Setting and Enforcing Regulations | Center for Effective Government

Toxic Waste Cleanups Decline

The number of toxic waste sites cleaned up under the Superfund program declined for the third straight year, according to a recent EPA report. In fiscal year 2003, EPA completed work at just 40 toxic waste sites, compared with 42 in FY 2002 and 47 in FY 2001. In the last four years of the Clinton administration, EPA completed an average of 87 cleanups per year. “We just have fewer dollars to start new projects,” Marianne Horinko, an EPA associate administrator who oversees toxic cleanup, told the New York Times.

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Administration Halts Investigations of Clean Air Violations

The Bush administration has decided to stop investigating 70 power plants suspected of violating clean air standards, and will consider dropping 13 other cases that were referred to the Justice Department, according to the Washington Post.

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GAO Finds OMB Regulatory Review Not Well Documented

Under the Bush administration, OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) has significantly affected the substance of health, safety and environmental standards but failed to consistently document its influence, according to a report by the General Accounting Office (GAO).

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Administration Challenged on Clean Air Rollback

Attorneys general from 12 states and the District of Columbia recently filed a lawsuit challenging a major rollback of the nation’s clean air standards that will allow increased pollution from the oldest and dirtiest power plants. A coalition of conservation and public health organizations has filed suit as well.

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Administration Lifts Restrictions for Dumping Mining Waste

The Bush administration recently announced it is ending a Clinton-era policy that restricted the amount of public land mining companies can use for dumping waste.

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Whistleblower Says OSHA Blocked Testing of Inspectors Exposed to Toxic Metal

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has refused to provide blood tests to 500 current and former inspectors who may have been exposed to beryllium, a highly toxic metal, despite recommendations from scientific and medical staff, according to an agency regional administrator.

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Administration Issues Watered-Down Food Import Rules

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued watered-down standards requiring food importers to provide advanced notice of shipments bound for the United States. The standards were mandated by the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, which was passed in response to concerns about terrorist attacks on the nation’s food supply.

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House Votes to Block Bush Plan to Cut Overtime Pay

Reversing course, the House recently voted 221-203 to block changes proposed by the Bush administration that would strip millions of workers of eligibility for overtime pay. The House narrowly defeated a similar amendment in July by a vote of 213-210, but this time around Democrats picked up eight new Republican votes.

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Administration Relaxes Standards on Nursing Home Feeding

The Bush administration recently eased nursing home standards to allow workers with just one day of training help residents eat and drink. Previously, only licensed health care professionals or certified nurse aides were permitted to perform such duties.

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OMB Finalizes Changes to Regulatory Decision-Making

OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) issued final guidance today that instructs federal agencies on specific analytical methods for regulatory decisions. This guidance, which contains few substantive changes from the draft version released in February, commits to put “more emphasis on cost-effectiveness analysis as well as benefit-cost analysis” than the Clinton-era guidance it replaces -- raising the bar on new health, safety and environmental protections. Specifically, the guidance:

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