Of the 84,000 chemicals in commercial use in the United States -- from flame retardants in furniture to household cleaners -- nearly 20 percent are secret, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, their names and physical properties guarded from consumers and virtually all public officials under a little-known federal provision.

Top US officials are now questioning why the United States still pursues a strategy based on the ability to annihilate its former foe. In a thorough review expected to be completed early this year, the size, structure, and even the very mission of America’s nuclear arsenal are being reconsidered as part of President Obama’s pledge to reduce the role of the world’s most deadly weapons.

Dr. Alan Lockwood, a PSR board member, applauds the Department of Energy's decision not to fund a proposed coal plant in Jamestown, New York.

Former PSR Executive Director Dr. Bob Musil on President Obama's environmental policies.

We contend that healthcare reform should create a program that will ensure access to primary and preventive medical care to all inhabitants of the United States. Creation of a universal comprehensive primary and preventive care program in the United States that also addresses the major social determinants of health would be an investment that will pay dividends in improved health, increased productivity, and reduced cost for care as is enjoyed by developed nations except the United States.

In a bid to restore the primacy of science in setting air-pollution standards at the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced yesterday that she was reestablishing a key process in which agency scientists issue "staff papers" outlining options for policymakers to consider in establishing air-quality levels for key pollutants.

PSR expressed disappointment in the president’s approach to control global warming, presented today in a speech at the White House. The administration would reduce emissions, primarily carbon dioxide from electric generating plants across the country after 2025, ignoring the well established goal of a reducing all domestic greenhouse gas emissions by more than 20 percent by that time.

President Bush’s decision to skip the UN summit and his attempt to hijack the process for international climate negotiations demonstrates his administration’s continued failure to recognize the degree of urgency required to avoid dangerous global warming.