As the year is winding down, one question on the minds of many MSHA inspectors, managers and staff has to be: Will Stickler be here in 2008? The MSHA chief, Richard Stickler, received his job from President G.W. Bush on a “recess appointment,” which expires at the end of the current U.S. Senate session. If the Senate adjourns (as it usually […]
The Science Debate 2008 initiative (which we blogged about earlier) has prompted Janet Stemwedel at Adventures in Ethics and Science, Coturnix at A Blog Around the Clock, and Zuska at Thus Spake Zuska to suggest questions to be asked at a presidential science debate. Iâm sure there are many other bloggers whoâve posed questions, but […]
If you live near a facility that releases between 500 and 2,000 pounds of a toxic chemical each year, you may be about to lose your access to important information about what you and your neighbors are potentially exposed to. Thatâs because EPA has changed its Toxics Release Inventory reporting requirements, raising the level at […]
An gas explosion in a coal mine in Chinaâs Shanxi province has killed 105 miners. Xinhua reports on factors that contributed to the tragedy: [Li Yizhong, head of the State Administration of Work Safety] said the number nine coal bed, where the accident occurred, was not approved for mining. However, it had been mined since […]
By Dick Clapp There were two reviews of Devra Davisâs new book, The Secret History of the War on Cancer (Basic Books, 2007), published in Lancet journals last month. One was in the November 24 issue of the Lancet and the other was in the November issue of Lancet Oncology. They are so diametrically opposite […]
By David Michaels, Susan Wood, and Liz Borkowski Weâve joined with our fellow scientists and citizens to call for presidential candidates to devote a debate to an issue we havenât heard enough about in campaign appearances so far: science. The âScience Debate 2008â campaign is a nonpartisan effort that states: Given the many urgent scientific […]
Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao published her semi-annual regulatory agenda yesterday in the Federal Register. Earlier this month, I’d made predictions about the agenda, but after perusing the document, I’m glad I didn’t put any money down on my guesses. Rather than updating the status of safety and health standards that are in the works, many hazard topics […]
Tomorrow, the House Small Business Committee will convene a hearing based on a study that is so flawed it could be used to teach students how not to do survey research. Last month, we wrote about this âsurvey,â conducted by the US Chamber of Commerce, purporting to show that compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley rules would be […]
The Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act (H.R. 2262) would revamp the 1872 federal law governing hardrock mining (mining for metals and gems, not for coal), and a new article from Business Week reports that the Act has the support of many local officials who worry about miningâs effects on air, water, and tourism. Industry officials […]
Gristmill has been doing an excellent job of tracking the progress of energy legislation in Congress this week; highlights include: Nancy Pelosiâs ass-kicking, which allowed the House bill to return to something close to its former strength; A marathon session in the Senateâs Environment and Public Works Committee, featuring an endless stream of amendments; The […]