News release: “Obama Administration officials announced that they are taking unprecedented steps to reduce the environmental impacts of mountaintop coal mining in the six Appalachian states of Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia through a coordinated approach between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of the Interior (DOI) and Army Corps of Engineers.… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: June 2009
New GAO Reports: EPA Chemical Assessments, Public Housing, Environmental Contamination
EPA Chemical Assessments: Process Reforms Offer the Potential to Address Key Problems, GAO-09-774T, June 11, 2009 Public Housing: HUD’s Oversight of Housing Agencies Should Focus More on Inappropriate Use of Program Fund, GAO-09-33, June 11, 2009 Environmental Contamination: Lessons Learned from the Cleanup of Formerly Used Defense and Military Munitions Sites, GAO-09-779T, June 10, 2009 Continue Reading
World Health Organizartion: Influenza pandemic alert raised to phase 6
News release: “On the basis of available evidence and expert assessments of the evidence, the scientific criteria for an influenza pandemic have been met. The Director-General of WHO has therefore decided to raise the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5 to phase 6. “The world is now at the start of the 2009… Continue Reading
World Trade Organization: Hyperlinked Map of Disputes Between Members
“The World Trade Organization has recently posted on its website an interactive map that depicts disputes between its member states. The top of the webpage shows a list of highlight-able choices among types of member-state involvement in disputes: as complainant, respondent, or either. The accompanying map shows member-state areas of the world in a color… Continue Reading
Hearing: Bank of America and Merrill Lynch: How Did a Private Deal Turn Into a Federal Bailout?
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Subcommittee on Domestic Policy held a hearing on: Bank of America and Merrill Lynch: How Did a Private Deal Turn Into a Federal Bailout? Opening Statement of Chairman Edolphus Towns Prepared Testimony of Mr. Kenneth D. Lewis Fed E-mails Opening Statement of Chairman Dennis Kucinich Closing Statement of… Continue Reading
Pew Survey: The Social Life of Health Information
“This Pew Internet/California HealthCare Foundation survey finds that technology is not an end, but a means to accelerate the pace of discovery, widen social networks, and sharpen the questions someone might ask when they do get to talk to a health professional. Technology can help to enable the human connection in health care and the… Continue Reading
Bond Yields Push Mortgage Rates to Highest Level in Seven Months
News release: “Freddie Mac today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5.59 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending June 11, 2009, up from last week when it averaged 5.29 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged… Continue Reading
Interior Review Shines Light on Controversial Utah Oil and Gas Leases
News release: “A report released today by the U.S. Department of the Interior reveals flaws in the process through which a controversial set of oil and gas leases were offered in Utah in the waning days of the previous Administration, including several near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, and Dinosaur National Monument. Secretary of the… Continue Reading
Federal Agencies Issue Frequently Asked Questions on Identity Theft Rules
News release: “Six federal agencies issued a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) today to help financial institutions, creditors, users of consumer reports, and issuers of credit cards and debit cards comply with federal regulations on identity theft and discrepancies in changes of address. The Red Flags and Address Discrepancy Rules, which implement sections of… Continue Reading
National Archives Appoints Director of the Office of Government Information Services
News release: “Acting Archivist of the United States Adrienne Thomas announced today the appointment of Miriam Nisbet as the director of the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) within the National Archives and Records Administration. OGIS, an organization newly established under the OPEN Government Act of 2007, will provide policy guidance and mediation services for… Continue Reading
Trustworthiness of Case Reports in the Digital Age
The Decline and Fall of the Dominant Paradigm: Trustworthiness of Case Reports in the Digital Age, by William R. Mills, New York Law School Law Review, volume 53, 2008/2009. “It is axiomatic that our American common law, based in the principle of precedent and the rule of stare decisis, relies on accurate case reports published… Continue Reading
Special Tax Break on New Car Purchases Available in States With No Sales Tax
“The Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department today announced that a tax break for the purchase of new motor vehicles is available in states that do not have a state sales tax. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, taxpayers who buy a new motor vehicle this year are entitled to deduct state… Continue Reading
