House OKs permit exemption for semiconductor projects, sending bill to Biden
The U.S. House approved legislation on Monday that would address concerns that environmental reviews and lawsuits will delay construction of domestic chip factories.
Regulation
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TikTok face offs with Justice Department over law that could lead to ban
Before a panel of three judges at a federal appeals court, attorneys for the two sides—and content creators—were pressed on their best arguments for and against the law that forces the two companies to break ties by mid-January or lose one of their biggest markets in the world.
Government orders big U.S. airlines to explain their frequent-flyer programs
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wrote to the CEOs of American, Delta, Southwest and United on Thursday, asking each for a report on policies, fees and other features of their loyalty program.
Nearly 2,000 drug plants overdue for FDA checks after COVID delays, analysis finds
Last year’s inspection numbers were down almost 40% from the pre-pandemic period, when the FDA averaged about 4,300 annual inspections.
Nvidia facing antitrust probe from regulators amid competitor complaints
Nvidia’s has cemented itself as a poster child for the artificial intelligence boom—and in the process become one of the most valuable companies in the world.
U.S. investigating Delta’s flight cancellations, response to global tech outage
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday announced the investigation into Delta’s response to the outage, which he said has affected more than half a million of the airline’s passengers.
GM to pay $146M in penalties because 5.9M older vehicles emit excess carbon dioxide
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a statement Wednesday that certain GM vehicles from the 2012 through 2018 model years did not comply with federal fuel economy requirements.
Supreme Court rules for truck stop in new blow to federal regulations
The Supreme Court opened the door Monday to new, broad challenges to regulations long after they take effect.
Supreme Court temporarily halts enforcement of the EPA’s plan to limit downwind pollution from power plants
Three energy-producing states—Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia—have challenged the air pollution rule, along with the steel industry and other groups, calling it costly and ineffective.
Ford recalls 550K-plus pickup trucks because transmissions can suddenly downshift
The recalls come after U.S. auto safety regulators in March began investigating complaints that more than 540,000 Ford pickup trucks from 2014 can abruptly downshift to a lower gear and increase the risk of a crash.
Railroads must provide details of hazardous cargo immediately after a derailment under new rule
Too often in past, disasters like last year’s fiery Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, firefighters risked their lives trying to extinguish a blaze without knowing the right way to respond.
Antitrust enforcers to investigate leading AI companies Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI
Federal officials have signaled for more than a year that they’ve been watching out for monopolistic behavior in the rapidly advancing industry.
FDIC Chair Martin Gruenberg says he will resign after hostile workplace claims
An independent investigation led by an outside law firm found rampant instances of abusive workplace conduct at the FDIC, including sexual harassment, stalking and inappropriate supervisor-subordinate relationships.
Water systems, manufacturers brace for limits on ‘forever’ chemicals
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency took a historic step in April to protect communities from so-called “forever chemicals,” with the federal agency releasing a final rule that established legally enforceable limits.
Corporate transparency: New federal law imposes reporting requirements on some businesses
The law is intended to provide law enforcement with ownership information about many companies for the purpose of detecting, preventing and punishing terrorism, money laundering and other misconduct through business entities.
What fliers should know about new refund rules for airlines
New federal rules for airlines will go into effect later this year, giving travelers a better picture of the full cost of flights before they book—and getting them an easier refund if things go awry.
Groups sue to block FTC’s new rule barring noncompete agreements
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups on Wednesday sued the Federal Trade Commission over a new rule that would make most noncompete agreements illegal, setting up a potential showdown over the scope of the agency’s authority.
Kroger, Albertsons—still hoping to merge—agree to sell more stores to satisfy regulators
It’s unclear if the new plan will satisfy regulators. In February, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission sued to block the $24.6 billion merger between the grocery giants.
EPA designates two forever chemicals as hazardous substances, eligible for Superfund cleanup
Designation as a hazardous substance under the Superfund law doesn’t ban the chemicals, known as PFOA and PFOS. But it requires that releases of the chemicals into soil or water be reported to federal, state or tribal officials if they meet or exceed certain levels.
Internet providers must now be more transparent about fees, pricing, FCC says
The labels are expected to provide easy-to-understand, accurate information about the cost and performance of high-speed internet service to help consumers avoid junk fees, price hikes, and other unexpected costs.