States Push Congress, EPA To End Toxic Trade Secrets

03/10/2010 – Do commercial products we have body contact with contain toxic chemicals? In too many cases, states and environmentalists are saying, the federal government forbids consumers from knowing.

White House May Urge Greater NEPA Transparency

03/10/2010 – New NEPA policies proposed in February by the Council on Environmental Quality cover climate impacts; findings of no impact and requirements for monitoring; categorical exclusions; and better tools for reporting to the public on NEPA activities.

EPA Launches New Online Regulatory Gateway

03/03/2010 – The site offers some improvements over poring through the Federal Register, but it's not comprehensive, topics are too broad, and there's poor differentiation between topics and constituencies. On the plus side, visitors can comment on in-process regulations, get alerts about specific regulations, attend online public meetings, and sort in-process regs.

Firearms Now Allowed in Parks; Rules Eased in Refuges

03/03/2010 – Educating your audience about the complicated new law will be a useful public service. It will also familiarize you with the people involved at your local facilities, what steps they are taking, and who you can contact if a shooting incident or other violation occurs.

Enviros Seek Disclosure of Household Cleaning Product Ingredients

02/10/2010 – A court case involving a 1971 NY law may force manufacturers to make public unlisted toxic chemicals in products like stain remover, dish soap and laundry detergent. The cleanser industry says the action is "unwarranted, and that fears about health risks are misinformed," according to the AP.

Environmental Disclosure a High-Stakes Issue for Corporations

01/27/2010 – Companies of all kinds face the prospect of major costs or losses as they face a future of unknown risks and uncertain regulations — and you are provided an environmental reporting opportunity.

20% of Chemicals in Commerce Claim To Be 'Trade Secrets'

01/13/2010 – Washington Post reporter Lyndsey Layton writes about the thousands of chemicals exempted from EPA screening for potential harm to the environment and public health — and the three-decades-old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that renders it possible, in the interest of protecting manufacturers' bottom lines.

Will Off-Record White House Meetings with Coal Lobby Stifle Ash Regs?

01/13/2010 – After an October 2009 EPA proposal to regulate coal ash, documents show coal industry officials started meeting with OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and soon EPA announced it was postponing proposal of the coal-ash regulation.

Mapping Tool Allows New Way To Cover EPA Enforcement Actions

01/06/2010 – With data on ~4,600 civil and criminal enforcement actions in fiscal year 2009, you can determine trends by state and EPA Region for type and extent of enforcement; track down enforcement actions in areas of interest to your audience; and serve as a starting point for stories that are seemingly unrelated to an enforcement action.

New OMB Open Government Directive Offers FOI Opportunities

12/16/2009 – While there are plenty of EPA databases already on line, not all of them are in a form that can be quickly downloaded in their entirety and imported into standard database software. That's a key criterion specified, and one that will ease computer-assisted reporting for journalists.