Press Releases

New Federal Safeguards Issued in 2012 Bring Major Benefits to Public, New U.S. Report Shows (5/1/13)

In a draft annual report to Congress reviewing federal regulations issued between 2002 and 2012, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) found that the monetary benefits of rules dwarfed their costs. The report, posted quietly by the White House in April, tallied $53.2 billion to $114.6 billion... Read more...

OIRA Nominee Howard Shelanski Faces Test: Will He Pledge Major Reforms to Rejuvenate Regulatory System, Serve the Public? (4/26/13)

Responding to the White House’s announcement Thursday of President Barack Obama’s intention to nominate Howard Shelanski to be the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), leaders of the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards (CSS) issued the following statements. Read more...

As Country Honors West, Texas, Victims in Memorial, Work Lies Ahead to Make Workers, First Responders, Public Safer (4/25/13)

The specific cause of the West, Texas, fertilizer plant disaster is still being investigated, but one thing is clear: Tragedies like this shouldn’t happen in America. Our country can and should do more to prevent these kinds of tragedies from occurring, and businesses must be required to develop safety and... Read more...

Third Anniversary of BP Oil Spill Disaster Highlights Need for More Proactive Approach on Public Protections (4/19/13)

The third anniversary of the BP oil spill is a reminder of the real-life cost of inadequate regulation and enforcement – and the need for a proactive agenda for public protections. Wednesday night’s tragic explosion at a fertilizer plant in Texas, too, is a reminder of the work we have... Read more...

Groups Oppose President's Budget Assumption on Finalization of USDA Poultry Rule (4/12/13)

Following the release of President Obama’s FY 2014 budget, public interest groups representing a range of causes and perspectives weighed in to express their disappointment with the proposed budget’s provisions concerning USDA’s new poultry inspection protocols. Read more...

Budget Amendment Press Release (3/21/13)

A tsunami of new amendments to be considered during the Budget Resolution of 2013 vote would threaten public protections and safeguards by altering the regulatory process to make it more difficult to pass regulations that protect Americans from harm, the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards (CSS) said today. The coalition called... Read more...

Radical REINS Act- Distraction from other Anti-Regulatory Bills (3/8/13)

The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2013 (H.R. 367) would gut enforcement of laws opposed by industry-backed special interests and is designed to distract public attention from a growing list of other harmful proposals to block the implementation of vital rules and standards that... Read more...

Top Financial Regulators Oppose Independent Agency Regulatory Analysis Act (PDF Format) (11/1/12)

Bernanke, Schapiro, Others Decry Unprecedented New Powers Bill Would Give The President Over Independent Agencies WASHINGTON—Objections by six high-profile U.S. financial regulators to legislation that would give future presidents unprecedented new powers over independent agencies highlight the dangers of the measure, the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards said today. Read more...

Top Financial Regulators Oppose Independent Agency Regulatory Analysis Act (11/1/12)

Bernanke, Schapiro, Others Decry Unprecedented New Powers Bill Would Give The President Over Independent Agencies WASHINGTON—Objections by six high-profile U.S. financial regulators to legislation that would give future presidents unprecedented new powers over independent agencies highlight the dangers of the measure, the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards said today. Read more...

Groups Oppose S. 3468, the Independent Agency Regulatory Analysis Act of 2012 (9/10/12)

A wide variety of nonpartisan groups have come together to urge all Senators to oppose S. 3468, the Independent Agency Regulatory Analysis Act of 2012. Read more...

New Fuel Efficiency Standards Showcase Benefits of Regulations (8/28/12)

CSS press release on new fuel efficiency standards. Read more...

Economic Studies Show that America’s Regulatory Safeguards Give the U.S. Economy a Competitive Advantage (8/21/12)

Reaction to the MAPI-NERA Report on the Impact of Regulations On U.S. Manufacturers: Health, safety, environmental, financial, and other safeguards make our country stronger and safer – and the public relies on them. The Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and... Read more...

PUBLIC INTEREST GROUPS DECRY HOUSE VOTE TO STRANGLE FEDERAL SAFEGUARDS (7/26/12)

Members of the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards today decried the passage of H.R. 4078 in the House of Representatives. The GOP-led bill calls for an unprecedented shutdown of the U.S. regulatory system. Members of the coalition, which includes a wide range of public interest groups, emphasized the harm the proposed... Read more...

Regulatory Shutdown Proposal Is Unprecedented, Would Harm Millions, Lawmakers and Public Interest Groups Say (7/23/12)

U.S. Reps. Cummings, Waxman and Markey Join Americans Who Would Be Harmed in Denouncing Bill to Block New National Safeguards for Clean Air, Safe Food and Workplaces, Secure Financial System and More Read more...

A Good Move: Administration Gives People More Time to Weigh in on Wrongheaded Poultry Rule (4/19/12)

The Obama administration is doing the right thing by giving people another month to weigh in on a dangerous proposal to let companies oversee most inspections of chickens in processing plants. The close of the comment period for this rule had been April 26; the administration today extended that by... Read more...

