Bloggers give us the dirt on the VP picks announced this week. Thereâs already info on McCainâs running mate, Sarah Palin: Gristmill gives us a snapshot of Palinâs record on energy and environmental issues, and compiles statements from and about her on these topics. Keith Johnson at Environmental Capital focuses on her position on expanding […]
by revere, cross-posted at Effect Measure IÂ used to joke that the only plan the Bush administration had for dealing with air pollution was to put all the free radicals in jail. If you don’t know what a free radical is, it is a highly reactive form of a chemical, usually involving an unpaired electron. Radicals […]
Will someone just go and put up a sign “Proudly Screwing Workers: 2,827 Straight Days” on the Labor Department building? Late yesterday I learned that Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Asst. Secretary Leon Sequeira and her other political minions sent a proposed rule to the Federal Register which will change the process by which OSHA and MSHA assess workers’ risk to health-harming […]
Earlier this week, the New York Times reported that as many as 300,000 combat veterans have suffered at least one concussion, according to Pentagon estimates. Victims of these injuries can suffer a range of symptoms, from dizziness and persistent headaches to hearing problems and memory loss. Lizette Alvarez write: These symptoms, which may be subtle […]
by Tom Bethell (Posted with permission from The Mountain Eagle, Whitesburg, KY) Just when you think youâve seen it all, somebody in the Bush administration comes up with another way to compromise somebody elseâs rights. The latest example is Richard Stickler, director of the Mine Safety and Health Administration. MSHA has been much in the […]
Hmph!  I just read on the OMB/OIRA website that they have completed their review of Labor Secretary Chao’s proposal to change the way that OSHA and MSHA assess workers’ risk of health hazards. The OIRA website notice says their review was completed on August 25, and it was approved “consistent with change.”Â
It looks like California is once again picking up the slack for a federal agencies failing in their regulatory responsibilities. In this case, theyâre addressing the issue of chemicals in consumer products, as a step toward a broader âGreen Chemistry Initiative,â which is âaimed at promoting development of safer chemicals with policies to spur green […]
On Saturday afternoon, I sat at my computer screen and watched Barack Obama announce Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. I think it’s a good pick for a multitude of reasons—some personal, some political and some practical. When Biden spoke on Saturday, I found myself smiling and nodding my head in agreement. When he said the following, […]
Imagine being an MSHA inspector and being asked by independent investigators for your honest and frank opinion about the events surrounding the August 2007 disaster at the Crandall Canyon mine, which took the lives of nine men. You decide to participate because you genuinely believe in MSHA’s mission—enforcing safety and health laws to protect miners’ lives—and hope […]
With the presidential contest heating up, bloggersâ thoughts turn to U.S. healthcare reform: Lisa Codispoti at Womenstake presents the numbers that show just how bad conditions are now. Brian Klepper at Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review explains the crucial element of healthcare reform thatâs missing from the new Harry and Louise ad (via Health […]