Public PolicyRSS

  • February 24, 2010

    Sens. Propose Broader Renewable Electricity Standard

    Sens. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and John Ensign, R-Nev., have proposed legislation that would expand draft language for a federal renewable electricity standard to make all forms of renewable energy technology eligible to meet increasing renewable electricity benchmarks.

  • February 23, 2010

    Toyota US Head Defends Internal Acceleration Probe

    The head of Toyota Motor USA Sales Inc. on Tuesday defended the company's probe into the electronic throttle system on its vehicles as he faced a congressional firing squad over the automaker's handling of sudden unintended acceleration complaints.

  • February 23, 2010

    Internet Providers Fight Regulatory Reclassification

    A coalition of broadband Internet service providers and trade groups has urged the Federal Communications Commission to reject a push by net neutrality groups to put Internet access under the same regulatory classification as telephone service.

  • February 23, 2010

    Obama Takes Aim At Insurance Antitrust Exemption

    Ahead of a scheduled bipartisan summit on health care aimed at jump-starting overhaul efforts, the White House said Tuesday it was backing proposals to revoke the insurance industry's antitrust exemption, saying the repeal would ultimately complement health care reform.

  • February 23, 2010

    EPA Stands By GHG Plan, But Lengthens Time Line

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson on Tuesday defended the agency's intention to push ahead with greenhouse gas emission regulation for stationary and mobile sources, albeit at a slower pace, responding to lawmakers' economic and scientific concerns.

  • February 22, 2010

    EPA Rules On Greenhouse Gases Pushed To 2011

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson announced Monday that new greenhouse gas regulations for power plants and other large stationary sources under the Clean Air Act will not go into effect until 2011.

  • February 22, 2010

    Senators Slam GSK, FDA On Avandia Safety

    Senators have blasted GlaxoSmithKline PLC for not alerting patients to potential cardiac risks associated with diabetes drug Avandia, and questioned what the FDA has done to ensure the safety of patients involved in an ongoing trial.

  • February 22, 2010

    New Fees, Oversight In White House Health Care Bill

    The White House on Monday unveiled its comprehensive proposal for health care reform legislation, tweaking aspects of bills passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate and dropping some of the most controversial provisions in hopes of mustering enough bipartisan support to ensure passage of the reform package.

  • February 19, 2010

    FTC Has Shot At Victory In Pay-For-Delay Suits: Attys

    In two cases the Federal Trade Commission brought challenging so-called reverse payment settlements in the pharmaceutical industry, the agency is looking for victory in a hostile legal landscape — but it may have a shot, attorneys say.

  • February 19, 2010

    Shrimp, Dairy Groups Size Up Proposed Pacific FTA

    Trade groups representing U.S. shrimp and dairy producers have weighed in on the U.S. International Trade Commission's probe of the consequences of a potential U.S. free trade agreement with seven countries in the Asia-Pacific region, expressing some qualms over the proposal.

  • February 19, 2010

    Solis' Whistleblower-Friendly Board May Reshape SOX

    The appointment of two new members to the U.S. Department of Labor's Administrative Review Board will likely mean more claimant-friendly decisions in whistleblower cases, and may even foreshadow a push to reshape the Sarbanes-Oxley Act's whistleblower provisions, attorneys say.

  • February 19, 2010

    National Broadband To Aid Jobs, Schools, Health: FCC

    The Federal Communications Commission has unveiled its working recommendations for encouraging the development of broadband technology in the U.S., emphasizing the role of broadband technology in creating jobs, reducing health care costs and improving education.

  • February 19, 2010

    Ind. Lawmakers Move To Expand Net Metering Rules

    The Indiana Legislature has moved closer to adopting net metering legislation, which would expand the rules under which customers that generate their own renewable energy can get credit from utilities for the extra electricity output.

  • February 19, 2010

    House GOP Raises Alarm Over DOI Monument Draft

    Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee are up in arms over a leaked U.S. Department of the Interior document that indicates the Obama administration is considering designating as many as 17 new national monuments throughout the Western U.S.

  • February 19, 2010

    Waxman Calls Out WellPoint On Rate Hike Explanation

    U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., has asked health insurer WellPoint Inc. to explain why it cited declining enrollment as justification for attempts to raise premium rates, when data submissions show its enrollment actually increased in 2009.

  • February 18, 2010

    Asthma Drugs Get New Rules After FDA Finds Death Link

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has moved to restrict the use of long-acting beta agonists, asthma drugs marketed by AstraZeneca PLC, Novartis AG and GlaxoSmithKline PLC that FDA analyses have linked with worsening asthma symptoms and death in some patients.

  • February 18, 2010

    House Probes Controversial Gas Drilling Process

    The House Energy and Commerce Committee has opened an investigation into whether the oil and natural gas extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing may lead to environmental and public health problems.

  • February 18, 2010

    US Chamber Calls For Better IP Trade Controls

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is urging the federal government to protect intellectual property rights through an anti-counterfeiting treaty with trading partners and step up its fight against online counterfeiting and digital theft, saying those are important steps in the nation's economic recovery.

  • February 18, 2010

    EPA Imposes Emissions Rules On Generator Engines

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday announced new emissions standards for stationary diesel engines, such as those that power industrial and agricultural generators, imposing measures to reduce polluting chemicals including formaldehyde, benzene and acrolein.

  • February 18, 2010

    EEOC's Proposed Rule Would Clarify ADEA Defense

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has announced publication of a notice of proposed rulemaking to give meaning to the “reasonable factors other than age” defense in the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act.