Fourteen states have banded together to sue the United States government for its failure to comply with the Clean Air Act. According to the suit, led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the US missed its Oct. 1st deadline to identify regions with unhealthy air. Areas deemed at risk must work to ameliorate their air quality. But without … [Read more...]
Doug Jones and Tina Smith Are Sworn Into the U.S. Senate
From the TIME magazine YouTube Channel: Two new Democrats, Doug Jones and Tina Smith, are sworn into the U.S. Senate, narrowing the Republican majority and complicating efforts by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to advance the White House's legislative agenda before the midterm elections in November. https://youtu.be/hqT_bHRPAcc?rel=0 … [Read more...]
Administration Fails to Cut Affordable Housing Programs
Lacking any input from long-time civil servants, Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin made a shocking announcement on December 1st in a phone meeting with advocates. He told them that the VA would soon end an integral homelessness program and divert the funds to local hospitals. Those hospitals, he said, would be allowed to use the money as … [Read more...]
Federal Judges Halt Trump’s Attempt to Destroy Obamacare No-Cost Birth Control Mandate
President Trump succeeded in killing The Affordable Care Act’s “individual mandate” via the new tax law’s provision eliminating penalties for Americans who choose not to purchase health insurance, starting in 2019. However, Trump failed to enact the so-called moral and religious- exemption rules that would have quashed Obamacare’s no-cost birth … [Read more...]
Undocumented Workers Exploited in Wake of Harvey
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, day laborers, the majority of which are undocumented immigrants, are being put to work thanks to the many reconstruction projects now underway. This situation is not entirely surprising, as half the construction workforce in Texas are in the states illegally. According to a study released in 2013, nearly … [Read more...]
White House Censors the CDC
In 2007, the US Supreme Court issued a decision asking the EPA to determine whether greenhouse gases could “reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare.” The agency went to work, seeking an answer to the Justices’ question. There were those who earnestly sought an answer, and there were those who sought to interfere with this … [Read more...]
Trump Administration Weakens Protections for Women in the US
During the past year, Donald Trump and his cabinet have proposed and executed a number of regressive policies, taking aim at regulations, health care, the tax code and the budget. Because these issues have a universal impact, it is easy to forget that some people feel the consequences more than others. In this regard, it deserves saying that women … [Read more...]
Mysterious GenX Chemical Could Be Major Public Health Concern
Earlier this year, DuPont and its spin-off company, Chemours, settled over 3,000 personal injury claims regarding exposure to the hazardous chemical, perfluorooctanoic acid (or PFOA). Both companies refused to accept responsibility, putting the matter to rest with nearly $671 million. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, the state has been pressuring 3M for … [Read more...]
Controlling the Fracking Narrative
In 2005, Congress passed a bill (HR 6) that led to devastating consequences in poor rural counties throughout the country, including areas in Pennsylvania, North Dakota and Texas. Notably, the energy bill included an exemption from the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), allowing hydraulic fracking to continue without federal oversight. That exemption, … [Read more...]
Trump Administration Delivers Major Blow to Small Farmers
On January 20th, President Trump signed a memorandum and sent it to the heads of federal agencies. The memo’s intent was to limit the publication and implementation of rules already in the pipeline. Specifically, the memo ordered agency heads to do the following: “With respect to regulations that have been published in the [Office of the Federal … [Read more...]
A Breakdown of the Stockert 3T Infection
When nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) infections started to appear in patients who had undergone open-heart surgery and other similar procedures, the FDA thought it was related to heater-cooler systems generally – not any one type in particular. Then, after M. chimaera was discovered at a Sorin 3T facility in 2014, it became evident that the … [Read more...]
Minnesota Seeks Justice in Contaminant Lawsuit Against 3M
In 2001, a diligent scientist working for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA’s) new contamination program started to uncover some troubling facts about perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs). These chemicals – largely used by 3M in firefighting foam, carpet coating and Scotch guard – had found their way into Minnesota groundwater – at least … [Read more...]
Republicans Bypass Blue Slip Procedure for Judicial Nominee
As political scientist and commentator Corey Robin has argued on a number of occasions, the crux of the Trump presidency lies not in his insistent erosion of norms, but in the long-term impact of his judiciary nominations. This may sound counterintuitive because after all, the courts have been essential in the fight against Trump’s belligerence – … [Read more...]
Senate Appropriations Bill Would Cut Important EPA Program
On November 20th, the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee released the Environmental Appropriations Bill for FY 2018. The bill, if implemented, would cut a program responsible for monitoring the negative health impact of certain chemicals. That program, known as the Integrated Risk Information System (or IRIS), would be combined with the … [Read more...]
Federal Judge Allows Lawsuits Against Murphy-Brown to Continue
On November 8th, a federal judge ruled in favor of plaintiffs in 26 lawsuits against the hog farming giant, Murphy-Brown, allowing most of the claims to move forward to trial. The decision marks a win for local North Carolina residents suffering financially and physically from the proximity of the factory farms; however, there may never be another … [Read more...]
Who Gets to Appoint the New Florida Justices?
In Florida, a debate has been simmering around the question of Supreme Court Justice appointments. In a strange turn of events, three Justices – Peggy Quince, Barbara Pariente and R. Fred Lewis – are due to retire on the last day of Governor Rick Scott’s tenure in office – January 8th, 2019. This is due to a retirement policy in that state, which … [Read more...]
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