Regulatory Transparency

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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No End in Sight for Sunstein Nomination

Jul 15, 2009 by Matthew Madia

Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) is not lifting his hold on the nomination of Cass Sunstein – President Obama’s pick to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). Per the senator’s request, Sunstein met face to face with Chambliss yesterday to discuss the reasons for the hold.

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OMB Watch Comments on E-Rulemaking

Jul 6, 2009 by Matthew Madia

As OMB Watch wrote in the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter The Watcher, the Obama administration is asking the public for ideas on reforming e-rulemaking – government’s system for displaying regulatory information and receiving public comments on proposed rules.

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OMB Watch Calls for E-Rulemaking Reforms

On July 2, 2009, OMB Watch made the following comments as a contribution to the Obama administration’s Open Government Initiative. The comments were posted here: http://mixedink.com/OpenGov/ERulemaking.

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Obama Administration Asks for Public Views on E-Rulemaking

The Obama administration is asking for feedback on its efforts to include the public in regulatory decision making. E-rulemaking allows citizens and stakeholders to comment on regulations and other government documents online, but existing challenges have limited public participation.

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More Transparency Needed in White House Review of Regulations

Jun 8, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is asking the White House to improve transparency during its review of agency regulations.

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Obama Backtracks on Mountaintop Mining

Jun 2, 2009 by Matthew Madia

Coal industry lobbyists appear to have valuable access to White House officials, and they’re using it to expand mountaintop mining in the Appalachians, according to an article in The Los Angeles Times.

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Obama Administration Accepting Ideas for Regulations.gov

May 26, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Obama administration has launched a website to prompt a discussion of the federal government’s online portal for viewing and commenting on agency regulations – Regulations.gov. The new website, Regulations.gov/exchange, includes ideas for improving Regulations.gov and allows users to comment on the ideas.

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EPA Regains Control over Chemical Assessments

May 21, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it would take back the reins of its program for assessing the risks of industrial chemicals after the process had become corrupted by political forces.

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White House Role in Rulemaking Could Improve, Report Says

The White House is a major player in agency rulemakings, affecting both the content of regulations and the length of time needed to complete them, according to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. The report comes as advisors to President Barack Obama consider reforms to the regulatory process.

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Climate Change Memo Controversy: Lessons Learned

May 14, 2009 by Matthew Madia

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is the source of some controversial language in a climate change memo sent from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to the EPA, according to news reports.

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