Administration Sending Wrong Message on Regulatory Review (3/20/12)

The Coalition for Sensible Safeguards criticizes the “Cumulative Effects” memo released today by Cass Sunstein, administrator at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. The CSS is disappointed with the message the memo sends to federal agencies, and with OIRA’s misplaced focus on this guidance when so many crucial public... Read more...

Short Memories in Congress Powering Misguided JOBS Act (3/14/12)

Congress is showing a disturbing failure of judgment by moving forward with the misleadingly named Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act. There is little evidence that regulatory safeguards cost jobs, yet once again, those who favor corporate profits over public safety are pushing a bill based on a false premise. Read more...

SOTU 2012 America's Future Depends on a Strong System of Public Safeguards (1/24/12)

President Barack Obama presented his vision of America’s future in his 2012 State of the Union address. The Coalition for Sensible Safeguards believes prosperity for the United States must include a strong and secure system of regulatory protections. Read more...

House Completes Its Terrible Trifecta by Passing the REINS Act (12/7/11)

The REINS Act represents the most radical threat in generations to our government�s ability to protect the public from harm. The bill would delay or shut down the implementation of critical new public health and safety protections, thereby making Big Business and industry even less accountable to the public. Read more...

House Jeopardizes Public Health and Safety with Irresponsible Regulatory Accountability Act (12/2/11)

The U.S. House of Representatives, largely along party lines, approved H.R. 3010, the �Regulatory Accountability Act of 2011.� The Coalition for Sensible Safeguards staunchly condemns this attack on the health and safety of the public and strongly urges the Senate to reject it. Read more...

House Voting on Terrible Trifecta of Deregulatory Bills That Would Destroy Vital Safeguards (11/30/11)

� As early as tomorrow, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on the �Regulatory Accountability Act (RAA) of 2011� (H.R. 3010) and the �Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act� (H.R, 527). The �Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2011� (H.R. 10) is expected to come... Read more...

Regulatory Accountability Act Puts Public in Harm's Way (11/16/11)

The Regulatory Accountability Act (RAA) (S. 1606/H.R. 3010) is a radical measure that would severely weaken laws that protect our health, safety and the environment. A new paper from the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards, Impacts of the Regulatory Accountability Act: Overturning 65 Years of Law and Leaving Americans Less... Read more...

The Senate Republican Jobs Bill: A "Jobs Plan" About Everything Except Jobs (11/10/11)

Note: Today, the House of Representatives will vote on S. 1720, the �Jobs Through Growth Act.� This bill is less a coherent piece of legislation than a laundry list of proposals pushed by corporate interests to weaken safeguards for American families and the environment, and to erode the rights of... Read more...

GOP Alternative to Jobs Bill Puts the American People at Risk (11/3/11)

The REINS Act and the Regulatory Time Out Act pose a clear threat to our government�s ability to protect the public from harm, the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards said today. Read more...

House Judiciary Committee Approves Irresponsible Regulatory Accountability Act; Bill With "Bipartisan" Facade Threatens Vital Public Safeguards (11/3/11)

The Regulatory Accountability Act (RAA) is one of the biggest threats to environmental standards, workplace safety rules, public health and financial reform regulations to appear in decades, and it is similar in scope to the much-maligned REINS Act. Read more...

House Judiciary Committee Examination Into System of Regulatory Protections Is Ill Conceived (10/25/11)

�Under either bill, the work of agency scientists would lose its power to push back against special interests who are more concerned about their bottom lines than our health and safety. Read more...

REINS Act: Radical Threat to Health, Safety and Other Public Protections (10/13/11)

The REINS Act represents the most radical threat in generations to our government�s ability to protect the public from harm. The bill will delay or shut down the implementation of critical new public health and safety protections, thereby making big business and industry even less accountable to the public. Read more...

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Takes Its Anti-Regulatory Road Show to Posh Chicago Hotel, Attacks Standards That Protect Illinois Families (10/5/11)

When the U.S. Chamber of Commerce brings its anti-regulatory �road show� to the Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel in Chicago on Oct. 6, local business leaders will hear from Andy Card, White House chief of staff under former President George W. Bush. Read more...

Food Deaths Are Stark Reminder That Delaying Regulatory Safeguards Puts People at Risk (9/30/11)

The recent U.S. outbreak of foodborne illness � the deadliest in more than a decade � is a stark reminder that regulations play a vital role in protecting the public, the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards said today. Read more...

Regulatory Accountability Act is Another Attempt to Weaken Vital Public Safeguards (9/22/11)

Congressional proponents of Big Business continued their attack on public safeguards today with the introduction of the �Regulatory Accountability Act of 2011.� Read more...

TRAIN Act Continues Misguided Attacks on Public Health and Environmental Protections (9/19/11)

This week, the House of Representatives is scheduled to take up the latest in a series of attacks against crucial public health and environmental protections. Read more...

