OVERNIGHT REGULATION: Greens push back on chemical safety overhaul
March 11, 2015
March 11, 2015
Welcome to OVERNIGHT REGULATION, your daily rundown of rules from Capitol Hill and beyond. It's Wednesday evening here in Washington and we're dying to see if the State Department releases Hillary Clinton's emails following the AP's lawsuit.
But here's what else is happening in Congress and the Obama administration because, you know, it can't all be about Hillary.
THE BIG STORY
Environmentalists are calling for a veto if the bill Sens. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and David Vitter (R-La.) introduced this week to reform the nation's chemical laws makes it to the president's desk.
Environmental Working Group President and Co-founder Ken Cook said the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act of 2015 was created by the chemical industry.
The bill, which is likely to be the first environmental law to come out of Congress since 1996, aims to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act [TSCA] of 1976, which is widely viewed as unenforceable.
But Cook said the new reform bill does little to protect the public from dangerous chemicals.
"With respect to public health this is Keystone on steroids," he said.
Celebrity advocate Erin Brockovich, who is best known for building a case against the California-based Pacific Gas and Electric Co. in 1993, is backing the group. During a media call Wednesday, Brockovich said the bill fails to make chemicals safer.
"I wouldn't even consider it in my opinion a TSCA bill," she said.
Though the bill's sponsors say it will balance state and federal regulations, EWG says the wording of the bill differs from what's being presented.
Cook said the legislation preempts states from taking action on any chemical that the EPA deems a high priority and begins to review, a safety assessment, which under the proposed law could take up to seven years. The public, he said, should be "very alarmed."
Udall called the bill a bipartisan compromise that was reached after two years spent working with both industry and environmental groups.
"We invited them to the table and they turned us down," Udall's spokeswoman Jennifer Talhelm said Wednesday about EWG.
ON TAP FOR THURSDAY
The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on how to protect taxpayers from tax identity theft this filing season. http://1.usa.gov/
The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing to discuss the budget estimates for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. http://1.usa.gov/
The Senate Appropriations Committee will also hold a hearing to discuss the 2016 funding request for the Food and Drug Administration. http://1.usa.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing to discuss the "Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2015," to protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing and shooting. http://1.usa.gov/
TOMORROW'S REGS TODAY
The Obama administration will publish 154 new regulations, proposed rules, notices and other administrative actions in Thursday's edition of the Federal Register.
Here's what is happening:
--The Department of Energy (DOE) will propose new energy conservation standards for residential furnaces.
The proposal from the Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy would establish new efficiency rules for residential non-weatherized gas furnaces and mobile home furnaces.
The DOE estimates the new energy conservation standards could cost industry $55 million in compliance costs.
The public has 90 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1AgsK7g
--The Department of Labor will issue new rules for electronic communications.
The Labor Department's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs will ease restrictions on certain companies so they can communicate electronically with the agency, rather than by mail.
The changes apply to parties making claims under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act.
"As technologies improve, other means of communication -- including electronic methods -- may be more efficient and cost-effective," the agency writes.
The changes go into effect in 90 days. http://bit.ly/1b2FTLr
--The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will issue new guidelines for reviewing truckers' driving records.
The FMCSA's new guidance addresses trucking companies use of state-operated employer notification systems, which track a driver's license status, crashes and convictions, among other things.
Trucking companies are already required to review their drivers' records each year, but the new guidance will allow them to do so through these state-operated employer notifications systems.
The changes go into effect immediately. http://bit.ly/
--The Department of Agriculture (USDA) will issue new regulations to prevent the spread of gypsy moths, which it says are dangerous.
The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will extend partial quarantines in areas of Virginia, West Virginia, Minnesota, and Wisconsin that will restrict the interstate movement of certain items.
The USDA refers to the gypsy moth as a "destructive pest" that can wreak havoc on forests and Christmas trees.
The restrictions go into effect immediately. http://bit.ly/
NEWS RIGHT NOW
Flying coach: Lawmakers would be prohibited from purchasing first-class plane tickets with taxpayer money under new legislation in the Senate. http://bit.ly/19bHOMZ
Nuclear disasters: A government watchdog is accusing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of "sluggishness" when it comes to improving safety standards at nuclear facilities. http://bit.ly/
Chemical reform: Environmentalists are criticizing an attempt by the Senate to reform the nation's toxic chemical laws. http://bit.ly/1HDBqto
Insider trading: Senate Democrats are trying to close a loophole in insider trading laws. http://bit.ly/1b2JdpQ
Coffee: Climate change is putting the future of coffee at risk, the Environmental Protection Agency is warning. http://bit.ly/1EY1hwc
Witness protection: Sex offenders will continue to be admitted into federal witness protection programs where they can conceal their identity and do not have to register with the community. http://bit.ly/
Guns: President Obama's commitment to stronger gun regulations remains "as strong as ever," the White House says, despite a failed proposal to ban certain bullets. http://bit.ly/1Ecur9y
BY THE NUMBERS
750 percent: How much the federal prison population has grown since 1980.
11 years: The average sentence for a drug offense.
48 pounds: The average amount of drugs found on 88 percent of drug offenders .
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"With respect to public health, this is Keystone on steroids," Environmental Working Group President and Co-founder Ken Cook said about a bill introduced this week to reform the nation's chemical laws.
We'll work to stay on top of these and other stories throughout the week, so check The Hill's Regulation page (http://thehill.com/regulation
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