Thank you President Obama from a long frustrated whistle blower

by Lefty Coaster

Americans shouldn't have to applaud when their government does something right. Americans should expect that kind of competence from their government. Needed changes in chemical safety have been bottled up by special interests for so many years that it became a long running national scandal. I referring to likelihood of stricter EPA regulation of formaldehyde emissions, that was the subject of Eclectablog's fine diary earlier today: A DEMOCRATIC legislative & regulatory WIN you didn't know about

For me this is a deeply personal issue. One I've been living with for the last 24 years. You see I'm a formaldehyde whistle blower who went public 22 years ago.

My job involved an industrial process that vented hot formaldehyde vapor directly into my work area. For the 2+ years I did that job I suffered blinding migraine headaches that would go on for days, lasting up to 10 days at a time. Working around formaldehyde turned my life into a living hell. A miserable ordeal to be endured. I finally made the connection between these intense migraine headaches and my work environment when these insentient migraines disappeared during a two week vacation, and resumed as soon as I returned to work.

continued at Daily Kos....

The Downplaying of Dispersants

by scorpiorising

I almost choked on my breakfast cereal when I read this headline in the Times Picayune today: Senator gently scolds EPA's Director(for that headline today there is no online link posted yet, so I included a link from basically the same article yesterday). Now I didn't see the entire video of that questioning, but I did see a compilation of remarks both from Senator Mikulski and Lisa Jackson. "Gentle" is a value ascribed to the interaction that I wouldn't necessarily use. I will admit though, it could have been a lot stronger from Mikulski and company. There is also a grilling, at the same hearing, of a NOAA official that is worth seeing.

continued at Daily Kos....

A DEMOCRATIC legislative & regulatory WIN you didn't know about

by Eclectablog

Cross-posted at Eclectablog.com.

Last October, I wrote about freshman Senator Amy Klobuchar's bill to regulate formaldehyde emissions from engineered wood panels. These are the panels used to build our homes, our desks and other furniture and that are ubiquitous throughout our lives, often unnoticed. Shop at any Office Max, Ikea, or discount furniture store and you'll be surrounded by things made from medium density fiberboard (MDF) and particleboard.

Last week, with little fanfare or notice, President Obama signed Senator Klobuchar's bill into law. And to add to the magnitude of this Dem-Win, the EPA declared formaldehyde to be a carcinogen, paving the way to further action from this governmental body.

More on these most-awesome, under-the-radar regulatory wins for Democrats, Senator Klobuchar and President Obama after the fold.

continued at Daily Kos....

The Invisible Hand Gives Deep Water Drilling the Finger

by Crashing Vor

More than once in these posts I've cited the work of Times-Picayune business reporter Rebecca Mowbray. She is deeply knowledgeable in many of the industries that affect our state's economy, particularly energy and insurance. And this Sunday, she drove a stake through the heart of a simplistic talking point at the crossroads where those sectors meet.

continued at Daily Kos....

Why the BP oil spill is nothing like a 'plane crash'

by ProgressiveSouth

With public support for offshore oil drilling slipping and Washington pushing for new regulations on the industry, what's a pro-drilling politician, pundit or lobbyist to do?Apparently, something like this: Minimize the Gulf oil disaster, compare it to a freak accident, and suggest that drilling for oil 5,000 feet beneath the ocean is just as essential to our daily lives as, say, flying in an airplane.

continued at Daily Kos....