July 3, 2007 The Pump Handle

By Liz Borkowski Finally, here’s some good news in the power struggle between the Bush administration and Congress: The House has voted to prohibit the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) from spending any money on an executive order that gives political appointees greater authority over federal regulatory agencies. Bush’s executive order […]

July 3, 2007 The Pump Handle

At first, the FOIA request for workplace inspection data seemed straight forward.  The requester asked for all records contained in OSHA’s database of industrial hygiene samples for the contaminant beryllium during the period 1979 to 2005.   Previously, OSHA had provided on numerous ocassions comparable information to other requesters, and in some cases, even without requiring a formal FOIA request.  […]

July 3, 2007 The Pump Handle

Michael Moore’s Sicko brought in $4.5 million in its opening weekend, and it seems like anyone who’s seen it has an opinion about the film and its subject. The WSJ health blog has compiled reviews from major newspapers; if you’re interested in blogger reactions, too, we have a few suggestions:

July 1, 2007 The Pump Handle

The Newmont Mining Company reports that the body of gold miner Dan Shaw, 30, was recovered on June 30 after an 11-day rescue effort.  The federal agency responsible for miners’ safety and health, MSHA, has zero, zilch, nada on its website about the accident, the rescue or the recovery effort.  In “Do I Expect Too Much […]