OVERNIGHT REGULATION: FDA bans unhealthy trans fats

Welcome to OVERNIGHT REGULATION, your daily rundown of news from Capitol Hill and beyond. It’s Tuesday evening here in Washington and you might think twice before you munch on that bag of potato chips. Here’s the latest:

 

THE BIG STORY

The Obama administration is banning the largest source of trans fat that is commonly found in junk food like potato chips, cookies and french fries.

The Food and Drug Administration will give food manufacturers three years to phase out partially hydrogenated oils from their products, after determining it is not safe for human consumption.

{mosads}Partially hydrogenated oils are the primary source of the artificially manufactured fats found in processed foods, the FDA says. They have been linked to heart disease.

“Our goal is to minimize consumption of trans fat as much as possible,” said Susan Mayne, director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

Trans fat has been on the FDA’s radar for the better part of a decade.

Food manufacturers have been required to list them on nutritional labels since 2006, which the agency says has helped reduce consumption by about 78 percent.

However, it is still commonly found in deep-fried foods like french fries; in baked goods like pies, cookies and cakes; and even in microwave popcorn.

Many people unknowingly consume small amounts of trans fat, the FDA said. Under current rules, food manufacturers are not required to point out if they use fewer than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving.

The FDA first suggested in 2013 that trans fat may not be safe for human consumption, and the agency is now finalizing that determination.

This means trans fat will no longer be “generally recognized as safe” and will eventually be phased out across the country, the agency noted.

The move is a huge victory for public health advocates but could cost the food industry $6.2 billion over the next 20 years, according to the FDA.

FDA acting Commissioner Stephen Ostroff said the move would promote the “heart health of all Americans.”

“This action is expected to reduce coronary heart disease and prevent thousands of fatal heart attacks every year,” Ostroff said.

 

ON TAP FOR WEDNESDAY

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing to discuss the future of drones in commerce. http://1.usa.gov/1dBqDWL

The House Education and the Workforce Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled “Restricting Access to Financial Advice: Evaluating the Costs and Consequences for Working Families and Retirees.” http://1.usa.gov/1Bl5ZVM

The House Small Business Committee will hold a hearing titled “Crude Intentions: The Untold Story of the Ban, the Oil Industry, and America’s Small Businesses.” http://1.usa.gov/1GFWuTw

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s Health Care, Benefits and Administrative Rules Subcommittee and National Security Subcommittee will told a hearing to review the president’s executive actions on immigration. http://1.usa.gov/1cX42TS

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing to discuss oversight of the Environmental Protection Agency’s final rule to regulate the disposal of coal combustion residuals from electric utilities. http://1.usa.gov/1G1oFH5

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security Subcommittee will hold a hearing to discuss oversight of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. http://1.usa.gov/1L3t8zn

 

TOMORROW’S REGS TODAY

The Obama administration will publish 218 new regulations, proposed rules, notices and other administrative actions in Wednesday’s edition of the Federal Register.

Here’s what to watch for: 

–The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will propose new overtime rules for border patrol agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

These border patrol agents would be subject to new overtime pay schedules beginning in January 2016 under the proposed rules.

The public has 30 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1GTR2MW

–The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will propose new financial qualifications for reactor licensing.

The NRC will issue a draft regulatory basis, which can be used to develop a proposed rule on the subject. The agency wants to make sure that applicants “appear to be financially qualified.”

The public has 45 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1GTQdDY

–The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will propose new certification requirements for U.S.-domiciled motor carriers involved in interstate commerce.

These trucks must display a certification label from the vehicle manufacturers or the Department of Transportation, which indicates they met federal safety standards at the time of manufacture.

“If the certification label is missing, the motor carrier must obtain, and a driver upon demand present, a letter issued by the vehicle manufacturer stating that the vehicle met all applicable [standards] in effect at the time of manufacture,” the agency writes.

The public has 45 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1SllnpF

–The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) says the eastern puma is extinct and no longer warrants protection under the endangered species list.

The FWS is proposing to remove the eastern puma from the list of endangered species. The eastern puma was a subspecies of cougars and mountain lions.

The eastern puma was last spotted in 1938, according to the agency.

The public has 60 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1J2Im7o

 

NEWS RIGHT NOW

School lunch: Congressional Republicans are renewing their fight to roll back first lady Michelle Obama’s prized nutrition standards for school meal programs. http://bit.ly/1CbVQGd

Head Start: The Obama administration is considering new performance standards for Head Start programs across the country. http://bit.ly/1eltLai

Trans fat: The Obama administration is banning the largest source of trans fat that is commonly found in junk food like potato chips, cookies and french fries. http://bit.ly/1dI2XjE

Pay Pal: Four senators are pressing PayPal over a new user agreement that requires customers to automatically opt-in to robocalls when signing up for an account. http://bit.ly/1HQxoAp

Cougars: The federal government is considering removing the eastern puma from the endangered species list, declaring that it has likely been extinct for 70 years, the AP reports. http://bit.ly/1QCmZ0M

Baseball hacking: The FBI is looking into a possible cyber attack on the Houston Astros, NPR reports. http://n.pr/1Cc82a2

 

BY THE NUMBERS

$190 billion: Health costs associated with obesity in the U.S.

17 million: How many American youths are food insecure, according to the Obama administration.

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Ridding our food of dangerous, unnecessary artificial trans fats will save lives,” — Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.).