New Additions to AllGov

California Declares E-Cigarettes a Health Threat

E-cigarettes, which vaporize liquids containing nicotine, have been marketed as a less harmful way of smoking and a way to help kick the old-school tobacco habit. The report acknowledged that vaping may, indeed, be safer than cigarettes, but that doesn’t mean it is safe. “Exposure to nicotine during adolescence can harm brain development,” it says, while maintaining there is “no scientific evidence that e-cigarettes help smokers successfully quit traditional cigarettes.” read more

Justice Dept. to Tell Thousands of Immigrants they will have to Wait for Hearings until November 2019

The number of immigrants waiting to see a judge is staggering; about 430,000 are currently backed up. In California alone, there are more than 85,000 people, the population of a medium-sized city, whose cases are pending. Texas is next with more than 74,000 people waiting. All those people are waiting for a spot on the calendars of only 230 immigration judges. The average wait is 600 days. read more

Groups Sue EPA over Failure to Regulate Stinking Pollution

Eight organizations filed suit last week against the EPA for failing to control emissions from large feeding operations that do not permit animals to graze. These are known as “concentrated animal feeding operations” (CAFOs), of which there are at least 18,000 in the United States. There are two suits, one (pdf) dealing with ammonia pollution, the other (pdf) with methane and other air pollutants. read more

Director of the National Center for Environmental Assessment: Who Is Kenneth Olden?

At the time, African-Americans were forbidden to attend the University of Tennessee (UT) in that city. As a senior at Knoxville, however, Olden was allowed to do some research at UT, but had to take all his classes back at Knoxville. Olden got a measure of payback for having to attend segregated schools and being forbidden to enroll at his home state’s largest university. In 2004, the University of Tennessee put him on their short list to be named the school’s president. read more

Insurance Companies Avoid Patients with HIV/AIDS by Overcharging for Medications

Despite the mandate from the Affordable Care Act that prohibits insurance companies from discriminating against patients with preexisting conditions, many of them are getting around the restriction by charging HIV/AIDS patients much higher rates for their drugs, which causes them to switch to other providers. read more