Government

The bill passed by the House now goes to the Senate, which had previously failed to act on a similar bill passed by the House in 2007.

As of March 31, 2009, the Agriculture Department may keep secret the locations and phone numbers of feedlots — however much the public may complain about their smell and the pollution emanating from them.

The Energy Department is listing state and local grant allocations from the stimulus bill on its website. Find out what your area of coverage is slated to receive in aid.

Restrictions would be placed on many types of stationary diesel and gas-fired engines under a proposed EPA rule.

A new Office of Inspector General report found many chemical facilities storing large amounts of dangerous chemicals had not filed their required RMPs -- and that EPA was not checking often for compliance.

EPA's public release of the latest Toxics Release Inventory data -- and rollback of Bush-era cutbacks on the amount of information chemical companies must report -- may have marked the beginning of a new era for the embattled program.

A new bill would require Congress to explicitly declare when it was creating a new exemption to the Freedom of Information Act in any legislation.

Carrying out a January 21 order by President Barack Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder has reversed the so-called "Ashcroft Memo," which had encouraged agencies during the George Bush presidency to err on the side of secrecy.

On March 6 a coalition of major ethanol producers (Growth Energy) formally requested that EPA raise the cap on the amount of ethanol that can be blended into US gasoline. EPA has 270 days to respond.

Recently released studies show that the problem of ever-increasing GHG emissions in the US could be even worse than the current data indicate, as additional substances are added to the list. A proposed EPA rule may help, if finalized.