06; 0 comments)

Dudley Hearing this Monday Nov. 13

 Susan Dudley will face questioning from the Senate's Homeland Security Government Affairs Committee this Monday at 2:30 pm. You can watch the hearing live on C-Span3. Check the C-Span schedule for time or channel changes.

There's still time to tell your Senator to oppose Dudley's nomination. Write them today!

Need more information? Read up on Dudley before tuning in.

(Guest Bloggers 11/12/06; 0 comments)

Harnessing Technology for the Public Good

  Scientists at Rice University announced last week that they had discovered a cheap and effective way to remove arsenic from drinking water. While the technology is still years away from application in water systems, it provides an exciting example of how technology can be harnessed to provide solutions to public health and safety problems. Smaller, rural communities have had trouble meeting clean drinking water standards in the past, and breakthroughs such as this could provide more people with access to safe drinking water. (Guest Bloggers 11/12/06; 0 comments)

Latest Watcher

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

EPA Falters on Commitment to Environmental Justice

Less than two months after the Inspector General for the Environmental Protection Agency issued a report critical of the agency's commitment to environmental justice, EPA closes the doors of one of its regional offices for minority advocacy.

(Guest Bloggers 11/10/06; 0 comments)