Today the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing on the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard. Read More
The EPA Follows Through on Dioxin
February 29th, 2012
February brought two significant pieces of good news at the EPA. The agency released its final scientific integrity policy, which was much improved over the draft it put out for public comment. And the EPA finally released a scientific assessment of dioxin, an achievement 27 years in the making. Read More
Final EPA Scientific Integrity Policy Benefited Greatly from Public Input — and Now the Really Hard Work Begins
February 23rd, 2012
Under Administrator Lisa Jackson’s tenure, the EPA has worked to restore public trust in the agency. On her first day, she issued a “fishbowl” memo that committed the agency to three core values: scientific integrity, transparency, and the rule of law. This week, the EPA released its long-awaited scientific integrity policy and, as with other agencies, there is significant improvement over the first draft. Read More
On Toxic Dioxin, Will the EPA Fold or Stand Tall?
January 26th, 2012
In August 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency committed to releasing a scientific assessment of the health hazards of chemical dioxins by the end of January 2012. The assessment process has dragged on for nearly three decades—and consistent with what has now become a pattern, the industries that are most responsible for dioxin releases are pushing for yet another delay. Read More
In the City of Brotherly Love, Much Love for Clean Car Standards
January 20th, 2012
I’m in Philadelphia today, testifying at a public hearing on the recently proposed model year 2017-2025 vehicle greenhouse gas and fuel economy standards. Read More
A Long-Awaited Rule to Limit Mercury and Other Toxic Pollutants from Power Plants
December 21st, 2011
Did you know that one of the largest sources of toxic pollutants in our country had gone unregulated until today? Coal-fired power plants are the largest source of airborne mercury, a potent neurotoxin known to cause harm to fetal brain development. Read More
Waiting For A Strong Mercury Rule
December 20th, 2011
We’re in a state of heightened expectation. The final Mercury and Air Toxics (MATS) rule, regulating one of the largest sources of toxic pollutants in our country (coal-fired power plants), was supposed to be released on Friday, December 16 to comply with a court-ordered deadline. (A proposed rule was released in March 2011). Read More
Ozone, the Best Available Science, and a Game of Kick the Can
September 30th, 2011
Recently, Politico reported (subscription) that White House Office of Management and Budget Director Cass Sunstein had this to say about whether politics trumped science in the president’s failure to set a science-based standard for ground-level ozone pollution:
So Who Influenced the President’s Ozone Decision?
September 9th, 2011
On my previous post on ozone, reader Jeff asked:
1) What is the current standard for ground ozone?
2) Which businesses, specifically, are trying – I mean succeeding – in blocking the new standards?
Jeff, I felt that the answers to your questions were complex enough to warrant another post (and probably even a book!). Here they are in brief. Read More
