The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is making available to the public hundreds of studies on chemicals that had been treated as confidential business information (CBI). The move is part of EPA's plan to make public the chemicals that are not entitled to CBI status. Releasing the data will expand the public’s access to critical health and safety information on chemicals that are manufactured and processed in the U.S. Newly available information can be found using EPA’s Chemical Data Access Tool.
According to the Washington Post, the EPA "informed BP officials...that the company has 24 hours to choose a less-toxic form of chemical dispersants to break up its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico...and must apply the new form of dispersants within 72 hours of submitting the list of alternatives." Of course, there's still a lot of information we don't know about these chemicals...
The EPA's media policies have produced mixed results for government openness recently, as reported by InvestigateWest. After holding press conferences where reporters were ordered not to disclose the identities of officials, a recent press conference call on the Gulf oil spill thankfully trashed that gag rule.
Despite the availability of better, less toxic alternatives, the NY Times reports that BP is sticking with dumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of toxic "dispersants" on the company's catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Plus, we still do not know what exactly is in the dispersants.
The chemical company had been fined numerous times for environmental violations. Now a community activist who drew attention to the company's record is being punished.
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson recently signed up on Twitter. Some open government advocates view such new technologies as a boon for openness. Others view this as a waste of time that provides no meaningful accountability.
R.I.P. HUMMER 1992-2010
Admittedly this is not an RTK issue, but still...
According to the AP, "Unless a last-minute buyer steps forward, General Motors Co.’s Hummer brand is fading into history."
The EPA launched a new "Rulemaking Gateway" to improve the public's ability to search, understand, and comment on the rules being considered by the agency. This new website complements the government-wide www.regulations.gov, which recently was redesigned.
One year after the enormous disaster at Tennessee's Kingston Power Plant, EPA continues to allow six power companies to hide vital information from the public on the safety of toxic coal ash impoundments. The companies refusing to disclose are Alabama Power Company, Duke Energy Corporation, First Energy Generation Corporation, Georgia Power Company, Gulf Power Company, and Mississippi Power Company.
The coal industry is not disclosing the full extent of its lobbying expenses on federal disclosure forms, instead exploiting a legal loophole by failing to report "AstroTurf" campaigns. Big Coal's actions highlight the need for greater lobbying disclosure.
It took a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to get it, but EPA released a more complete list of locations and other data on toxic coal ash dump sites nationwide.
The U.S. House passed the Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act to speed up public notification of dangerous beach water pollution. A similar bill passed a Senate committee in June. The bill also authorizes more grant money for states to improve water quality.
EPA has disclosed the locations of 44 "high hazard potential" coal ash dumps at 26 different power plants (canceling the earlier "Jeer" received by EPA for concealing these locations).
The USDA will restart some of its agricultural chemical usage surveys after the Bush administration cut their funding. A good step, but the public needs much more information about how much of these chemicals are used by farms (and others). Learn more here.
With the publication in the Federal Register of the newly restored rules for reporting pollution, the battle to undo the Bush-era rollback is officially over.
A report released in November 2008 by the NRDC Health Program documents many examples of Bush Administration budget cuts to key data collection programs that monitor hazardous pollutants in our air, water, food, and even our bodies.
For agreeing to pay $13 million to settle a lawsuit with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Clear Air Act violations. It had increased operations without following through with a New Source Review which would have required increased pollution control. It is in the process of replacing its old equipment.
