Regs Talk: The CSS Blog
Blogs are authored by CSS members and policy experts, and have been reprinted with permission.
Expect Low Carbs and Low Credibility at Next Week’s Dietary Guidelines Meeting
By Sarah Reinhardt, Union of Concerned Scientists Next week, a committee of top health, medical, and nutrition experts will gather in Houston, Texas to answer an age-old question: What should we eat? This is the fourth of five public meetings the committee will hold as it develops the scientific basis for the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the […]
New DOE Policy Kneecaps Energy Efficiency Standards
By Lauren Urbanek, Natural Resources Defense Council The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) just announced it has finalized changes to its energy efficiency standards process that will slow down—if not halt altogether—future efforts to make America’s appliances and equipment more efficient. As a result, both the planet and consumers are worse off. Ignoring feedback from […]
EPA Must Keep Communities Safe From Ethylene Oxide Cancer Risks
By Genna Reed, Union of Concerned Scientists This morning, I found myself back at EPA headquarters in downtown Washington, DC, asking EPA a second time to do something that should be obvious: listen to its own scientists and use the best available science to protect communities from hazardous air pollution. While it should be straightforward for EPA to […]
Trump EPA Air Office’s “War on the War on Cancer”
By Jennifer Sass, Natural Resources Defense Council The Trump EPA is trying to get some cover by holding a comment period and a few public hearings—listening sessions, where members of the public can register for up to five minutes of time to share an opinion or information with EPA—as it gives a wink and a […]
Five Ways Trump’s Latest Anti-Environmental Proposal Would Allow Fossil Fuel Companies to Bulldoze Communities
By Christy Goldfuss, Claire Moser and Sally Hardin, Center for American Progress Last week, the Trump administration released a draft of its proposed changes to the regulations that implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)—the most important law that requires the federal government to consider the environmental impacts of its decisions and that gives the public a voice in federal decision-making. […]
Brewers Oppose Weakening Coal Plant Water Pollution Limits
By Becky Hammer, Natural Resources Defense Council Today, 48 craft breweries around the country submitted a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency opposing the agency’s proposal to weaken water pollution safeguards for coal-burning power plants. Power plant wastewater discharges are the largest source of toxic water pollution in the United States. This wastewater contains harmful substances like mercury, arsenic, […]
William Pendley Should Not Be Acting Administrator of the Bureau of Land Management
By Andrew Rosenberg, Union of Concerned Scientists Earlier this month, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt extended William Pendley’s appointment as the Acting Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for another three months. The BLM has not had a Senate-confirmed permanent director at any point during the Trump administration. It is pretty clear why Mr. Pendley […]
Congress Moves Further on PFAS Protections
By Erik D. Olson and Katie Hobbs, Natural Resources Defense Council Congress has made good on a promise to return to the work they started in last year’s National Defense Authorization Act: tackling the PFAS crisis. On Friday, the House of Representatives voted to pass the PFAS Action Act (H.R. 535) with overwhelming bi-partisan support (247-159), with 24 […]
Captured: Financial Regulator at Risk
By David S. Hilzenrath, Project on Government Oversight When the board that regulates corporate auditors announced the appointment of a top official in 2018, it said her experience made her “an excellent fit for the role.” The role—“chief auditor”—involves setting and interpreting rules that auditors of publicly traded companies must follow. The appointee, Megan Zietsman, was […]
What You Should Know About Liquefied Natural Gas and Rail Cars
By Earthjustice THE EXPLOSION RISK of transporting volatile liquefied natural gas in vulnerable tank cars through major population centers is off the charts. Yet the Trump administration is proposing a rule that would allow trains to travel the country filled with an unprecedented amount of explosive liquefied natural gas. The National Transportation Safety Board and the National Association of State Fire […]
Study: PFAS Exposure Through Skin Causes Harm Similar to Ingestion
By Ketura Persellin, Environmental Working Group Exposure through the skin to the toxic fluorinated chemical once used to make Teflon could pose the same health hazards as ingesting the compound in water or food, according to a new animal study from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH. The study, which will […]
CFPB Appoints Take “Farce” on Consumer Law
By Ed Mierzwinski, U.S. PIRG Last week, CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger appointed four lawyers and professors to a “Taskforce on Federal Consumer Law.” To my knowledge, none have worked for consumer protection organizations yet all have worked as industry lawyers or consultants or been publicly aligned with industry views. All do have previous government experience, primarily at […]
Delayed Energy Efficiency Standards Finally Published
By Lauren Urbanek, Natural Resources Defense Council What does it take to get the Trump administration to support the fastest, cheapest way to cut energy use? Two court rulings! Four long-delayed energy efficiency standards are finally ensconced in law thanks to a 2018 district court decision and a recent unanimous ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for […]
Profiles in Cowardice: Chemicals, Climate, and a Toxic Disregard by the Trump Administration
By Kathleen Rest, Union of Concerned Scientists Last month, inspired by John F. Kennedy’s 1956 classic Profiles in Courage, I kicked off a series of blog posts profiling the lack of courage we are too often witnessing in our elected leaders, their appointees, and other important stakeholders. My definition of cowardice: lacking the firmness of purpose to put […]
Trump Disregards Citizens in His Rush for Polluting Projects
Sharon Buccino, Natural Resources Defense Council A half a century ago, members of Congress from both parties and all corners of our nation came together to pass a landmark law that gave citizens a guaranteed say in the projects that will define our nation. More than an environmental law, the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, […]
Legislation Is Introduced to Stop Manufacturers From Getting a Veto on Consumer Product Safety Alerts
By Remington A. Gregg, Public Citizen Today, U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) introduced the Safety Hazard and Recall Efficiency (SHARE) Information Act. This legislation would repeal a dangerous provision of Section 6(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act, which gives product manufacturers effective veto-power over the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) ability to release […]
OSHA’s Inertia
By Tom Conway, United Steelworkers Within two months of starting work at an Amazon warehouse in Eastvale, Calif., Candice Dixon ruined her back. Dixon had to bend, lift and strain at a feverish pace to meet Amazon’s demand that she scan and stow one item every 11 seconds. If she didn’t keep up, she’d be fired. […]
It’s Time to End EPA’s Long History of Failing to Act on ‘Forever Chemicals’
By Scott Faber, Environmental Working Group The Environmental Protection Agency has a long history of failing to act to protect Americans from the toxic fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS, which are linked to an increased risk of cancer and other diseases. In 1998, EPA officials were first notified by 3M that PFAS were toxic. In 2001 the […]
Another Coal Ash Rollback, Another Bogus “Hearing”
By Becky Hammer, Natural Resources Defense Council Yesterday, I testified at an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearing on its latest proposal to weaken safety standards for facilities where toxic coal ash is stored. But I couldn’t see the EPA officials to whom I was speaking. Nor could they see me. They couldn’t assess my body language or […]
Trump EPA Doing Something to Actually REDUCE Pollution From Trucks
By Dave Cooke, Union of Concerned Scientists Today, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) to set more stringent pollution standards on heavy-duty trucks. This follows up on the 2018 announcement of the administration’s “Cleaner Trucks Initiative” and represents the only step thus far the administration has made to actually, you […]