EPA Chief Calls for Narrowing Scope of Clean-Water Rule
The Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal Tuesday that reduces the number of federally protected bodies of water compared with an Obama-era rule it seeks to replace…
Read this article
Reduced Regulatory Burden Needed For Improved Interoperability
Reducing regulatory and administrative burden on health IT developers and providers is necessary to paving the way for interoperability in healthcare…
Read this article
It’s last call for Virginia’s unconstitutional happy-hour advertising laws
It’s been almost a year since Geoff Tracy and his restaurant, Chef Geoff’s, filed a First Amendment lawsuit asking a federal court to strike down Virginia’s happy-hour advertising laws. In the Old Dominion, it’s legal for businesses to offer happy hour. It’s just illegal for them to talk about it. Those that dare to advertise the happy-hour price of a beer or use creative terms such as “Sunday Funday” to pitch the demon rum face big fines or a suspended permit from the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. Virginia may be for lovers, but it’s not for lovers of free speech…
Read this article
Snowball Ban Overturned In Colorado Town After Request From 9-Year-Old Boy
A boy’s quest to throw snowballs legally in his town ended in victory on Monday, when trustees of Severance, Colo., agreed with a request from Dane Best, 9, to overturn a long-held ban on snowball fights. Best won the town board over with cold logic…
Read this article
Self-driving cars are racing self-driving regulations to the streets
Earlier this week, Google’s self-driving car spinoff, Waymo, launched a commercial self-driving taxi service in the Phoenix area. It’s limited, but it’s technically a public launch, not just testing. And this is a case where the tech moved faster than the laws. Proposed federal rules for regulating self-driving cars called the AV START Act have been stuck in neutral for about a year. But this week senators updated the language in the bill. They’re even considering attaching it to the must-pass budget legislation that Congress will decide on before the end of the year. Molly Wood talked about it with Aarian Marshall, who covers autonomous vehicles for Wired magazine. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation…
Read this article
Put ‘regulation by enforcement’ where it belongs: The trash
In a welcome announcement, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Acting Director Mick Mulvaney declared an end to “regulation by enforcement.” For nearly a decade, the bureau has had free rein to enforce all sorts of consumer protection laws. It has wielded that power.
Read this article
U.S. Airlines Face A Critical Legislative And Regulatory Test In 2019
Forty years ago, President Carter signed the Airline Deregulation Act (ADA), landmark legislation that has transformed air travel from an expensive, exclusive means of transportation to an affordable option for more Americans. Over the past 40 years, average roundtrip U.S. domestic airfares have decreased by more than 40%, from $629 to $340 (including fees, based on inflation-adjusted dollar amounts). However, frustration overcrowded cabins and ancillary service fees has led to calls for congressional action…
Read this article
The Impact of Environmental Regulations on Power Generation
Environmental rules dating back 40 years or more have spawned new rules, which cover different operating parameters in power plants. For example, there have been several rules and regulations based on the Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990 that required coal-fired plants to install flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems…
Read this article
A Regulation Revolution In Financial Services
If your professional interests take you to the crossroads of financial services, regulation, compliance, and digital – especially data analytics and machine learning – which altogether is known as regtech, you are in the right place. You are part of statistically small and very geek-oriented professional community, but you know this, and though you might choose not to admit this to strangers at this year’s festive parties for fear of causing great pain by boredom, you are in good company with this Contributor and my interviewee…
Read this article
Pay Taxes With Bitcoin? Ohio Says Sure
Ohio appears set to become the first state to accept bitcoin for tax bills, a show of support for a technology that has garnered lots of hype but failed to gain traction as a form of payment…
