Laws & Regulations

Environmental policy riders are one of the bones of contention stalling a massive omnibus funding deal in Congress as the December 11 government shutdown deadline looms.

"WASHINGTON — The bazaar is open on Capitol Hill as lawmakers rush through unfinished budget business.

Congress is trying to wrap up its work for the year and it's hoping to go out with a bang by passing a massive spending bill and a separate measure reviving a boatload of tax breaks that mostly reward business interests like high-tech firms and producers of renewable energy.

"LE BOURGET, France -- President Obama's top advisers have arrived in force here today to begin a final push toward a global climate accord, telling whoever will listen that U.S. carbon emissions reductions are here to stay."

"U.S. EPA's landmark air standards for mercury appear likely to survive an effort by industry and states to kill the rules in court."

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has petitioned the federal agency that regulates hazardous materials transport to set limits on the volatility of oil shipped by rail -- a major factor in explosions.

"Maria Valdenice Nukini believes it's her duty to protect her ancestral territory in northern Brazil and raise awareness of the role indigenous communities play in protecting nature."

"Former Massey Energy Co. chief executive Don Blankenship, once one of the most powerful men in the region’s coal industry, was convicted Thursday by a federal jury of conspiring to violate mine safety and health standards at Massey’s Upper Big Branch Mine, where 29 miners died in an April 2010 explosion."

"The House passed the Energy and Commerce Committee's broad energy legislation [Thursday] morning, sending the Senate a bill aimed at modernizing the electric grid and speeding natural gas exports."

"The Gulf of Mexico rig explosion that killed 11 workers and unleashed the nation's worst offshore oil spill also led to criminal charges against four BP employees, who faced prison time if convicted. But the Justice Department's decision to drop manslaughter charges against two BP rig supervisors makes it increasingly likely that nobody will spend a day behind bars for crimes associated with the deadly disaster."

"A sweeping package from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, likely to clear the chamber this week, has become the latest vehicle for repeal of the crude export ban and speeding the permitting process for projects like Keystone XL."