With their decision in Sackett v. EPA, Supreme Court justices willing to ignore evidence in order to strike down regulations have once again substituted their preferences for the intent of Congress and the expertise of a federal agency.
Last week was Workers Memorial Week, and workers and their supporters around the country marked the occasion by remembering those killed on the job and by occupational illnesses. It was also an occasion to call for changes to make workplaces safer and prevent future fatalities.
On January 21, President Biden signed an executive order directing OSHA to consider issuing an emergency temporary standard to protect workers from COVID-19, with a March 15 deadline. More than a month later, workers are still waiting.
A new three-part series from Robin Young and Serena McMahon for WBUR’s Here & Now delves into ways the Trump administration is silencing science. It basically comes down to ignoring scientists’ input when it demonstrates the need for regulation, and making scientific work for the federal government miserable.
An important new piece by Sharon Lerner at the The Intercept describes how the Trump administration is gutting toxics regulations, and what that means in terms of increased cancer rates.
Two year-end pieces from the New York Times capture the Trump administration’s awful toll on public health.
Jack Mitchell’s impressive career involved investigative reporting for CNN, many years of government service, and serving as director of health policy at the nonprofit National Center for Health Research. In addition to being a fighter for public health, he was a thoughtful and generous collaborator.
Of the more than 300,000 public comments submitted to EPA regarding a proposed undermining of air pollution rules, several criticized the agency for something that’s become a disturbing trend under the Trump administration: Ignoring evidence that demonstrates a need for regulation.
A proposed new inspection system for pork facilities will shift the responsibility for identifying diseased and contaminated carcasses away from USDA inspectors toward pork plant employees, Kimberly Kindy reports in the Washington Post.
Live streaming of the Deepwater Horizon’s failed blowout preventer (BOP) captured our attention in 2011. Rules were put in place in 2016 to guard against a similar disaster, but the White House is on the verge of rolling them back.