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Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Scientists Resign in Protest of Advisory Panel
Three scientists resigned from an EPA advisory committee panel reviewing the management of chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act. Richard Dension, senior scientist for Environmental Defense, Joseph Guth, executive director of the California League of Environmental Enforcement Now, and Joel Tickner, assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts, wrote a joint resignation letter to the National Pollution Prevention & Toxics Advisory Committee, complaining that the commission was slanted towards industry and failed to address the systemic problems hampering EPA's management of toxic chemicals. According to a report by BNA's Daily Report for Executives (subscription-only), the three environmentalists' efforts to look at larger management issues were stymied by the committee.

"Our main interest in joining the committee, and we believe its essential mandate, was to examine the systematic, structural challenges EPA faces in assessing and managing chemicals under TSCA," the three noted.
In their resignation letter, the three individuals said they had made recommendations that they thought would improve OPPT's management of chemicals.
"However, NPPTAC has been unable or unwilling meaningfully to consider these systemic, structural problems or ideas of the kind we brought forward," they wrote.
"One reason is that OPPT itself has shown considerable reluctance to acknowledge and confront limitations in its approaches to implementing its authorities and carrying out its chemicals assessment and management functions," they continued. "As a result, we have found that EPA discourages, rather than encourages, a full, open exploration of how it could approach these issues differently, even over the long term."
The committee is weighted excessively toward the chemical industry, the advocates wrote.

The story is also reported here.

Posted by Genevieve Smith, 10:19:41 PM

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Possible Recess Appointment for Mine Safety Head
The Senate has now failed to act on the nomination of industry-man Richard Stickler to head the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) twice. As we reported in February, Stickler is an industry man with a poor track record when it comes to health and safety. According to the United Mine Workers, mines run by Stickler had accident rates double that of the national average for six of eight years, including two fatal accidents at a mine Stickler managed for five years. The United Mine Workers has opposed his nomination to lead the federal agency and previously opposed his 1997 nomination to the Pennsylvania mine safety department. According to a UMWA letter to President Bush opposing the nomination, "[t]he continued tenure of Mr. Stickler will have a grave and immediate impact on state's miners."

With Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) vowing to block the nomination, it seems unlikely Bush would try to send the Stickler nomination to the floor a third time. As rumored in CongressDaily (subscription-only), Bush might also try to push Stickler through in a recess appointment. According to CD, "a spokesman for Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Enzi said Stickler is not likely to become the head of MSHA outside of a recess appointment. 'That would be a fair assessment,' the spokesman said. 'We've got an impasse on this particular nominee and the White House is going to have to make a decision as to what they prefer to do.'"

Posted by Genevieve Smith, 10:02:54 AM