You may recall a March 5, WasteWatcher blog, “New FDA Report on BPA: It is Still Safe,” which discussed a pre-peer review draft study released by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) on bisphenol A (BPA), a compound used to produce plastic products and epoxy resins used in food and beverage can linings. The study, two-years […]
New York Politicians Wage War on Plastic
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio, both Democrats, are widely reported not to get along very well. But they have at least one thing in common: they are waging a war on plastic products. Plastic bags and plastic bottles, used by countless New Yorkers every day, are both […]
EPA to Implement Transparency Requirements for Scientific Studies: It’s About Time
The rule will “ensure that the regulatory science underlying agency actions is fully transparent, and that underlying scientific information is publicly available in a manner sufficient for independent validation.”
Recognizing the Value of Women’s Intellectual Property Rights on World IP Day
The creative influence of women around the globe is of critical importance to innovation.
Without Oversight, RUS Broadband Grant Program Could Follow Path of Stimulus
The recently released Farm Bill contained many of the same wasteful spending items found in past Farm Bills, but also held a few surprises that if not contained with transparency and appropriate oversight could lead to further wasteful spending. Among the new programs found in this year’s Farm Bill is a provision in Title VI, […]
Major legislation aims to slash Pentagon bureaucracy and waste
On April 17, 2018, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), chairman of the powerful House Committee on Armed Services, revealed a far-reaching proposal targeting the Defense Department’s so-called “Fourth Estate” agencies, which are maintained by around 200,000 civilian personnel and 600,000 contractors. The Fourth Estate is a nickname for defense agencies that provide administrative, purchasing, and oversight […]
The Fourth Circuit Was Right to Reject Price Controls for Generic Drugs
This prudent decision will send a strong message to other state legislatures across the country not to pursue similar legislation.
Obamacare is Bringing BIG Changes
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, is bringing many changes in the healthcare space and few are as subtly transformative as the rapid increase in cross-industry consolidation. A record breaking 115 mergers and acquisitions among hospitals and health systems occurred in 2017, an increase of 13 percent from 2016. These mega-deals can […]
Music Copyright Modernization Moves Forward
Technological advances over the past several decades have dramatically changed the way everyone listens to music, but compensation for performers, producers, and songwriters remains in the dark ages. They do not receive just compensation for the intellectual property created by their hard work and ingenuity. For the past couple of years, House Judiciary Committee has […]
Rescission and the Trump Administration
Rescission is an abstruse presidential tool passed amid the Nixon administration under the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Using rescission, a president can select any appropriated federal program for reduction or elimination by telling Congress what he or she intends to cut. The Congress then has 45 days to accept the decision […]