Research Cited

Groups File Motion to Intervene in Lawsuit Against OSHA Recordkeeping Rule

Source: National Safety Council | Published: 3/23/2017

Several public health advocacy groups have filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit that aims to undo OSHA’s requirement for employers to electronically submit worker injury and illness data for public view.

On March 21, organizations including watchdog group Public Citizen, the American Public Health Association, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, and the Center for Media and Democracy filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. The groups argue that they are entitled to act as defendants in the lawsuit, which was filed against OSHA by the National Association of Home Builders and other industry groups.

OU Professor, Organization Turn Up Heat on EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt over Emails

Democracy, Environment

Source: The Oklahoma Daily | Published: 3/23/2017

The Center for Media and Democracy filed a lawsuit against Pruitt Feb. 7 for not releasing 3,000 emails the organization sent open records requests for in 2015 and 2016. On Feb. 16, the day before Pruitt was confirmed as the EPA administrator, an Oklahoma judge ordered him to release the emails.

On Feb. 22, more than 7,500 of Pruitt’s emails were released, revealing that Pruitt did use a personal email account and that he had been communicating with organizations like American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, discussing changes he could make in the EPA that would benefit them, among other things.

Why Scientific Transparency Is So Tricky

Climate, Democracy, Environment, Trump

Source: Pacific Standard | Published: 3/21/2017

“Yes,” Pruitt replied. “As I indicated in my opening statement, I really believe that public participation, transparency in rule-making is very important.”

Pruitt’s answer was pretty nonsensical, since he’d been so withholding himself during the confirmation process: Democrats later boycotted the committee’s final vote to approve his nomination, citing his lack of response to their questions and failure to provide documents. (Pruitt told Democrats they could get the documents by contacting the office of the attorney general of Oklahoma — the office that he ran.) That same day, the Center for Media and Democracy sued Pruitt for failing to release emails they had requested over two years previously.

Pruitt’s Okla. Posse Arrives at Agency

Environment

Source: E&E News | Published: 3/20/2017

Last month, Pruitt was sued to release those emails under open records litigation from the liberal-leaning Center for Media and Democracy — some of which he has now released, providing more details on his state office’s close relationship with the oil and gas industry.

Supreme Court Confirmation Week: Neil Gorsuch’s Game Plan

Democracy

Source: Washington Examiner | Published: 3/20/2017

People for the American Way senior fellow Arn Pearson says he thinks Democrats are “entitled” to filibuster Gorsuch’s nomination and should slow any attempt to confirm him. Pearson is primarily interested in how Gorsuch will answer questions about issues of corporate influence and campaign finance.

Hyatt Simpson: Why Does Arizona Chamber Oppose Voter Initiatives?

Chambers of Commerce

Source: The Arizona Daily Star | Published: 3/19/2017

Research by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) on the political influence of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce provides some revealing insights into why the Arizona Chamber is engaging in such dishonorable political lobbying efforts: “On April 4, 2016, the Center for Media and Democracy … released documents that it obtained from a top GOP polling firm which show widespread support from the Chamber’s members for policies such as an increase in the minimum wage, paid sick leave, paid paternity and paid maternity leave.

What You Need to Know about Scott Pruitt

Climate, Environment

Source: Standard Examiner | Published: 3/19/2017

One chain of emails show that American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), a lobby group for oil and gas, coordinated with Pruitt in 2013 to oppose the Renewable Fuel Standard Program and ozone limits. AFPM pursued its own case against the regulations, but later that year, Pruitt also filed a case suing the EPA over the same thing and used similar language to that in the emails.

This worries many Democrats and environmentalists because close ties with oil can often equal a disregard for the well-being of the environment. Republicans, on the other hand, believe that these ties with oil and gas will ensure that the government won’t overreach into those industries. You can find the emails on the Center for Media and Democracy’s website.

Trump May Not Last a Year, His Supreme Court Shouldn’t Last Generations

Democracy, Trump

Source: The Hill | Published: 3/18/2017

Otherwise, Americans face the very real prospect of having a president who may not survive his first year — let alone his first term — cast his shadow over the legitimacy of our nation’s highest court for decades to come.

Electric Utility Executives Pony Up for the GOP Roll Back of Environmental Protections

Environment, Trump

Source: DeSmog | Published: 3/15/2017

This week, as President Trump reportedly prepares to begin unwinding the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, and as Congressional Republicans continue their systematic dismantling of environmental protections, the heads of electric utilities are showing up in Washington, D.C. to raise money for the GOP leadership.

A ‘Sunshine Week’ Panel Vows Vigilance on Public Records During a Milwaukee Press Club Luncheon

Democracy, Wisconsin

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Published: 3/15/2017

The failed 2015 Fourth of July weekend effort by state lawmakers to gut the state’s open records law could be repeated, open government advocates said Wednesday.