Regs News
Senators blast financial regulators over 'prosecution-free zone for large banks' (3/8/13)
Members of the Senate Banking Committee accused regulators of slapping banks on the wrist for repeated violations of anti-money laundering laws. Read more...
Nuclear plant inspections need to improve: report (3/8/13)
More than one-third of U.S. nuclear power plants suffered safety-related incidents over the past three years, and nuclear regulators and plant operators need to improve inspections to prevent such events, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) said in a report on Thursday. Read more...
Investigation finds toxic pesticide use unregulated in Hawaii (3/7/13)
Hawaii’s farmers increasingly spray the weed killer atrazine but rivers, streams and coastal waters are not being tested for the chemical even though the EPA established water safety levels a decade ago and requires states to regulate pesticides under the Clean Water Act. Read more...
Watchdog fights to keep labels on ‘diet milk’ (3/7/13)
A consumer watchdog is challenging the dairy industry’s push to relax labeling requirements for milk products that contain aspartame and other “hyper-sweeteners” it says are linked to the nation’s childhood obesity epidemic. Read more...
Holder: Big banks' size complicates prosecution efforts (3/7/13)
Attorney General Eric Holder suggested Wednesday that some financial institutions have become too large and are escaping full-fledged prosecution as a result. Read more...
Meat Inspector Furloughs Months Away, Says Vilsack (3/6/13)
Furloughs of meat inspectors will take “several months” to roll out, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told lawmakers on Tuesday. The department will send out notices to union representatives this week letting them know furloughs are possible, Vilsack told members of Congress at a House Agriculture Committee hearing, according to multiple... Read more...
Vermont House committee approves GMO labeling bill (3/6/13)
Vermont is one step closer to becoming the first state to put mandatory labels on genetically modified food products. On Friday, the House Agriculture Committee, after weeks of testimony, passed H.112, or the “GMO labeling bill,” by an 8-3 vote. Read more...
Activists fight FDA approval of AquaBounty’s genetically engineered salmon (3/6/13)
More than 33,000 fishermen, environmentalists, food safety advocates and others have written to the FDA with concerns about the agency’s preliminary findings. Among the worries is that the genetically engineered fish might escape and mix with wild salmon. The company says that’s unlikely, not only because the fish are... Read more...
Seattle Puts Healthy Snacks in City’s Vending Machines (3/5/13)
Three years after Seattle put healthy snacks in vending machines located in parks and recreation facilities, the city Monday applied the policy to all its properties. Read more...
FDA Asked to Step Into E-Cigarette Debate (Again) (3/5/13)
An advocacy group associated with the American Cancer Society is asking the FDA to re-examine the safety of electronic cigarettes and whether they can actually help people quit. "E-cigarettes have not been scientifically shown to be effective tobacco cessation tools, yet some distributors are marketing them either directly or indirectly... Read more...
F.C.C. Backs Consumers in Unlocking of Cellphones (3/5/13)
The White House and the Federal Communications Commission said consumers should be free to unlock their phones once contracts are satisfied. Read more...
Dairy industry lobbies FDA to change the definition of milk so it can hawk more artificially sweetened drinks (3/4/13)
Two big dairy organizations want to change the FDA's definition of milk to avoid having to list artificial sweeteners on the front of the label. This would allow them to 'promote more healthful eating practices' and better market to kids in school lunch programs, the petition says. Read more...
USDA Cannot Avoid Furloughing Meat Inspectors (3/4/13)
Under the sequester, which recently put in place across-the-board budget cuts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has no choice but to eventually furlough meat inspectors, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack again said on Friday. The statement comes after some lawmakers and industry groups questioned whether USDA needed to furlough inspectors... Read more...
Lobbyists weigh in on pharmacy oversight (3/4/13)
Hospitals, veterinary groups and drugmakers are ramping up lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill as Congress mulls tighter oversight of specialty pharmacies that mass produce drugs in lightly regulated conditions. Read more...
Bills target renewable energy standards in three states (3/1/13)
Ohio’s energy efficiency and renewable standards will be on trial again this year in the state’s legislature. The Buckeye State is among a few Midwestern battlegrounds where lawmakers associated with a conservative policy group are working to freeze, repeal, or otherwise weaken renewable energy policies. Read more...
U.S. nuclear regulators on hot seat over post-Fukushima rules (3/1/13)
Members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) came under fire Thursday from lawmakers, who grilled them over a slate of controversial new safety rules being contemplated in the wake of the disaster at Fukushima. Read more...
FDA Commissioner: Budget Cuts Mean Less Safe Food (3/1/13)
Fewer food safety inspections and an increased risk to consumers will result from the lack of a new 2013 budget from Congress and the upcoming across-the-board spending cuts, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said Thursday. Read more...
