OMB Watch was formed in 1983 to lift the veil of secrecy shrouding the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB oversees federal regulation, the budget, information collection and dissemination, proposed legislation, testimony by agencies, and much more. While OMB's actions were having an enormous impact on agency operations and the pursuit of social justice, it remained largely behind the scenes -- unaccountable and little understood by the public and public interest groups. By explaining governmental processes and monitoring OMB, OMB Watch helped bring sunshine to this powerful and secretive agency.
More about OMB Watch at: http://www.ombwatch.org/article/archive/269
Following is a story from the OMB Watch website released
Save the Toxic Release Inventory
Congress is about to vote on an amendment that would stop the EPA from destroying our nation's premier tool for public notification about toxic pollution.
The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) annually provides communities with details about the amount of toxic chemicals released into the air, land, and water. The information enables groups and individuals to press companies to reduce their pollution, resulting in safer, healthier communities.
Late last year, EPA proposed three changes to TRI, each of which would leave you in the dark about dangerous pollution in your community. The agency wants to:
* Cut this successful annual program in half by eliminating every other year of reporting;
* Allow companies to pollute ten times as much before being required to report the details about how much toxic pollution was produced and where it went;
* Permit facilities to hide information on low production of persistent bioacculuative toxins (PBTs), which are dangerous even in small quantities because they are toxic, persist in the environment, and build up in people's bodies.
The Pallone-Solis Toxic Right-To-Know Amendment to the Interior Appropriations Bill (that decides funding levels for the EPA) would prohibit the EPA from spending any money to implement the changes. By using the "power of the purse strings," lawmakers could stop the dangerous cuts.
Tell your representative to support the Pallone-Solis Toxic Right-To-Know Amendment and stop the EPA from moving forward with these dangerous proposals. Congress needs to know how much you care about this program.
The page for the news release also has a petition you can sign at: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/ombwatch/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=3766
To find out who your representatives in Congress are, go to:
U.S. House of Representatives
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml
U.S. Senate
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm