Blog roundup
sb admin | December 12, 2008Bloggers react to the news of Obama's picks for top enviornmental posts:
Kate Sheppard at Gristmill gathers reactions from both environmental advocates and business-oriented think tanks. (Myron Ebel of the Competitive Enterprise Institute warns that Carol Browner shares many of Al Gore's "wildest opinions.")
Frances Beinecke at NRDC's Switchboard considers Obama's choices to be proof that he's serious about protect the planet and tackling global warming.
Dave Loos at EnviroWonk is "cautiously thrilled" about Steven Chu heading the Department of Energy.
Elsewhere:
Matt Madia at Reg Watch…
sb admin | December 5, 2008The Bush administrationâs decision to let mining companies dump their waste into waterways is bad news, but bloggers note a few bright spots on the coal-mining scene.
Rob Perks at NRDCâs Switchboard announces that Bank of America âwill phase out financing of companies whose predominant method of extracting coal is through mountain top removal.â Erik Hoffner at Gristmill notes that in addition to NRDC and Rainforest Action Network, grassroots groups like Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition and Coal River Mountain Watch played important roles in this victory.
Also at Gristmill, Kate Sheppard…
sb admin | November 21, 2008The big news in Congress this week is that Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) has replaced John Dingell (D-Mich.) as chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee â a move likely to have big implications for national climate policy, as Kate Sheppard at Gristmill explains. Meanwhile, Alicia Mundy at WSJâs Health Blog wonders if the leadership change will let PhRMA and FDA sleep any easier, since Dingell has been âone ornery activist for change at the FDA and the industries it regulates.âÂ
But while weâre looking forward to changes under the new Congress and Administration, other bloggers remind us…
sb admin | November 14, 2008This week Senator Max Baucus, chair of the powerful Finance Committee, released a policy paper on healthcare reform. Ezra Klein notes that itâs not a reform proposal, but âthe beginning of Max Baucus's attempt to create a health care reform processâ â and he explains the plan and the politics surrounding it in two separate posts. Maggie Mahar at Health Beat delves into the costs of Baucusâs ideas and considers how different stakeholders will react to them.
Meanwhile, people are struggling under our current system (or lack thereof). Adam Hughes at Reg Watch alerts us to a new regulation likely…
sb admin | November 7, 2008This weekâs edition is devoted to blogging about election results: the performance of state-level ballot measures, what the new Congress looks like, speculation about cabinet picks, and priorities for President-Elect Obama and the 111th Congress.
Suggested Policies and Priorities
Students from the Presidio School of Management, writing at TriplePundit, offer suggestions for a fiscal stimulus package.
Kate Sheppard at Gristmill considers the prospect for getting the green economy rolling.
Jake Schmidt at NRDCâs Switchboard compiles input from around the world to Obama on global warming.…
sb admin | October 31, 2008On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Wyeth v. Levine, the case that will decide whether FDA approval shields drug manufacturers from liability claims under state laws. (Read more about this idea of preemption here.) Bloggers have a lot to say about the case and this concept of preemption:
Niko Karvounis at Health Beat takes an in-depth look at preemption (including an explanation of how this case differs from the Medtronic preemption case decided in February), and explains why relying on todayâs FDA is problematic.
Ed Silverman at Pharmalot highlights a report from the…
sb admin | October 24, 2008Once again, bloggers turn their keyboards to the economic crisis:
Merrill Goozner at GoozNews explores how the stock market's collapse may affect health-insurance premiums.
Chris Mooney at Science Progress looks at the grim prospects for increased science funding.
Kate Sheppard at Gristmill brings us an interview with Van Jones, who explains how the recommendations in his new bestselling book, The Green Collar Economy, hold up in the current financial climate.
Joseph Romm at Gristmill argues that the mainstream media is overblowing the problems that green energy faces.
Elsewhere:
Maggie…
sb admin | October 17, 2008Bloggers have more thoughts on the environmental and human-health impacts of the economic crisis:
Sarah Rubenstein at WSJâs Health Blog explains why a sick economy can make the case for health reform more compelling.
Joe Paduda at Managed Care Matters suggests a way to improve the health insurance situation that doesnât require a huge amount of federal funding.
Robert McClure at Dateline Earth relays a message from the head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change about using the meltdown as an opportunity to combat climate change.
Tom Philpott ponders the credit crunchâs effect on…
sb admin | October 3, 2008Bloggers worry about how a Wall Street bailout and economic turmoil might affect environmental issues, and they advocate for green avenues to help the economy.
David Roberts at Gristmill compiles warnings from opinion leaders about not letting a bailout interfere with green investments, and advocates for an energy-efficiency initiative to help the economy.
Alex Salta at Oh My Gov! cites recent events in Canada to suggest the U.S. economic crisis might take the focus off of global warming (via SEA).
Angelique van Engelen at Triple Pundit reports on the findings from a new report on the…
sb admin | September 26, 2008The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced the winners of its 2008 MacArthur fellowships (or "genius grants").
Maggie Mahar at Health Beat links back to past stories on geriatrician Dr. Diane Meier and critical care specialist Dr. Peter Provnost.
Andrew Plemmons Pratt at Science Progress looks at the work of neuroscientist Sally Temple with stem cells.
Jacob Goldstein at WSJâs Health Blog highlights the four doctors receiving awards.
Tom Philpott at Gristmill congratulates urban farmer Will Allen.Â
 Elsewhere:
Anne Davis at RH Reality Check brings us the public…
sb admin | September 19, 2008Bloggers are thinking about food:
Elizabeth Cooney at White Coat Notes reports on a study in Boston and Philadelphia that finds food prices outstripping food stamps.
