I’ve talked about the importance of a clean budget with no riders on this blog before, and my colleagues certainly have discussed this issue at length in the past. Read more >
A Free Ride: How Special Interests Are Undermining Chemical Facility Safety
Yogin Kothari, Washington representative, Center for Science and Democracy
August 1, 2016 1:51 PM EDT
EPA Must Do More to Secure Chemical Facility Safety for Fenceline Communities
Pallavi Phartiyal, senior analyst and program manager, Center for Science and Democracy
May 12, 2016 4:02 PM EDT
This week marks the close of the public comment period for a little-known yet important proposed rule, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk Management Program (RMP), aimed to improve the safety and security of over 12,000 facilities that use or store hazardous chemicals nationwide. Read more >
Transatlantic Trade: What the Latest Leak Means for Science-Based Safeguards
Yogin Kothari, Washington representative, Center for Science and Democracy
May 6, 2016 3:54 PM EDT
On Monday, Greenpeace Netherlands released 248 pages of leaked documents from the ongoing negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the United States and the European Union. The documents reveal a lot of interesting information, and also seemed to confirm some of the concerns my UCS colleagues and many of our partners have had about this trade deal. Read more >
Still in the Dark on TTIP: Trade Agreement with the European Union Is a Black Box
Celia Wexler, sr. Washington rep., Center for Science & Democracy
April 8, 2016 4:51 PM EDT
Negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) have been concluded. Citizens now have access to the 30-chapter agreement that is several thousand pages long. The TPP has been opposed by four major presidential candidates, and faces criticism in Congress. Nevertheless, it is likely that the trade deal will get a vote sometime this year. Read more >
How to Improve the Chemical Safety Improvement Act
Celia Wexler, sr. Washington rep., Center for Science & Democracy
September 17, 2013 3:56 PM EDT
This year, after years of inaction, there is some hope that Congress may find a bipartisan solution to our chemical safety problem. As my two earlier posts have noted, our current law, the Toxic Substances Control Act, is virtually powerless to protect us from unsafe chemicals. In contrast, the European Union’s regulatory regimen, REACH, Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals, requires that chemicals produced in certain volumes (more than a ton annually) must provide safety data that demonstrates that they will not harm the public or the environment. The law, implemented in 2007, is being phased in over 11 years. Read more >
