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Showing 1,482 results

Thomas McGarity | September 6, 2011

Lisa Jackson Should Promulgate the Ozone Standard or Resign

Last Friday, President Obama ordered EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to withdraw EPA’s new ambient air quality standard for ground level ozone (smog). The order came in a letter from Cass Sunstein, the head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Office of Management and Budget.  The order does not pretend to be based […]

Rena Steinzor | September 2, 2011

Choking on Smog for Another Few Years

In perhaps the most troubling sign of his determination to pander to business at the expense of public health, President Obama announced this morning that he had blocked EPA’s science-based efforts to lower the levels of smog that drive children and the elderly inside on Code Red days. Automobile manufacturers, power plant operators, the oil industry, […]

Daniel Farber | September 1, 2011

Is Cap and Trade Unfair?

Cross-posted from Legal Planet. I should probably start by putting my cards on the table. I’m not really an advocate of cap and  trade as compared with other forms of regulation.  What I care about is getting effective carbon restrictions in place, whether they take the form of cap and trade, a carbon tax, industry-wide […]

Alexandra Klass | August 8, 2011

Nevada Court’s Public Trust Decision A Welcome Addition to Growing Body of Protection for State Lands and Resources

Last month, the Nevada Supreme Court held in Lawrence v. Clark County that the public trust doctrine limited the ability of the state to freely alienate certain lands that, though dry at the time of the decision, were submerged under navigable waters at the time of statehood. The case is significant for at least two reasons. First, […]

Matt Shudtz | August 5, 2011

Platinum Industry Tries a DQA Complaint the Bush Administration Wouldn’t Even Accept

On Monday, the International Platinum Group Metals Association submitted a Data Quality Act complaint (pdf) to EPA regarding a draft toxicological review of halogenated platinum salts and platinum compounds. This one ought to go straight to the agency’s recycling bin. IPA, as the trade group calls itself, is complaining that the draft document, released by EPA’s […]

Matt Shudtz | August 3, 2011

Draft Scientific Integrity Policies Due from Agencies; Progress Unclear

Today marks 90 days since the last milestone in the White House’s push toward improvements in federal agencies’ scientific integrity policies. Agencies that have made progress in this time ought to release their draft plans and open them to public comment.  From an outsider’s perspective, there hasn’t been much progress to evaluate recently. It’s something we’ve gotten […]

Shana Campbell Jones | August 1, 2011

Skipping Rulemaking Process with Backroom Fuel Economy Deal, White House Opened Itself to Darrell Issa’s Attack

Amy Sinden and Lena Pons explained in this space on Friday morning how the White House’s fuel economy deal with the auto industry bypassed the rulemaking process and the agency experts charged with determining the “maximum feasible” standard under the law. Late Friday, Rep. Darrell Issa, chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, […]

Amy Sinden | July 29, 2011

White House Flouts Agency Heads, Rolls Out Backroom Deal on Fuel Economy Standard

This post was written by Member Scholar Amy Sinden and Policy Analyst Lena Pons. This morning President Obama will make an announcement about upcoming fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission standards for passenger cars and light trucks for model years 2017-2025. The announcement will reference the Administration’s plan to propose a standard to reach 54.5 miles […]

Aimee Simpson | July 26, 2011

Holding its Legal (and Parental) Ground: EPA Responds to the American Chemistry Council’s Request for Correction of the BPA Action Plan

Being a parent is not easy, but some of the most difficult moments arise when you know what needs to be done to protect your child and your child has other sentiments. Call it a temper tantrum, a battle of wills, or disobedience, it all evokes a sense of frustration, exhaustion, and, let’s face it, self-doubt. There […]