Regs Talk: The CSS Blog
Blogs are authored by CSS members and policy experts, and have been reprinted with permission.
Trump Regulators Just Gave Oil Industry a Pass to Injure Whales, Other Marine Life
By Jessica Knoblauch, Earthjustice The low, guttural bellows and high-pitched calls of the North Atlantic right whale may soon be drowned out—or altogether silenced—by the continuous blasts of seismic airguns used to identify dirty energy deposits deep within the Atlantic Ocean floor. On Friday, the Trump administration gave the oil and gas industry a green light to conduct these […]
It’s Time for Ryan Zinke to Go
By Rhea Suh, Natural Resources Defense Council The U.S. Department of the Interior touches the lives of every American, in ways large and small, every day. Its leader is the steward of our public lands and waters, guardian of our natural heritage, and keeper of our national story. The department plays a vital role in furthering our […]
We Need Clean Cars as Soon as Possible
By Luke Tonachel, Natural Resources Defense Council To avert dangerous climate change, we must act quickly and boldly. When it comes to transportation, now the biggest source of carbon pollution in the U.S., there are lots of options but two basic things must be: making gasoline-powered vehicles cleaner and more fuel-efficient and accelerating the transition to […]
Trophy Hunter Kills a Famous Yellowstone Wolf
By Maggie Caldwell, Earthjustice This week, a famous Yellowstone wolf nicknamed “Spitfire” was shot dead by a trophy hunter outside the park. Though the shooting was legal in Wyoming, the fate of Spitfire (who’s also known as “926”) is a warning of what could happen to wolves in places like California and the Northern Cascades if Congress […]
Sifting Through the Wreckage: Deregulatory Actions in Trump’s 2018 2-for-1 Report
By Matt Kent, Public Citizen In mid-October, the Trump administration released its annual report detailing deregulatory actions taken under the ill-conceived 2-for-1 executive order, which requires agencies to eliminate two regulations for any single new regulatory action. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, a noted deregulation devotee with an open ear for contribution-giving bank lobbyists, described […]
Three Ways a Trump FERC Could Negatively Impact Us
By Sam Gomberg, Union of Concerned Scientists The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted Tuesday to approve the appointment of Bernard McNamee to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The final confirmation vote now moves to the full Senate. McNamee’s confirmation threatens to transform FERC – with a longstanding tradition of political independence – into […]
Scientists Call Out EPA Over Ozone Pollution Standards
By Gretchen Goldman, Union of Concerned Scientists On Thursday, November 29, the EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) will meet(via phone) for the first time since the recent upheaval in its membership. The agenda? To discuss the Integrated Review Plan for updating the ozone standard. And recently ousted scientists have something to say about it. A […]
When Lettuce Becomes Unhealthy, It’s Time to Rethink Our Approach to Food Safety
By Erik D. Olson and Lena Brook, Natural Resources Defense Council We live in partisan times, as anyone who had to sit through Thanksgiving dinner with distant relatives can probably attest. But even your crazy uncle would agree that the safety of our food shouldn’t be a partisan issue. No one wants their child to get sick from […]
Help More Domestic Violence Survivors by Fighting Back Against the Proposed “Public Charge” Rule
By Estelle Mitchell and Marium Durrani, National Women’s Law Center Last month, the Trump administration published a proposed rule that would expand the current “public charge” test used when people apply to enter the country or for lawful permanent resident (green card) status, in a way that would harm immigrants and their families and have far-reaching consequences. […]
OCC Must Take a Multi-Faceted Approach to Community Reinvestment Act Enforcement
By Barry Zigas, Consumer Federation of America The Community Reinvestment Act has served since 1977 as a critical part of a broad national policy to promote the participation of private capital in serving America’s communities and consumers. The Act was prompted in large part by widespread evidence of private lender discrimination in lending patterns. Following […]
The 2017 Thanksgiving Salmonella Outbreak Is Still With Us. Why?
