Regs Talk: The CSS Blog
Blogs are authored by CSS members and policy experts, and have been reprinted with permission.
Five Takeaways from the EPA Meeting on Particulate Pollution
By Gretchen Goldman, Union of Concerned Scientists Yesterday, the EPA Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) had a teleconference to discuss their recommendations to the administration on the agency’s assessment of the science on particulate matter (PM) and health. The meeting continued the ongoing push and pull between the EPA, its science advisors, and the committee chair […]
How the FAA Ceded Aviation Safety Oversight to Boeing
By Nick Schwellenback and Emma Stodder, Project on Government Oversight The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) close relationship with the industry it regulates is under increased scrutiny following two Boeing 737 Max commercial jet crashes that killed 346 people within the last six months. Of particular concern is an FAA program, begun nearly 15 years ago, […]
Nine Reasons to Oppose the Trump Administration’s Proposed SNAP Changes
By Sarah Reinhardt, Union of Concerned Scientists On Tuesday, April 2nd, the Trump administration closes a public comment period on proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps) that could leave hundreds of thousands of unemployed and underemployed adults unable to meet their basic needs. As we wrote in a previous blog, USDA Secretary […]
A New Bill Proposes to Ban Chlorpyrifos Nationwide
By the Natural Resources Defense Council New Mexico senator Tom Udall reintroduced a bill today that would ban the widely used pesticide chlorpyrifos—a chemical adapted from World War II–era nerve gases—from being sprayed on fruits and vegetables grown in the United States. “Parents feed their kids fruits and veggies because they want the best for […]
White House Wades Into Mortgage Finance Debate
By Barry Zigas, Consumer Federation of America President Trump issued a memorandum on March 27 directing the Treasury, HUD, VA and USDA to develop a comprehensive plan for reform of the mortgage finance system, including both administrative and legislative actions as necessary. The memorandum specifically tasks Treasury with developing a plan to end the conservatorship of Fannie […]
Why NAFTA’s 2.0 Current Labor Provisions Fall Short
By Owen E. Herrnstadt, Economic Policy Institute One year ago, we were hopeful that renegotiating NAFTA represented the first real opportunity in 25 years to finally rewrite the labor template currently relied on for trade agreements. After all, since NAFTA was implemented, hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs have been outsourced to Mexico by companies […]
How the Chemical Industry Deployed the Disinformation Playbook on PFAS
By Genna Reed, Union of Concerned Scientists The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will convene tomorrow for a hearing on the federal responses (or lack thereof) to the risks associated with the class of toxic chemicals known as PFAS, inviting representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Defense, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) […]
Debunking the Trump Administration’s New Water Rule
By Ryan Richards, Center for American Progress In February, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its revised “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule. The proposed rule dramatically restricts what falls under the purview of the Clean Water Act, the environmental law that has led to the cleanup of thousands of rivers and lakes in the […]
Courts Agree: The EPA Can’t Ignore Threats to Water Quality From Polluted Stormwater
By Jeffrey Odefey, American Rivers The Clean Water Act’s path toward protecting our waters has many twists, turns, and apparent dead ends. The law’s treatment of stormwater– the polluted and untreated rain and snowmelt that runs off of streets and parking lots into our creeks and rivers – is one of the convoluted chapters. Some […]
Fringe Science at the EPA Threatens Our Progress on Clean Air
By Vijay Limaye, Natural Resources Defense Council After years of study, the scientists at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have compiled an 1,800 page analysis showing that fine particulate matter poses great risks to the health and welfare of our nation, a finding that should lead to new protections for clean air. But, in the latest […]
1,399 Endangered Species Latest Casualty as David Bernhardt’s Siege on Science Continues at Interior Department
By Jacob Carter, Union of Concerned Scientists On Thursday, March 28, the Senate will hold a hearing to advance David Bernhardt’s nomination for Secretary of the Interior. This is not good news for the Department of the Interior, its federal scientists and their work, or the people, public lands, and endangered species that are directly affected by […]
For Consumers, Being Clean Is as Important as Coming Clean
By Scott Faber, Environmental Working Group More than ever, Americans want to know everything about our food, cosmetics, cleaners and other everyday products we bring into our homes. We want to know what’s in it, why it’s in there, where it’s been and who made it. Mostly we want to be trusted to do our […]
Bernhardt Buries Science on Pesticide Harms to Wildlife
By Rebecca Riley, Natural Resources Defense Council It’s shocking, but maybe not a surprise. Today, the New York Times revealed that President Trump’s pick to head the Department of Interior, David Bernhardt, suppressed agency findings that three pesticides—chlorpyrifos, malathion, diazinon—jeopardize the existence of over one-thousand federally protected species during his tenure as deputy secretary. The analyses, required […]
Latest Agriculture Emissions Data Show Rise of Factory Farms
By Ben Lilliston, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy New data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows a steady increase in agriculture-related greenhouse gas emissions, much of it linked to industrial systems of crop production and the rise of factory farm systems of animal production. The annually updated GHG data is designed to […]
Some Recusal Rules of Thumb for Recently Confirmed Judge Rao
By James Goodwin, Center for Progressive Reform During her confirmation hearing, Neomi Rao – then the administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) and President Trump’s pick to fill Justice Kavanaugh’s vacant seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit – attracted a lot of controversy. Much […]
On World Water Day, Say No to the EPA’s Dirty Water Rule
By Dalal Aboulhosn, Sierra Club Today, we celebrate World Water Day,a global day of action to ensure that every person on the planet has clean, safe and affordable water. And while EPA head Andrew Wheeler this last week acknowledged the global crisis of reliable drinking water, he ironically has been systematically rolling back the most basic protections of […]
Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Vehicle Standards Are Working, According to EPA Study
By Consumer Reports Imagine for a moment a road without rules. No speed limit? No waiting at red lights? As a driver, this might sound exciting! That is, until you think about the other cars on the road. Suddenly, it becomes obvious the rules are really important. They keep traffic moving at safe speeds, and […]
Trump Administration Budget Threatens Public Health, Environment
By Mary Anne Hitt, Sierra Club The Trump administration’s recently released proposed 2020 budget is a nightmare for everyone who needs clean air, clean water, and a healthy climate. The budget includes deep cuts to virtually every program in government that protects people from environmental threats, including an outrageous 31% cut to the Environmental Protection Agency and […]
20 Years of Clean Water Wins
By Marc Yaggi, Waterkeeper Alliance Today, on World Water Day, I can’t help but reflect on the billions of people around the world without access to clean and safe water. But there’s a path toward achieving the United Nations’ 2030 goal of universal, equitable access to safe, affordable drinking water. That path: Strengthening and growing […]
Fannie, Freddie Should Use Updated Credit Scoring, CFA and Other Consumer and Civil Rights Groups Urge FHFA
By Barry Zigas, Consumer Federation of America CFA joined the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR), National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and Woodstock Institute in urging the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to support more rapid Adoption Of Alternative Credit Scoring Approaches For Mortgage Lending to make the mortgage lending process accessible to […]