Robert McClure at Dateline Earth points us to a new report that suggests giving fishermen property rights may help imperiled fish stocks.
Jennifer Jacquet at Shifting Baselines argues for eliminating harmful fishing subsidies as a way to encourage more small-scale fisheries, which are less destructive than their large-scale counterparts.
Ezra Klein responds to Big Cornâs commercials defending high-fructose corn syrup.
Tom…
sb admin | September 12, 2008Bloggers offer advice and observations related to the election:
David Roberts at Gristmill went to the RNC convention and observed that the GOP has three different views on energy: âwhat the pols and power brokers believe, what they tell the base, and what they tell the elite media and political establishment.â
Also at Gristmill, Marianne Lavelle digs into the money and people behind Newt Gingrich's American Solutions for Winning the Future.
Kaid Benfield at NRDCâs Switchboard has an open letter to the next president on sustainable development (Part II here).
Arthur L. Caplan at Science…
sb admin | September 5, 2008Given all the recent problems with contaminated food, itâs not surprising that food labeling is a hot topic these days:
Revere at Effect Measure thinks itâs ridiculous that the USDA is denying a meatpacker permission to test all of its cattle for mad cow disease.
Andrew Schneider at Secret Ingredients updates us on progress toward country of origin labeling.
Tristan Fowler at Science Progress looks into the issue of products from cloned animals in the food supply.
Elsewhere:
Drug Monkey calls a win for the Science Debate effort, which succeeded in getting answers from the Obama campaign on…
sb admin | August 29, 2008Bloggers give us the dirt on the VP picks announced this week. Thereâs already info on McCainâs running mate, Sarah Palin:
Gristmill gives us a snapshot of Palinâs record on energy and environmental issues, and compiles statements from and about her on these topics.
Keith Johnson at Environmental Capital focuses on her position on expanding oil drilling.
Jacob Goldstein at WSJâs Health Blog brings us her views on regulation and competition for hospitals and clinics.
And even more on Obamaâs VP choice, Joe Biden:
Scientists and Engineers for America Action Fund highlights Bidenâs views on…
sb admin | August 22, 2008With the presidential contest heating up, bloggersâ thoughts turn to U.S. healthcare reform:
Lisa Codispoti at Womenstake presents the numbers that show just how bad conditions are now.
Brian Klepper at Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review explains the crucial element of healthcare reform thatâs missing from the new Harry and Louise ad (via Health Wonk Review). (The 1994 Harry and Louise ad played a key role in blocking Clintonâs health plan.)
Anna Wilde Matthews at WSJâs Health Blog describes a Medicare experiment that points to a way to save money while improving care.
Maggie Mahar…
sb admin | August 15, 2008Bloggers have a lot to say about the Bush Administrationâs proposed new rules for the Endangered Species Act:
Andrew Wetzler at NRDCâs Switchboard points out that the Fish & Wildlife Service doesnât seem very interested in listening to the publicâs thoughts on the changes.
Jeff Dubbin at Oh My Gov! considers the history of the ESA â including previous attempts to cripple it (via Scientists & Engineers for America).
Revere at Effect Measure reminds us who the rule change will help.
Holly Richmond at Gristmill rounds up reactions to the proposal, from Capitol Hill to NGOs.
Elsewhere…
sb admin | August 8, 2008The International AIDS Conference took place this week in Mexico City, and bloggers have plenty to say about it:
RH Reality Check provides extensive, in-depth coverage from multiple bloggers.
Marilyn Chase at WSJâs Health blog summarizes some expert attendeesâ thoughts on the future of AIDS research, the role of AIDS in healthcare system planning, reshaping the international AIDS vaccine strategy, and using AIDS drugs to curb HIV transmission.
At Global Health Policy, Ruth Levine explains why PEPFAR needs more evaluation, and Mead Over considers how the global approach to AIDS has changed…
sb admin | August 1, 2008Bloggers keep us up to date on whatâs happening in Congress:
Lisa Stiffler at Dateline Earth reports that both houses have now passed legislation reducing the amount of lead and phthalates allowed in childrenâs products and increasing the regulatory strength of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Andrew Plemmons Pratt at Science Progress considers FDA regulation of tobacco, which the House has just approved.
Andrew Schneider at Secret Ingredients explains why four Senators from the Environment and Public Works Committee have asked EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson to resign.
The…
sb admin | July 25, 2008The EPA comes under scrutiny this week:
Jennifer Sass at NRDCâs Switchboard applauds the agencyâs proposals to cancel all uses of the pesticide carbofuran.
Andrew Schneider at Secret Ingredients warns of EPA moves to water down regulations determining the cancer-causing danger of asbestos exposure.
Kate Sheppard at Gristmill reports on what a Senate committee heard from former EPA associate deputy administrator Jason Burnett about how top White House officials worked to quash new regulations on greenhouse gases.
Also at Gristmill, Tom Philpott updates us on the appointee selected to replace…
sb admin | July 18, 2008Bloggers have alarming stories of diseases reappearing:
Mike Lizza at The Lede (NYT) explores the reappearance of polio in tribal Pakistan.
Tara C. Smith at Aetiology describes the hemorrhagic-fever-causing Marburg virus, which just killed a Dutch woman who traveled to Uganda.
Katharine Mieszkowski at Broadsheet reports on the resurgence of measles in the U.S., and a celebrity campaign urging parents to get their children vaccinated against this and other childhood diseases.
Elsewhere:
Alicia Mundy at WSJâs Health Blog reports on Big Pharmaâs negotiations with lawmakers about direct-to-…