Public PolicyRSS

  • February 4, 2009

    CFTC Nominee Vows To Back Regulatory Reform

    Gary Gensler, President Obama's pick to head the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, has assured lawmakers of his commitment to regulatory reform and vowed to support new enforcement initiatives if he is confirmed.

  • February 5, 2009

    State Insurance Regulators Enter CDS Oversight Fray

    With new regulation of credit default swaps seemingly a foregone conclusion, state regulators are making their case that the states should take the lead in overseeing the multitrillion-dollar market.

  • February 4, 2009

    DOJ Joins EU In Probe Of Global Cable Cartel

    The U.S. Department of Justice has reportedly joined the European Union in an antitrust probe targeting the global undersea and underground cable business.

  • February 4, 2009

    Democrats Release Road Map For Climate Change Bill

    Signaling the coming debate over climate change legislation, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., has unveiled a set of principles designed to guide Democratic efforts to draft a new proposal aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

  • February 4, 2009

    EPA To Begin Regulating Commercial Ship Discharges

    The release of ballast water, sewage, effluent from engines and many other pollutants from commercial ships will be regulated starting Friday after a 35-year period in which they were exempt from Clean Water Act discharge requirements.

  • February 4, 2009

    EPA OKs $9.1M Deal Over Iowa Superfund Site

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has signed off on a $9.1 million settlement with a Deere & Co. unit, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the city of Ankeny, Iowa, to clean up nearly 50 years' worth of lead, chromium and other contaminants from a former industrial waste processing site.

  • February 3, 2009

    Colo. Wildlife Experts Support New Gas, Oil Rules

    A group of wildlife experts is reportedly urging Colorado legislators to approve new gas and oil drilling environmental rules despite objections that the regulations could harm industry at a time when the state and the country are reeling from a recession.

  • February 3, 2009

    EU To Post Comments On Drug Sector Antitrust Probe

    The European Commission reportedly plans to disclose public comments it has received following its inquiry into whether major pharmaceutical companies have been involved in a scheme to delay or block the sale of generic versions of their drugs.

  • February 2, 2009

    CPSC Stays Testing Mandate In Phthalate, Lead Ban

    In an effort to alleviate some of the havoc that a ban on certain products containing phthalates and lead would purportedly wreak, the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission has stayed for one year certain testing and certification requirements for manufacturers and importers.

  • January 30, 2009

    EPA Extends Comment Period On Drug Waste Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to extend the period for public comment on its proposed rule for classifying certain pharmaceuticals as hazardous waste and requiring hospitals and health care centers to dispose of them accordingly.

  • January 30, 2009

    Conn. Bolsters Suit For Stricter Ban On Phthalates

    The state of Connecticut has received the go-ahead to file an amicus curiae brief in support of a lawsuit filed by consumer advocacy groups demanding that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission more strictly enforce a ban on plastic toys containing phthalates that is set to go into effect in early February.

  • January 30, 2009

    Obama Signs Labor Orders Reversing Bush Policies

    President Obama said Friday he wanted to reverse many of his predecessor's policies toward organized labor and that a strong labor movement was an integral part of having a robust middle class, signing three executive orders related to federal contractors' interactions with workers.

  • January 30, 2009

    DOI To Review Ethics Scandal Sanctions

    The U.S. Department of the Interior will review the sanctions meted out to Minerals Management Service workers who habitually used drugs and alcohol and had sex with oil and gas industry executives, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has pledged.

  • January 30, 2009

    SC Sen. Calls For Limits On Punitive Damages

    Seeking to impose broader tort restrictions, a South Carolina legislator has proposed a bill to limit punitive damage awards for all personal injury cases, as well as reverse two recent state Supreme Court decisions making it easier for plaintiffs to pursue product liability cases or cases against corporate directors and officers.

  • January 30, 2009

    Life Insurance Regulators Refuse To Ease Capital Rules

    State insurance regulators have voted against approving a request from life insurance companies to reduce current capital and reserve requirements, in spite of industry claims that the changes were needed in the wake of the financial crisis.

  • January 30, 2009

    Obama Labor Agenda Has Employers On Edge

    The Obama administration's pledge to tackle a host of labor and employment issues in the coming months has employers watching their backs, a new law firm survey has revealed.

  • January 29, 2009

    Bill Would Bring Hedge Funds Under SEC Scrutiny

    A Senate bill introduced Thursday would bring all hedge funds under the scrutiny of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

  • January 29, 2009

    House OKs Bill To Strengthen Whistleblower Rights

    The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation to strengthen whistleblower protections for employees of government contractors and federal employees, including those in national security, transportation security and science.

  • January 29, 2009

    EU Targets 10 Countries Over PM10 Emissions

    The European Commission kicked off infringement proceedings Thursday against 10 member states that the agency claims have yet to comply with the European Union's limits on environmentally harmful airborne particles emitted from traffic and home heating.

  • January 30, 2009

    EU To Probe German Venture Capital Tax Plan

    The European Commission has launched an in-depth investigation into a proposed German plan to give tax breaks to venture capital companies that invest in businesses, expressing concern that the proposal could run afoul of European Union state aid rules.