Washington state's ban of BPA in plastics is deemed a success (2/28/13)
Washington state’s 2010 ban on the use of the chemical BPA in baby bottles, children’s cups and sports bottles appears to be working. The Department of Ecology recently tested a number of these products on retail shelves in Washington and found that BPA has nearly disappeared. Read more...
Supreme Court defines SEC time limits for pursuing civil cases (2/28/13)
The Securities and Exchange Commission suffered a legal blow Wednesday when the Supreme Court unanimously rejected the agency’s position on how much time regulators have to pursue civil penalties. The court ruled that the SEC must act within five years of a violation taking place. The SEC argued that time... Read more...
Reform group sues U.S. regulators over Volcker rule delays (2/28/13)
A group pushing for tighter regulation of Wall Street is suing top U.S. financial regulators over delays in implementing a ban on proprietary trading by banks, part of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law that was supposed to take effect last summer. Occupy the SEC, a subset of Occupy Wall Street... Read more...
Post-Fukushima, Arguments for Nuclear Safety Bog Down (2/27/13)
A dispute is developing between the nuclear industry and regulators, and among the regulators themselves, about safeguards at power plants. Read more...
'Gluten-free' labeling rules head to White House (2/27/13)
New rules dictating what foods can be labeled “gluten free” have arrived at the White House for final review, according to federal records. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been working on the labeling requirements for gluten-free foods since 2005. The regulation has been named “economically significant,” meaning... Read more...
Payday Loans Get US Consumer Bureau Scrutiny as 'Debt Traps' (2/27/13)
The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is considering action to limit the impact of payday and other short-term loans that can become “debt traps” for borrowers, said Director Richard Cordray. Read more...
Marcellus shale businesses have ties with regulators (2/26/13)
It’s a revolving door between the oil and gas industry and environmental regulators and government officers, a new report says. The report, released by the Public Accountability Initiative, says several government officers and environmental regulators in Pennsylvania have left their public jobs for careers in the oil and gas industry... Read more...
Fungicide use surging, largely unmonitored (2/26/13)
Farmers around the country have increasingly turned to fungicides to ward off pests and increase their crop yields, causing an unprecedented surge in fungicide use. But as widespread contamination of waterways near these farms emerges, experts warn that there is inadequate environmental monitoring and information on the chemicals' safety. Read more...
Watchdogs call for new campaign regulator to replace ‘woefully inept’ FEC (2/25/13)
Campaign finance watchdogs are floating the idea of a new federal agency to replace the “woefully inept” Federal Election Commission (FEC). The FEC has become “completely dysfunctional” and is failing to meet its responsibilities to uphold and enforce campaign finance laws, the American Constitution Society said in a new brief. Read more...
FDA Flexes Muscles To Achieve Kasel Pet Treat Recall (2/25/13)
The extensive ‘voluntary’ pet treat recall announced on February 19th by Kasel Associated Industries (Denver, CO) was triggered by FDA’s threat to invoke its new mandatory recall authority. Read more...
Major Banks Aid in Payday Loans Banned by States (2/25/13)
Major banks have become behind-the-scenes allies of Internet-based payday lenders that offer loans with interest rates that can exceed 500 percent. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are examining banks’ roles in the online loans, according to several people with direct knowledge of the matter. Read more...
Pharmacy trade group says it will back stricter standards (2/22/13)
The head of the nation’s largest trade group for compounders said he will support proposed regulations subjecting the pharmacies to stricter standards. Read more...
Groups flock to White House to talk ‘fracking’ rules (2/22/13)
Environmental advocates and representatives from the oil-and-gas industry are flocking to the White House following the submission of a draft rule that would govern the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing on public lands. Read more...
Front-runner to lead EPA vows more action on climate change (2/22/13)
The front-runner to fill the vacancy atop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pledged to push ahead with actions to confront climate change during a wide-ranging speech Thursday. Read more...
Don't use codeine in kids after tonsil surgery, FDA warns (2/21/13)
Codeine can kill some children when it is used to help with pain after tonsil and adenoid surgery, and it shouldn’t be used any more, the Food and Drug Administration cautioned on Wednesday. The FDA said it was adding a strong warning, called a boxed warning, to the label of... Read more...
EPA sets renewable fuel standards, tackles fraud (2/21/13)
The Obama administration is setting renewable fuel standards for 2013 and putting in place new methods to reduce fraud. Read more...
FCC moves to free airwaves for better WiFi (2/21/13)
The Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday that its commissioners voted unanimously in favor of a proposal to free up airwaves in the 5 GHz band of spectrum and promote the growth of fast, new WiFi technology. Read more...
