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Daily Archives: May 3, 2017

Sabin Center Launches Database of State Environmental Actions

Earth Institute: “The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law has launched a new database to track environmental actions undertaken by state attorneys general. The center partnered with StateAG.org, a research and education website, to build the database, which includes legal actions initiated by state attorneys general against the federal government, private actors and other public entities; defensive actions taken in support of federal and state rules; amicus briefs; regulatory petitions and other forms of participation in administrative proceedings; legislative inputs (e.g., congressional testimony and bill proposals); and other types of interventions. StateAG.org is a legal research and education website that examines and communicates the role and impact of state attorneys general in law and national policy. The new state-level database includes some of the major and innovative actions aimed at advancing the ball on environmental law and policy. It does not encompass all of the routine enforcement actions undertaken by state attorneys general. The site allows readers to filter actions by topic, type or jurisdiction or browse and search a table of all actions being taken. The new tool follows on the heels of a federal “Climate Deregulation Tracker” set up by the Sabin Center in January. That tool identifies and explains the efforts taken by the Trump administration to scale back or wholly eliminate federal climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. That database also tracks congressional efforts to repeal statutory provisions, regulations and guidance pertaining to climate change, and to otherwise undermine climate action. For more on the new state environmental law database, visit the Sabin Center website.”

The Nation’s Fiscal Health: Action is Needed to Address the Federal Government’s Fiscal Future

The Nation’s Fiscal Health: Action is Needed to Address the Federal Government’s Fiscal Future, GAO-17-579T: Published: May 3, 2017. Publicly Released: May 3, 2017. “A plan is needed to put the nation on a sustainable long-term fiscal path. But in the near-term, Congress and executive branch agencies have opportunities to improve the government’s fiscal condition,… Continue Reading

European map of Implicit Racial Bias

figshare – “This map shows how easily White Europeans in Europe associate black faces with negative ideas. Each country’s colour reflects the average Implicit Association Test (IAT) score for that country using data from Harvard’s Project Implicit. Overall we have scores for 288,076 White Europeans, collected between 2002 and 2015, with sample sizes for each… Continue Reading

Public Trust in Government Remains Near Historic Lows as Partisan Attitudes Shift

Pew – May 3, 2017: Democrats’ confidence in country’s future declines sharply – “The 2016 election ushered in a new era in Washington defined by unified Republican control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. The changes in the dynamics of power in Washington have registered with members of both political parties. Somewhat… Continue Reading

The Future of Jobs and Jobs Training

Pew – May 3, 2017: The Future of Jobs and Jobs Training – “As robots, automation and artificial intelligence perform more tasks and there is massive disruption of jobs, experts say a wider array of education and skills-building programs will be created to meet new demands. There are two uncertainties: Will well-prepared workers be able… Continue Reading

National Archives Announces New Model for Preservation and Accessibility of Presidential Records

“The National Archives and Records Administration announced today a new model for the preservation and accessibility of Presidential records.  This follows an Obama Foundation announcement of its commitment to fund the digitization of all of the unclassified Presidential records created during the administration of President Barack Obama.  Instead of constructing a building to house the… Continue Reading

Paying for news: Why people subscribe and the future of journalism

“The future of journalism will increasingly depend on consumers paying for the news directly, as content distributors like Facebook and Google take up the lion’s share of digital advertising dollars. The Media Insight Project, a collaboration of the American Press Institute and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, has undertaken what we believe… Continue Reading