The Little Office Behind Obama's Big Enviro Flops

[XemaSab]

For a while now, Obama's environmental record has been mixed—at times great, at others shoddy. But a new report (PDF), released Monday from the Center on Progressive Reform (CPR), suggests that when it comes to dismantling environmental reforms, Obama's administration is actually on par with that of former President George W. Bush. What’s worse, the report shows, is that their combined decade of damage has a common denominator: an elusive federal entity called the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) that has, under the auspices of both administrations, waged war on environmental, health, and safety protections.

OIRA consists of 55 people, mostly economists, whose main function is to review regulation drafts and proposals from various federal agencies. The office doesn't get much coverage in the media, but it's incredibly powerful—reporting right up to the director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget. In ten years, OIRA altered a whopping 84 percent of EPA rule submissions, undermining protections that the agency is trying to implement. Citing a number of studies, the report notes that "OIRA almost exclusively weakens agency rules."

Industry players—from corporate entities to lobbying firms—participate heavily in OIRA’s review process. Consider this table:




A few examples of OIRA's meddling: Though smog pollution—which has been linked to asthma and other lung conditions—has been steadily rising, OIRA struck down the EPA’s efforts to tighten regulations that would have reduced it. When a faulty ash pond in Kingston, Tennessee led to a coal ash spill that was, in quantity, larger than the BP spill, the EPA wrote stricter regulations for coal ash storage—but once OIRA got the draft, it watered the regulations down to the point that they're effectively useless. In both cases, OIRA backed its changes citing industry concerns that, the report explains, are based on incomplete research, and contradict the thorough reviews conducted by the EPA.

http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/11/obama-bush-environment-oira

[Vanje]

1. K&R

[joeybee12]

2. KNR...the environment is his biggest disappointment...

I include his war on wildlife...through that prick Salazar.

[truebrit71]

5. Amen to that!!!

...he has been an almost total failure on the environment...and Salazar was quite possibly the single worst appointment he could have made for Interior...

[XemaSab]

7. Word

:thumbsup:

[Hell Hath No Fury]

3. "OIRA" --

This looks like a must watch entity that needs a whole bunch of sunshine.

[Vanje]

4. I wish detractors would debate an article on its merits....

...rather than simply un-reccing.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

6. Cass Sunstein heads it --

Long but worth reading article on him and his approach with OIRA. And you can see just why/how O's environmental record has been all but dismal in really tackling the big issues.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/magazine/16Sunstein-t.html?pagewanted=all

They're like fucking corporate bean-counters who weight the cost of recalling a faulty product vs. letting a certain number of people die/get maimed and sue because it would be cheaper for the company in the long run. OIRA weights the future of our planet and species vs. the economy/market. Guess who loses.