Open government groups have started a 50-day countdown to the law's 50th anniversary. It remains to be seen whether Congress can send President Obama a fix-FOIA bill by that date. Image: © Clipart.com.
The Senate-passed bill contains an explicit exemption from permits and fees for newsgathering. A House energy bill, now going to conference to be reconciled with the Senate bill, contains no newsgathering exemption. But that's not the end of the story. Image courtesy of NPS.
"The National Park Service has lost an early round of legal maneuvering over Yosemite National Park’s trademarked names, as a multi-front fight narrows to the court venue preferred by the aggrieved former concessionaire."
"The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved new chemical safety rules designed to overhaul federal regulation covering thousands of chemicals in daily use, a rare bipartisan action in a year when Congress is torn by presidential politics."
"The E.U. has not approved the biotech seeds; the uncertainty could present export problems for U.S. farmers and grain producers."
"Pennsylvania environmental regulators have, for now, dropped their pursuit of a nearly $9 million fine against Range Resources-Appalachia LLC after the two sides reached an agreement over a Lycoming County gas well that regulators said leaked methane into drinking water supplies and streams."
"In the midst of an ongoing effort by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and other entities to prevent construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, the company Dakota Access LLC has begun construction of the 1,150-mile project, which will carry crude oil from western North Dakota to Illinois."
"The Obama administration said it “strongly supports” the bipartisan compromise chemical safety bill rolled out Monday and wants Congress to quickly pass it."
"Regulator admits risks but recommends Trudeau government approve project to ramp up shipping of tar sands crude via Salish Sea tribal fishing grounds".
"Michigan's two Democratic senators want the Department of Transportation to change the way it regulates oil pipelines crossing underneath the Great Lakes in order to raise the liability stakes should they break and cause a spill."
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