Oregon Industries Escape Public Accountability for 'Toxic Use Reduction'

Last month, Oregon lawmakers eliminated a provision in the state's Toxics Use and Hazardous Waste Reduction law that required industries to produce annual reports on 'toxics use reduction.' The annual reporting requirement was replaced with a one-time report on pollution prevention plans, in a move that has shocked and angered state environmental leaders, who pushed to expand, not reduce, reporting on and public access to pollution prevention information.

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Stakeholders Weigh In At First-Ever Congressional Hearings on Data Quality Act

The Government Reform Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs held the first congressional hearing on the Information Quality Act, also known as the Data Quality Act (DQA) on July 20. The hearing reviewed implementation of the DQA at three federal agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), and the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). The subcommittee also heard from interested stakeholders, including industry associations that have filed data quality challenges and public interest groups seeking the policy's repeal.

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Extent, But Not Details, of FBI Spying on Nonprofit Groups Revealed

Recent filings in a lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other nonprofits expose FBI use of counterterrorism task forces to monitor and investigate the activities of groups that have vocally opposed Bush administration policies. The suit, brought under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), seeks expedited processing of the ACLU's request for records on surveillance of nonprofit groups and information about the structure and funding of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force program.

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OMB Watch Wins in Court for Access to Risk Management Data

After almost four years of silence, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released updated information on Risk Management Plans (RMPs) filed by facilities with large quantities of hazardous chemicals onsite, in order to inform communities about the risks. The agency released the information to OMB Watch after the organization sued EPA for failing to respond to its request filed under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). OMB Watch has posted the executive summaries of the RMPs on its Right to Know Network website.

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Flaws in Delaware's Open Records Law Keep Information out of Public Hands

Illogical exemptions and poor implementation appear to be preventing Delaware's Freedom on Information Act (FOIA) from fulfilling its purpose to provide the public with access to important government-held health and safety information. Delaware's News Journal conducted an investigation into the function of the state's open records law and found significant problems and loopholes.

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Congressional Report Uncovers Chemical Security Risks Throughout the Country

An analysis prepared for Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) reveals that chemical plants endanger millions of Americans in every state. The report demonstrates widespread problems with chemical security and highlights the need for a national policy that will reduce these risks.

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NIH AIDS Division Director Fired Possible Retaliation for Whistleblowing

Dr. Jonathan Fishbein, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) researcher and director of the AIDS research division's Office of Policy in Clinical Research Operations, blew the whistle on poor scientific practices and inappropriate, unprofessional conduct by the department. NIH fired Fishbein on July 1 citing poor job performance, in what some believe to be retaliation. A review report for the NIH director's office confirms many of the issues that Fishbein raised about the agency's AIDS research division, adding to the speculation that his dismissal constituted a retaliatory action.

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