Congressional Testimony and Letters

The Member Scholars of the Center for Progressive Reform frequently testify before congressional committees on a range of topics related to the organization’s core issues.  In addition, Member Scholars often communicate with federal agencies, testifying, filing comments on proposed regulations, or bringing important matters to their attention by way of letters or other means of communication. 

Browse Congressional Testimony and Letters to Congress below or read Member Scholars' Communications with Agencies (Letter, Comments and Testimony).

• Wendy Wagner’s November 13, 2013 testimony before the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment discussing various “good science” provisions in the Chemical Safety Improvement Act and how they will impact EPA’s use of science.
• Thomas McGarity’s November 7, 2013 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee discussing possible solutions to the problems caused by nonrule rulemaking in auto safety and mental health.  
• Rena Steinzor’s August 1, 2013 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee discussing the human cost of regulatory paralysis.
• Thomas McGarity’s July 31, 2014 testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works committee about the Chemical Safety Improvement Act’s preemption provisions.
• Rena Steinzor's April 12, 2013 testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on the Energy Consumers Relief Act.
• Rena Steinzor's March 14, 2013 testimony before the House Committee on Small Business, Subcommittee on Investigations, Oversight and Regulations, about the Office of Advocacy's role in regulation.
• Robert Glicksman's February 28, 2013 testimony before the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial, and Antitrust Law, on regulatory policy and Congressional bills affecting it.

• Letter to Senators on Independent Agency Regulatory Analysis Act. On November 1, 2012, CPR Member Scholars Thomas McGarity, Sidney Shapiro, and Rena Steinzor sent a letter to members of the U.S. Senate urging them to oppose S. 3468, which would inhibit independent federal regulatory agencies by allowing the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) to exert influence over their rulemakings.
• Daniel Rohlf's June 19, 2012 testimony before the House Natural Resources Committee on Endangered Species Act litigation.
• Joel Mintz's June 6, 2012 testimony before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power on EPA's enforcement record.

• Sidney Shapiro's October 25, 2011 testimony on the Regulatory Accountability Act, before the House Judiciary Committee.
• Rena Steinzor's July 14, 2011 testimony on industry efforts to delay EPA's toxic chemical risk assessments for the IRIS database. Also read her day-of CPRBlog post, and one from NRDC's Daniel Rosenberg.
• John Echeverria's April 12, 2011 testimony on a proposal to restrict state use of eminent domain, before the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution.
• Robert Glicksman's March 29, 2011 testimony on improving regulatory quality, before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Commercial and Administrative Law.
• Rena Steinzor's Testimony on Environmental Regulation and the Economy, before the House Energy & Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Environment and Economics, February 15, 2011.
• Sidney Shapiro's Testimony on the Benefits of Regulation, before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, February 10, 2011.

• Sidney Shapiro's August 3, 2010 testimony on agency capture, before the Senate Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts.  News release.

• Thomas McGarity's August 4, 2009 Testimony on preemption of state tort laws in cases involving medical devices, before the Senate HELP Committee.  Read the news release.
• Catherine O'Neill's May 12, 2009 Testimony on the need to act on the remaining mercury-emitting chlor-alkili plants in the United States, before the U.S. House House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection. Read the news release.
• Rena Steinzor's April 30, 2009 testimony before the House Science and Technology Committee’s Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight on clean science and regulatory issues. Read the news release.

• Bill Buzbee's April 16, 2008 testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on the Rapanos and SWANCC decisions and the Clean Water Restoration Act. And the news release.
• Sidney Shapiro's April 2, 2008 testimony before the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census and National Archives of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, on the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 2008.

2007

• Rena Steinzor’s October 17, 2007 testimony before the Subcommittee on Superfund and Environmental Health of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, on the Bush Administration’s failure to pursue Superfund cleanups.
• David Vladeck’s September 12, 2007 testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Bush Administration’s push for agency preemption of state tort laws.
• David Vladeck’s February 13, 2007 testimony on EO 13422 before the Committee on Science and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, U.S. House of Representatives.

2006

• William Buzbee’s August 1, 2006 testimony before the Fisheries, Wildlife and Water subcommittee of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, on the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Rapanos case for efforts to protect America’s waterways from polluters.

2005

• Robert R.M. Verchick’s November 17, 2005 testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works on how preliminary findings on the failure of New Orleans’ levees should be incorporated into future plans for hurricane protection.
• Tom McGarity’s November 10, 2005 testimony to Congress on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
• Robert R.M. Verchick’s September 29, 2005 testimony before the Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials of the House Committee on Energy & Commerce on what went wrong before, during and immediately after Hurricane Katrina.
• Sidney Shapiro’s July 20, 2005 testimony before the Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs of the House Government Reform Committee on the Information Quality Act.
• Sidney Shapiro’s April 12, 2005 congressional testimony on OMB’s regulatory “hit list” before the House Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs of the Committee on Government Reform.

2004

• Catherine O’Neill’s November 17, 2004 testimony to the Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources, and Regulatory Affairs of the House Government Reform Committee on mercury pollution credit-trading proposals.
• Robert R.M. Verchick’s February 25, 2004 testimony before the Subcomittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs of the House Committee on Government Reform, on the Office of Management and Budget’s Draft 2004 Report to Congress on the Costs and Benefits of Federal Regulation.

2003

• Rena Steinzor’s September 16, 2003 testimony to Congress on the Bush EPA’s poor enforcement record, September 16, 2003.
• Rena Steinzor’s June 6, 2003 testimony before the Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources, and Regulatory Affairs of the Committee on Government Reform on proposals to elevate EPA to Cabinet status.
• Lisa Heinzerling’s (then a Member Scholar) March 11, 2003 testimony on OMB’s Draft 2003 Report to Congress on the Costs and Benefits of Federal Regulation.

2002

• Rena Steinzor’s June 13, 2002 testimony to the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment on Water Quality Trading Policy.