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Category archives for Environmental Protection Agency
Waiting for Obama Administration to deliver on new worker safety regulations, probably shouldn’t hold my breath
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on May 15, 2013 Spring 2013 looked like it would be a banner season for progress by the Obama Administration on new worker safety regulations; not so much anymore.
Public Health Classics: Assessing air pollution and health in six U.S. cities, researchers’ findings changed the air we breathe
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on November 2, 2012 In the 1974, most of us thought that air pollution was something that just looked and smelled bad. But public health researchers had just launched a study to determine whether air pollution shortened people’s lives. Twenty years later they published their results. It forever changed the way we think about and address air pollutants.
On the departure of Obama’s regulatory czar and cost-benefit analysis
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on August 14, 2012 President Obama offered high praise to his regulatory czar on the day Mr. Cass Sunstein announced his resignation. It’s disappointing neither are bold enough to address the grave limits of cost-benefit analysis.
Trying to avoid the “cancer-causing” label, diesel manufacturers join the club
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on June 11, 2012 An expert panel convened by the WHO’s Int’l Agency for Research on Cancer is evaluating the scientific evidence on the carcinogenicity of diesel exhaust. In preparation for the meeting, diesel engine manufacturers, oil companies and mining firms hired consultants to re-analyze and critique the epidemiological studies conducted by others to manufacturer doubt about
Public health advocates challenge “except in agriculture” exclusions
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on February 23, 2012 Agricultural exceptionalism is a term used to describe the special status awarded to employers and firms involved in agriculture. Proponents argue that the special status is necessary because (1) agricultural products contribute to broad national goals (e.g., providing safe and affordable food, preventing hunger); and (2) farming is inherently risky because of the uncertainty of…
Public health topics shine as finalists for investigative reporting prize
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on February 2, 2012 Communities affected by contaminated air, water and soil, workers retaliated for complaining about safety issues, and vulnerable groups abused by organizations charged with protecting them, are topics at the heart of public health. This week they are especially recognized by the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy…
White House message: new regulations and election year don’t mix
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on January 27, 2012 The Republicans’ mantra about the burden of regulations seems to have cast a spell on the Obama Administration’s attitude about promoting new regulatory initiatives. My observations about this were reinforced this week when I read the Administration’s statement accompanying its Fall 2011 regulatory plan. The message is clear: new regulations and an election year don’t…
Beware of Congressmen who claim they are cutting red tape, health and safety protections are on the chopping block
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on September 26, 2011 Funny how a bill touted by Members of Congress as one that will “cut red tape” will actually add a dozen new steps before a rule to protect people’s health or safety is put in place. Last week, several Republican and Democratic Senators and Representatives did just that when they introduced the “Regulatory Accountability Act”…
White House’s ozone edict tells EPA to break the law
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on September 6, 2011 Last Friday when the White House told Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson to drop her plans to revise the national ambient standard for ozone, it seemed like just another example of President Obama caving to business interests. Others were quick to remind me though that bowing to business is not the half of it:…
The truth about health, safety and environmental regulations
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on August 31, 2011 In a week that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) rallied his Members with a plan to repeal “job-destroying regulations,” the Center for Progressive Reform (CPR) provides strong evidence to debunk the House Republican’s rhetoric. In “Saving Lives, Preserving the Environment, Growing the Economy: The Truth about Regulation,” CPR scholars provide concrete examples of profound…