Regs Talk: The CSS Blog
Blogs are authored by CSS members and policy experts, and have been reprinted with permission.
8th Anniversary of Dodd-Frank
By Better Markets July 21 marks the eighth anniversary of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Implemented in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, Dodd-Frank has helped establish important protections for tens of millions of America’s families while at the same time ensuring Wall Street’s biggest banks […]
Holding Wall Street Accountable
By AFL-CIO Tomorrow marks the eighth anniversary of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a key piece of legislation passed to combat the dangerous corporate behavior that sparked the global financial crisis. A decade after the Great Recession, working people are fighting corporate assaults on these commonsense reforms. As AFL‑CIO President Richard Trumka […]
Watching Wheeler: 9 Critical Actions the New EPA Chief Should Take
By Kathleen Rest, Union of Concerned Scientists The people’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a new leader. Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler took the helm of the agency on July 9 following the resignation of Scott Pruitt. And now Wheeler has the opportunity to move past his predecessor’s scandals and return the agency to its science-based […]
USDA Helps High Frequency Traders Now; Promises Help for Farmers Later
By the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy With an eye on the U.S. elections in November, rural members of Congress are waiting anxiously for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to produce a plan to compensate farmers and ranchers for falling commodity prices and reduced agribusiness exports. The falling prices and export […]
A Dark Veil
By the AFL-CIO The Trump administration on Tuesday rescinded the Department of Labor’s “persuader rule” requiring companies to disclose any consultants or lawyers contracted for anti-union persuasion efforts. The most recent in a series of anti-worker regulatory rollbacks, the decision has drawn harsh condemnation from union leaders and working people. When the Labor Department issued […]
If Confirmed to the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh Would Threaten the Environment
By Malina Julia, People for the American Way In addition to his extreme records on abortion, reproductive rights and the Affordable Care Act, Trump Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s judicial and legal history indicates a lengthy anti-environmental record that would severely endanger Americans’ public health and right to clean air and water. During his tenure […]
FCC Chairman Throws a Wrench in Proposed Sinclair-Tribune Merger—At Least for Now
By Andrea Peterson, Project on Government Oversight Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai put a major roadblock in the way of the proposed merger of Sinclair Broadcast Group and the Tribune Media Company this week. The Chairman said Monday he had “serious concerns” about the deal, which would create a local broadcaster with the potential […]
American Workers Need Better Safeguards From Extreme Heat
By Juanita Constable, Vijay Limaye and Kim Knowlton, Natural Resources Defense Council All sorts of federal safeguards protect the health of American workers. There’s a requirement for employers to ensure construction workers wear the right protective gear. Tractors and other large farm equipment must be turned off before workers make repairs. Potentially flammable areas on ships need to […]
Help Workers to Beat the Heat!
By Will Barrett, Public Citizen As part of a national campaign for worker heat protections by Public Citizen, United Farm Workers Foundation and Farmworker Justice, more than 130 organizations and nearly 100 individuals have petitioned the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) to issue national protections for all outdoor and indoor workers endangered by extreme heat. Already, heat is […]
The Toxic Sinclair Merger May Be Doomed
By Free Press Our jaws are still on the floor, but news broke this morning that the FCC might scuttle the Sinclair-Tribune mega-merger. FCC Chairman Pai, a.k.a. Sinclair’s man in Washington, announced his intention to designate the proposed merger for an administrative hearing at the agency. An FCC chairman saying “designate the transaction for a hearing” is like a […]
The Endangered Species Act Is Itself Endangered
By Charise Johnson, Union of Concerned Scientists In the last two weeks, both the Senate and House have introduced bills proposing damaging amendments to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the leading piece of science-based legislation used to protect and recover biodiversity in the United States. Notably, Senator John Barrasso, chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and […]
Health Experts Rebut Trump EPA Censoring Science Rule
By Jennifer Sass, Natural Resources Defense Council In one of his last acts of aggression against the public before resigning, corrupt and disgraced Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt proposed a rule to restrict the scientific studies the EPA can rely on to set safety standards for toxic chemicals. Now, his replacement, former coal lobbyist […]
Trump’s Coal Bailout, Repeal of Clean Power Plan Would Bring Early Death to Many Americans
By Grant Smith, Environmental Working Group The Trump administration’s proposals to prop up the coal industry and roll back clean air rules would mean early deaths for tens of thousands of Americans, according to new research. If implemented, the administration’s proposals would increase two kinds of air pollution from coal plants: ozone and fine particles. […]
The EPA Should Not Restrict the Science They Use to Protect Us
By Andrew Rosenberg, Union of Concerned Scientists On Tuesday morning, the Environmental Protection Agency is holding their only hearing on their proposed rule that would restrict the science that the agency is allowed to consider in developing health and safety protections. My colleagues and I have written extensively about this proposal. On Tuesday, I will have the opportunity […]
Don’t Re-Open the Wall Street Casino by Weakening the Volcker Rule
By Better Markets The Dodd Frank financial reform and consumer protection act had three core goals: Prevent financial crashes, Wall Street bailouts and another Great Recession; Protect consumers and investors from being ripped off; and Refocus finance back to funding the real economy, supporting jobs, growth and prosperity, not high risk, socially useless activities to […]
Trump’s Corporation-Friendly Consumer Task Force
By Rick Claypool, Public Citizen Whew! Finally we can all sleep soundly knowing that Trump is taking consumer protection seriously! President Trump has signed an executive order creating a “Task Force on Market Integrity and Consumer Fraud.” That the name of Trump’s task force puts the “market” before consumers and lacks the word “enforcement” does not seem […]
Kavanaugh Nomination Threatens Climate and Communities of Color
By Kerene Tayloe, Green for All With suspense like a prime-time reality show, President Trump announced his nominee to replace Supreme Court Justice, Anthony Kennedy. While many suspected Trump would name a woman to The Court, he instead nominated Brett Kavanaugh; a 53-year-old man from Washington DC who served as a clerk to the Justice he […]
What Hath FERC Wrought?
By Daniel Farber, Center for Progressive Reform At the end of June, in a vote divided along partisan lines, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) handed down a sweeping order that will impact electricity markets in a wide swath of the country – likely at the expense of renewable energy and nuclear power. Unfortunately, like Trump’s power […]
Intimidation, Disinformation, the Formula Industry and the Next Dietary Guidelines
By Genna Reed, Union of Concerned Scientists It’s nearly time for the federal government to update its Dietary Guidelines for the public, and this time around the recommendations will include legally mandated dietary guidance for pregnant women, infants, and toddlers (from birth to age 24 months). With that in mind, my colleagues and I were […]
The Environmental Stakes Are High in Choosing the Next Supreme Court Justice
By Rhea Suh, Natural Resources Defense Council In the fight to protect our environment and health from toxic pollution and industrial ruin, the U.S. Supreme Court often has the final word on whether the rights of citizens are upheld by the values and boundaries enshrined in our laws. That’s why we’ll be paying close attention in the […]