This series aims to identify the cost of inaction and the promise of chemical regulatory reform.

The strikingly ineffective chemical regulatory framework of the status quo has no doubt given rise to some larger systemic issues. Most problematic are “the three gaps”: the chemical data gap, the safety gap and the technology gap.

Tell me where have you been? Around the world and I’m back again
Ezra Klein, The Washington Post
6.4.10
“I left China feeling pessimistic about the country’s economic prospects, though I sincerely hope that I’m wrong. Pessimistic, in this context, isn’t meant to imply the country’s collapse. Rather, I think that economic growth will drift down from the [...]

Reid Pushes to Move Energy Bill in July
By Alexander Bolton, The Hill
6.4.10
“Reid asked the chairmen to recommend legislation to deal with the Gulf oil spill before July 4 so that leaders can include those ideas in the comprehensive energy package.
““I think it is extremely important that you each examine what could be included in a [...]

The Israeli flotilla attack: victimhood, aggression and tribalism
by Glenn Greenwald, Salon
6.4.10
“A prime cause of this inversion is the distortion in perception brought about by rank tribalism. Those whose worldview is shaped by their identification as members of a particular religious, nationalistic, or ethnic group invariably over-value the wrongs done to them and greatly under-value [...]

In a sense, the TSCA was always a bit behind the game – it was constructed as an inherently reactive rather than proactive policy. The primary reason for this is obvious: tens of thousands of environmental chemicals had already been on the market, in their various forms, prior to it even entering its nascent stages. Largely as a result, members of Congress only found it feasible to establish some sort of general public oversight over the daunting number of chemicals in commerce.

What Makes Elena Kagan Tick?
by Neera Tanden, The New Republic
6.4.10
“People who complain about Max Baucus seem to forget that not so long ago the likes of James Inhofe chaired Senate committees. And if you worked in a Democratic administration, those folks made your job a tough slog. Back in the Clinton White House, I was [...]

Race to Sanity
by David Brooks, The New York Times
6.4.10
“Fourth, the administration has encouraged local officials to raise educational standards. The feds are not imposing national standards. But the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers have come up with blueprints of what kids should be learning in math and English. According [...]

China’s Foreign Policy: Speak Softly or Perhaps Not at All
by Matthew Yglasias, Think Progress
6.4.10
“But to me it looks more like a policy of “masterful inaction.” China is focused on economic growth, on trying to secure international acquiescence to its rule over Tibet, and to trying to reintegrate Taiwan into PRC rule without sparking a destructive [...]

Pacific Islands are Actually Growing
by Brian Fung, Foreign Policy
6.3.10
“If you thought rising tides spelled certain doom for islanders across the globe, though, think again. A new study by the University of Auckland finds that over the course of 60 years, 80 percent of tracked Pacific islands actually stayed the same size — or even grew — [...]