Laws & Regulations

NIH Open-Access Policy Celebrates 1st Birthday — Will It Make 2nd?

A year-old National Institutes of Health policy requiring results of taxpayer-funded research articles to be posted online could be reversed by a bill introduced by Rep. John Conyers, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

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WA State Secret Deal on Coal-Plant Emissions Raises Ire

Seattle Times lets the cat out of the bag with an April 7, 2009, story describing the secret agreement between the administration of Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and Canada-based TransAlta.

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House Passes Limited Journalists' Shield Bill

The bill passed by the House now goes to the Senate, which had previously failed to act on a similar bill passed by the House in 2007.

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Judge Rules That Feedlot Phone-Book Can Be Secret

As of March 31, 2009, the Agriculture Department may keep secret the locations and phone numbers of feedlots — however much the public may complain about their smell and the pollution emanating from them.

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Energy Dept. Maps, Lists Efficiency Aid for U.S. Cities

The Energy Department is listing state and local grant allocations from the stimulus bill on its website. Find out what your area of coverage is slated to receive in aid.

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Consent Decree Forces Regs on Selected Gas and Diesel Engines

Restrictions would be placed on many types of stationary diesel and gas-fired engines under a proposed EPA rule.

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Blue Sky for TRI?

EPA's public release of the latest Toxics Release Inventory data -- and rollback of Bush-era cutbacks on the amount of information chemical companies must report -- may have marked the beginning of a new era for the embattled program.

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Leahy, Cornyn Introduce FOIA Exemption-Flagging Bill

A new bill would require Congress to explicitly declare when it was creating a new exemption to the Freedom of Information Act in any legislation.

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Attorney General Sets Openness as Standard for Fed Info

Carrying out a January 21 order by President Barack Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder has reversed the so-called "Ashcroft Memo," which had encouraged agencies during the George Bush presidency to err on the side of secrecy.

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Greenhouse Gases Continue Rise; EPA Proposes Mandatory Reporting

Recently released studies show that the problem of ever-increasing GHG emissions in the US could be even worse than the current data indicate, as additional substances are added to the list. A proposed EPA rule may help, if finalized.

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