Public PolicyRSS

  • September 16, 2009

    SEC, FSA To Join Forces On Regulations

    Continuing talks begun by their predecessors, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairwoman Mary Schapiro and Hector Sants, chief executive of the U.K.'s Financial Services Authority, on Wednesday announced plans to explore common approaches to reporting and other regulatory requirements as the amount of capital flowing back and forth across the Atlantic continues to grow.

  • September 16, 2009

    House Panel Approves Satellite Broadcasting Bill

    A House panel has unanimously approved a measure aimed at extending the compulsory copyright licenses that allow cable and satellite television operators to retransmit television signals.

  • September 16, 2009

    EPA Vows To Reconsider Bush-Era Smog Standards

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told a federal appeals court Wednesday that it would reconsider national smog standards implemented last year by the Bush administration, thus likely putting on hold litigation filed by states and a number of health and environmental advocacy groups.

  • September 16, 2009

    Tweaks Bring FINRA Rules Into New-Media Age

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has given its blessing to several newly amended Financial Industry Regulatory Authority rules designed to disclose conflicts of interest and expand into the realm of new media a 60-year-old prohibition against payments made in connection with published information meant to influence market prices.

  • September 16, 2009

    House Panel On Board With Railroad Antitrust Bill

    The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on Wednesday sent forward a bill designed to roll back antitrust exemptions for railroad operators while pledging to continue working closely with railroad and shipping officials to iron out remaining industry concerns.

  • September 16, 2009

    Schwarzenegger Orders Renewable Energy Increase

    California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has ordered the state's utilities to get at least a third of their power from renewable energy sources by 2020 as part of a sweeping global warming plan, but disagreement remains about the best way for the state to achieve its ambitious goals.

  • September 16, 2009

    Salazar Says Royalty-In-Kind Program To Be Nixed

    U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has told members of Congress that the Minerals Management Service's scandal-ridden Royalty-in-Kind program will be terminated.

  • September 16, 2009

    Fed Expands Its Consumer Protection Regulation

    The Federal Reserve has announced that it will begin regulating the nonbank subsidiaries of bank holding companies, including those that generate mortgages, credit cards and other consumer financial products.

  • September 16, 2009

    Thermon Subsidiaries Fined Over Heat Tracing Exports

    Five foreign subsidiaries of heat-tracing technology provider Thermon Manufacturing Co. have agreed to pay $176,000 in combined civil penalties to settle allegations that they participated in unlicensed exports and re-exports of heat-tracing equipment to Iran, Syria, Libya and certain entities in India.

  • September 15, 2009

    EPA To Revamp 1982 Power Plant Discharge Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday it would revise its Reagan-era standards for water discharges from coal-fired power plants, a day after the Sierra Club and Defenders of Wildlife said they planned to sue the agency for failing to review the regulations.

  • September 15, 2009

    Specter Hints Labor, Dems Agree On EFCA Terms

    Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., has reportedly hinted that discussions between Democratic lawmakers and labor activists have successfully resolved major differences of opinion over the terms of the Employee Free Choice Act, signaling that the hotly debated bill may be closer to passage.

  • September 15, 2009

    Administration Fleshes Out Fuel Efficiency Proposal

    Top administration officials on Tuesday added details to President Barack Obama's May proposal to accelerate the process of tightening vehicle fuel mileage standards in a move that drew immediate praise from such disparate groups as the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Sierra Club.

  • September 15, 2009

    Intel Says $1B EU Antitrust Ruling Riddled With Errors

    Intel Corp. has accused the European Commission of serious errors in imposing a record €1.1 billion ($1.56 billion) fine against the computer chip giant for alleged monopoly abuse.

  • September 15, 2009

    Congress Urged To Ban Forced Predispute Arbitration

    Legal experts told a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee Tuesday that mandatory predispute arbitration clauses common in credit card, employment and franchise contracts have created a troubling shadow legal system where large companies too often enjoy unfair advantages.

  • September 15, 2009

    Countervailing Duties To Stick For Italian Pasta Co.

    The U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration said Tuesday it had completed its review of a countervailing duty order on certain pastas from Italy and decided not to make any revisions.

  • September 15, 2009

    WTO Report Warns Of Increased Trade Protectionism

    The World Trade Organization has warned of a “slippage” toward protectionist policies among G20 nations in the wake of the global economic crisis, citing agricultural, iron and steel, automotive, chemical, plastic and textile as the products most affected by increased tariffs.

  • September 15, 2009

    US Fires Back In Tyco Suit Over Extinguisher Duties

    The U.S. government has asked the U.S. Court of International Trade to dismiss a suit brought by Tyco Fire Products LP over duties on glass bulbs used in fire extinguishers, denying that it wrongfully liquidated certain bulbs imported by the company.

  • September 15, 2009

    Litigation Fails To Stop Northern Rockies Wolf Hunts

    Environmentalists are desperately trying to halt the continental United States' first wolf hunt in decades, but despite some encouraging words from a judge, they appear unlikely to succeed before the 2009 season ends.

  • September 15, 2009

    Obama Seeks New Momentum On Regulatory Reform

    President Barack Obama's speech Monday was a chance to remind Wall Street about the fallen sky of a year ago. It was also a chance for him to regain momentum for his regulatory reform proposals. While it appears that significant sections of the president's reform program may become law this year, observers say that passage of the whole program is unlikely.

  • September 15, 2009

    Australia Moves To Split Up Telecom Giant Telstra

    The Australian government introduced legislation Tuesday that would allow Telstra Corp. to voluntarily separate its operations or otherwise subject the telecommunications giant to tough new antitrust rules that would effectively force the split.