Halting Life-Saving Protections for a Year Will Not Create Jobs, But Only Place Americans in Harm�s Way (9/13/11)

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and 16 other senators� proposed moratorium on new regulations is a misguided attempt at blocking life-saving protections that are vital to safeguarding the most vulnerable of the nation�s citizens. Read more...

Public Interest Groups Support President\'s Public Protections Pledge and Urge More Action on Improving Safeguards (9/9/11)

In his jobs speech on Sept. 8, President Barack Obama pledged to uphold the public protections that the American people have relied on for decades to ensure clean air, clean water, safe food and safer workplaces. The Coalition for Sensible Safeguards supports the president's pledge, calls on the president to... Read more...

President, Congress Must Acknowledge Regulatory Protections Preserve Jobs, Strengthen Our Economy and Nation (9/7/11)

The president and Congress need to acknowledge deregulation's role in American job losses if we are going to have an honest conversation about job creation and our regulatory system. Read more...

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Makes Tour Stop at Posh Resort, Attacks Regulations that Protect West Virginia Miners and Families (9/1/11)

When the U.S. Chamber of Commerce brings its anti-regulatory �road show� to the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., on Sept. 2, local business leaders will hear a false choice between job growth and protecting families and communities from harm. Read more...

White House Should Reject Big Business Fiction That the Jobs Crisis Is Due to Excessive Regulation (8/23/11)

Everyone agrees that outdated rules that no longer serve a purpose should be stricken from the books. But the administration's overemphasis on needless rules � which no one supports and obviously should be eliminated � reinforces the U.S. Chamber of Commerce duplicitous narrative about regulation damaging the national economy and... Read more...

U.S. Chamber of Commerce bringing its regulatory snake oil tour to Wisconsin (8/5/11)

When the U.S. Chamber of Commerce brings its 21st century snake oil tour to Kimberly, Wis., on August 8, local business leaders will hear an anti-regulatory gospel preached by Evan Bayh, a former U.S. senator from Indiana, and Andy Card, White House Chief of Staff under George W. Bush.... Read more...

Coalition for Sensible Safeguards Calls on House to Stop Attacks against Environmental Protections (7/28/11)

This week, largely overshadowed by the intense debate on the debt ceiling, the House has been jamming dozens of anti-environmental policy provisions into a bill that funds the Department of the Interior and other agencies. The Coalition for Sensible Safeguards calls on the House to stop these unwarranted attacks... Read more...

Big Business Influence on Regulatory Process Is Behind Anti-Smog Rules Delay (7/26/11)

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will not meet the deadline for issuing anti-smog rules that are designed to protect the health and well-being of Americans. The agency�s inability to issue a rule by a deadline agreed upon in court illustrates the difficulty in developing crucial public... Read more...

Novel Website Exposes U.S. Chamber of Commerce Regulatory Snake Oil Tour (7/25/11)

As an answer to the U.S. Chamber�s snake oil tour, the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards launched a new website today to serve as an informative and fun online destination where the myths of the Chamber are debunked. Read more...

Nation�s System of Regulatory Protections Must Be Strengthened, Not Weakened (7/20/11)

The nation�s system of health, safety, environmental, financial and other regulatory protections needs to be strengthened, not weakened, the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards said today. Read more...

New Report Debunks Bogus Claim about Costs of Public Safeguards (7/19/11)

A new critique of the notorious �Crain and Crain� regulatory costs study dismantles the methodology behind the study and exposes its data as flawed. The report, �Flaws call for rejecting Crain and Crain model,� concludes that the study�s regulatory cost claims are fundamentally unreliable, fortifying its growing reputation as �urban... Read more...

In Hearing on Regulatory System, Expect a Lot of False Rhetoric Generated by Business Interests (6/23/11)

As Senate lawmakers meet today to discuss potential changes to the federal regulatory process, expect to hear a lot of false rhetoric from corporate interests. Read more...

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Ramps up Attacks on Public Protections with Planned Roadshow (6/8/11)

On June 2, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue sent a memo to supporters outlining a multi-front campaign on regulatory reform, including a national anti-regulatory �roadshow� that will feature former Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and former Bush White House chief of staff Andrew Card. Read more...

Streamlining Regulatory Process Is Fine, but Administration Should Look Forward, Not Back (5/26/11)

Looking back is fine, but not at the expense of looking forward. While we welcome the efficiencies and streamlining that the look-backs may achieve, the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards urges the administration to focus on saving lives and stabilizing the economy. Read more...

Another Lopsided Hearing Ignores Societal Benefits of Regulation (5/25/11)

Yet another one-sided hearing is being held today in the U.S. House of Representatives that attempts to portray many commonsense health and safety safeguards as economic obstacles. Read more...

Obama Administration Should Defend and Strengthen Regulatory Safeguards (5/18/11)

Today, federal agencies are scheduled to submit preliminary plans for reviewing rules that are already on the books. The "look-back" plans, due to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), were required by President Barack Obama in a Jan. 18 executive order. Read more...