By Steve Suppan, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy With Thanksgiving and Christmas comes the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s reminder to cook turkey to 165 degrees to kill salmonella, a harmful bacteria, as in “Why a Salmonella Outbreak Shouldn’t Ruin Your Thanksgiving.” The reminder is particularly timely since an outbreak of salmonella-infected turkey resulting in foodborne illness […]
Waterkeeper Alliance and EWG Investigation Finds Hurricane Florence Flooded Poultry Operations Housing 1.8 Million Birds
By Ellen Simon, Waterkeeper Alliance The heavy rains and high waters after Hurricane Florence flooded 35 industrial poultry operations in North Carolina housing an estimated 1.8 million birds, according to a new investigation by Waterkeeper Alliance and the Environmental Working Group. The state estimates it spent $11 million disposing of dead poultry following the hurricane. The Waterkeeper […]
EPA Chemical Office Nominee Alexandra Dunn Must Prioritize Science and Public Health
By Gretchen Goldman, Union of Concerned Scientists Behind the headlines of the Trump administration’s attacks on science is a quiet army of government scientists continuing to do their jobs protecting the nation’s public health, safety, and the environment. This week, we have the opportunity to ensure a new EPA leader can carry out that mission. […]
Industry Report on HFC Phasedown Shows Low Consumer Costs
By Christina Theodoridi, Natural Resources Defense Council Phasing down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) will cost consumers little and, in some cases, will save them money on energy bills. That’s the conclusion of a new report by the Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy, a coalition of chemical makers and equipment manufacturers that are preparing to switch from HFCs to safer […]
EU NGOs Blast Google Locational Data Collection as US Groups Blast FTC on Privacy
By Ed Mierzwinski, U.S. PIRG Today, 7 member groups of the European Consumer Organization (BEUC) asked each of their national Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) to investigate Google Android’s pervasive smartphone locational data collection practices following an investigative report “Every Step You Take” by the Norwegian Consumer Council (Forbrukerrådet) finding that Google may be in violation of the new European […]
Here’s an Effective Way to Challenge Betsy DeVos’ Attacks on Survivors
By Sabrina Joy Stevens, National Women’s Law Center As you’ve almost certainly heard by now, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos recently released draft Title IX rules about sexual harassment (which includes assault) that are nothing short of appalling. IF implemented in their current form, they would make schools more dangerous by weakening protections for survivors and encouraging schools to favor […]
Three Reasons Why Betsy DeVos’s Draft Title IX Rules Would Hurt Survivors
By Elizabeth Tang, National Women’s Law Center Betsy DeVos is at it again. On August 29, 2018, the New York Times published a leaked draftof the Department of Education’s proposed Title IX regulations on sexual harassment and violence. Remarkably, DeVos’s draft regulations are even more dangerous than her already-terrible September 2017 guidance, which gave special rights to alleged harassers […]
A Just Way to Put Food on the Table
By Emilie Karrick Surrusco, Earthjustice For many people in America, Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for the blessings of life — and to stuff ourselves silly with plate after plate of comfort food. This Thanksgiving, as the luckiest among us sit down to a bountiful feast, it’s also a time to reflect on how […]
New Bill Seeks to Protect Health Care and Social Service Workers from Workplace Violence
By Kenneth Quinnell, AFL-CIO Workplace violence is a serious and growing problem for health care and social service workers. Nurses, emergency room doctors, social workers, psychiatric facility aides, and other health care and social service workers frequently face violence that leads to serious, life-altering injuries, loss of productivity and death. In 2016, working people petitioned […]
Gray Wolf at Risk of Losing Endangered Species Protections
By the Natural Resources Defense Council The House of Representatives took yet another swipe at the Endangered Species Act(ESA) on Friday when it voted to strip the gray wolf of protections across the continental United States—and prohibit lawsuits challenging those delisting decisions. “The last thing our government should be doing is undermining our most effective law for protecting […]