EPA botches oversight of car mileage claims (2/20/13)
The federal Environmental Protection Agency has failed consumers with its abysmal handling of a controversy involving the fuel efficiency of some recent Hyundai and Kia vehicles. As detailed in The Star on Sunday, the EPA won’t tell the public specifics about the problems involving auto mileage estimates from the two... Read more...
POGO Sticks It to the SEC (2/20/13)
According to a major new report from the nonpartisan watchdog POGO -- the Project on Government Oversight -- hundreds of the agency's former employees have done or are doing business with the SEC on behalf of the corporations the agency is supposed to regulate. Read more...
A food safety inspector’s warning about chemicals and bacteria under USDA’s proposed poultry inspection “modernization” (2/20/13)
After nearly three decades as a USDA food safety inspector, Stan Painter tells me he now feels like “window dressing standing at the end of the line as product whizzes by.” Read more...
Petition seeks new EPA pathway to require greenhouse gas curbs (2/20/13)
An environmental group affiliated with New York University’s law school is petitioning the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to wield a seldom-used section of the Clean Air Act to require greenhouse gas emissions curbs. The petition urges EPA to act under Section 115 of the air law, which enables EPA to... Read more...
Pro-Gun Lawmakers Are Open to Limits on Size of Magazines (2/19/13)
Lawmakers in both parties view an assault weapons ban as politically toxic, but many seem more amenable to restricting the kinds of high-capacity devices used in recent rampages. Read more...
US lead exposure on the rise despite decline in poisoning cases (2/19/13)
Equally problematic, recent health studies have shown that exposure levels previously thought to be “safe” were too high. Scientists from various disciplines are advising the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and health departments to lower the concentration deemed acceptable in the bloodstream because long-term tests show that many of the health... Read more...
Raise That Wage (2/19/13)
First of all, the current level of the minimum wage is very low by any reasonable standard. For about four decades, increases in the minimum wage have consistently fallen behind inflation, so that in real terms the minimum wage is substantially lower than it was in the 1960s. Meanwhile, worker... Read more...
No central agency oversees, inspects cruise ships (2/18/13)
A byzantine maze of maritime rules and regulations, fragmented oversight and a patchwork quilt of nations that do business with cruise lines make it tough for consumers to assess the health and safety record of the ship they're about to board in what for many is the vacation of a... Read more...
OSHA reports: Texas oilfield work can be deadly (2/18/13)
Workplace safety federal investigations show that at least 11 deaths in Texas oilfields could have been prevented if companies followed safety protocols. Read more...
Congress debates whether states or feds should regulate fracking (2/18/13)
On Friday, representatives from state and local regulators told Congress that their organizations were best suited to oversee the rapidly changing energy industry, instead of the federal government. Read more...
Health Officials Urge F.D.A. Action on Soft Drinks (2/14/13)
A group of health advocates and public health officials from major cities around the country are asking the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the amount of caloric sweeteners in sodas and other beverages, arguing that the scientific consensus is that the level of added sugars in those products is... Read more...
New Research Links Chemical Regulation with Market Innovation (2/14/13)
The common protest against increased or improved chemical regulation is that tighter regulations will restrict innovation and create an economic burden. However, new research out today from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), a nonprofit environmental law organization based in DC and Geneva, indicates that chemical regulation may actually... Read more...
EPA unaware of industry ties on cancer review panel (2/14/13)
Ever since the brassy Brockovich knocked on doors in Hinkley to organize a class-action lawsuit, scientists paid by industry have tried to convince the courts and regulators that chromium (VI) poses no health risk. Some of those scientists ended up on the panel chosen to review the EPA’s chromium findings,... Read more...
Obama vows to flex executive muscle on multiple fronts (2/13/13)
President Obama pledged Tuesday to use the power of his office to pursue policies that Congress won’t approve, offering a mixed bag of news to the nation’s energy producers. Read more...
FTC forces Four Loko maker to redesign cans (2/13/13)
The FTC today announced that the makers of the up to 23.5-ounce cans of carbonated malt liquor beverage, swilled on college campus and in YouTube binge-drinking "challenge" videos, will be forced to retool their product packaging to make it clear that they contain the equivalent of four to five beers.... Read more...
Food and drink industries 'taking governments for a ride' (2/13/13)
Soft drink, alcohol and processed food multinationals are the major drivers of the global epidemic in non-communicable diseases, say international health experts. Writing in today's Lancet, the group of public health researchers, led by Professor Rob Moodie at the University of Melbourne, say these industries are now targeting developing nations... Read more...