Regs Talk: The CSS Blog
Blogs are authored by CSS members and policy experts, and have been reprinted with permission.
New NAFTA: New Red Tape for Regulators?
By the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy Understanding the regulatory practices and cooperation provisions of New NAFTA and what they could mean for food safety, worker and environmental protections in Canada and the United States. Several chapters in the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement), or “New NAFTA,” create new hurdles for governments and regulators trying […]
Protect Science at Federal Agencies
By the National Women’s Health Network At the National Women’s Health Network, we are deeply concerned about the state of science under the Trump-Pence administration. Respect for science and scientists at federal agencies has dangerously eroded over the last 21 months. By repeatedly hiding, mischaracterizing, and ignoring scientific data in the rule making process, the […]
Salmonella Outbreak Raises Concern About Thanksgiving Turkey
By Dawn Undurraga and Sydney Swanson, Environmental Working Group With Thanksgiving less than a week away, news of a salmonella outbreak in turkey is a serious concern. The turkeys in question are contaminated with a hard-to-treat strain of salmonella bacteria that can trigger symptoms such as fever, stomach cramps and diarrhea within 12 to 72 hours of exposure. This strain, known […]
EPA Finds Replacements for Toxic “Teflon” Chemicals Toxic
By Anna Reade, Natural Resources Defense Council The EPA has released draft toxicity assessments for GenX chemicals and PFBS, both members of a larger group of chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). GenX and PFBS are being used as replacement chemicals for PFOA and PFOS, the original Teflon chemicals that were forced off the market due to […]
Dangerous Levels of Mercury Found in Skin Creams Purchased on Amazon, eBay
By Melanie Benesh, Environmental Working Group Today, 51 environmental and public health groups, including EWG, called on Amazon and eBay to remove illegal skin care products containing dangerous levels of mercury. The products, purchased and tested by the Mercury Policy Project, in some cases contained as much as 30,000 parts per million, or ppm, of mercury – an astounding […]
As Congress Revives Its Oversight Responsibilities, Science Should Be on the Agenda
By Michael Halpern, Union of Concerned Scientists The midterms brought checks and balances to Washington, complete with new opportunities for accountability and oversight, and some members of Congress have already signaled that science will be on the agenda. Today, a diverse set of environmental, public health, and good government organizations released a report outlining what Congress can do to […]
Is Betsy DeVos Trying to Silence Student Activists?
By Sabrina Joy Stevens, National Women’s Law Center Nearly two years into the Trump era, it’s no secret that members of the Trump administration use a variety of tactics to try to suppress unfavorable news coverage and activism in opposition to their seemingly endless stream of bad decisions and awful policy proposals. One of their […]
7 Questions the Senate Should Ask Trump’s New USDA Chief Scientist Nominee
By Karen Perry Stillerman, Union of Concerned Scientists Back in early August (or roughly two Trump years ago), I wrote about the president’s nomination of Scott Hutchins to head up science at the US Department of Agriculture. In that post, I argued that Hutchins, an entomologist with a 30-year career at pesticide-maker Dow, is the wrong choice for […]
Congress Reverses: Will Protect Waters From Invasive Species
By Scott Slesinger, Natural Resources Defense Council The Senate passed the Coast Guard authorization bill that included a title amending the law dealing with ballast water regulations. House passage is expected quickly. The shipping industry has tried for many years to gut protections meant to ensure that the water in bottom of boats doesn’t carry […]
A Stealth Move to Undermine Science at the US Department of Agriculture
By Derrick Jackson, Union of Concerned Scientists In its latest scheme to undermine science, the Trump administration is brazenly trying to—pun intended—farm out to the hinterlands the most important research arms of the Department of Agriculture. When Secretary Sonny Perdue recently boasted that 136 entities in 35 states are vying for the relocation of the […]
2019 Fight Over Data Privacy Rights Heating Up Already
By Ed Mierzwinski, U.S. PIRG Next year, a highly-anticipated privacy and data protection rights battle will occur in Congress. Powerful special interests from Google to Facebook are responding to the new European General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR) by hiring a massive phalanx of lobbyists and PR flacks seeking to quash any similar effort to protect […]
Automakers Propose Loopholes, Not Rollbacks of Cleaner Car Standards — Both Are Terrible
By Dave Cooke, Union of Concerned Scientists Since word first leaked that the Administration was planning to freeze fuel economy and global warming emissions standards for passenger cars and trucks, automakers and their trade associations have been adamant about “not wanting a rollback.” Now that the public comment period on the agencies’ proposed freeze has closed, we […]
Utah’s Monuments Still Need Your Help
By Angela Benander, Sierra Club Secretary Ryan Zinke’s Department of the Interior continues to shut out the public in a reckless rush to sell off America’s public lands to the highest bidder. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently hosted a handful of meetings for the public to comment on the draft Resource Management Plans […]
Senate Should Reject Trump’s Coal-Friendly Energy Commission Nominee
By Elliott Negin, Union of Concerned Scientists The steady parade of unqualified, ideologically driven appointees for key Trump administration positions has resumed now that things in Washington have settled down after the mid-term elections. Last week, Trump tapped Matthew G. Whitaker to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions. This Thursday, the Senate will hold a hearing […]
Federal Court Deals Major Blow to Keystone XL Pipeline
By Victor Flatt, Center for Progressive Reform Late last week, a federal district court in Montana blocked construction on the Keystone XL pipeline. The decision in Indigenous Environmental Network, et al. v. U.S. Department of State is a significant victory for the environment and a major blow to the ultimate completion of the controversial pipeline. The case centered […]
As Court Halts Keystone XL, Public Voices Opposition
By Joshua Axelrod, Natural Resources Defense Council Within hours of the close of the State Department’s public comment period on their rushed Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, a federal court in Montana handed down a decision halting the project altogether and ordering the government to undertake a new, far more detailed […]
Act Two: Answering the Clear Mandate for Vigorous Oversight
By Matt Schudtz, Center for Progressive Reform For two years, President Trump has attempted to steer federal policy in ways that undercut core American values. His vision of government – to the extent one can divine a coherent vision – lacks compassion, fairness, a commitment to equal voice and opportunity, and concern for the long-term […]
The Dinner Table Is the Latest Battleground for Trump’s Attacks on Immigrant Families
By Sarah Reinhardt, Union of Concerned Scientists From an ill-conceived campaign promise to build a border wall to the recent deployment of thousands of US troops to confront a non-existent “invasion,” to radical immigration policy has been a hallmark of the Trump presidency. The administration has introduced a baseless Muslim travel ban; ordered a separation of families at the southern border that […]
FERC Must Preserve States’ Right to Affordable Clean Energy
By Ada Statler and John Moore, Natural Resources Defense Council NRDC and a coalition of clean energy and consumer advocates just joined stakeholders in the country’s largest electricity market, PJM, in submitting comments in a proceeding that will determine the future of state-supported clean energy across the 13-state region. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) […]
Can the EPA Protect Us from Ozone and Particulate Pollution Without Its Experts? What to Watch
By Gretchen Goldman, Union of Concerned Scientists This week, the EPA announced that its Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) alonewould be reviewing upcoming ozone and particulate matter reviews. On October 10, the EPA nixedits ozone and particulate matter review panels—breaking with EPA’s use of expert science advisers for ambient air quality decisions since the 1970s and consistent with this administration’s […]