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Showing 2,868 results

James Goodwin | May 17, 2016

Want to Address Economic Inequality? Strengthen the Regulatory System

The growing problem of economic inequality in the United States continues to draw significant attention – and for good reason. By 2011, America’s top 1 percent owned more than 40 percent of the nation’s wealth, and ours ranks as one of the most unequal economies among developed countries. Meanwhile, the median wage rate for workers […]

Rena Steinzor | May 13, 2016

We Need to Get Back to Work

Originally published on RegBlog by CPR Member Scholar Rena Steinzor. Rulemaking has slowed to a crawl throughout the executive branch. If an agency does not have a statutory mandate to undertake such a brutal and resource-intensive process, the choice to accomplish its mission through any other means will be tempting. Of course, if the policy issues are […]

Mollie Rosenzweig | May 12, 2016

Feds Open Criminal Investigation of Dole Listeria Outbreak

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently launched a criminal investigation of Dole Food Company, continuing a trend of criminal enforcement against those responsible for deadly food safety lapses. The investigation stems from a Listeria outbreak in bagged salad that sickened 33 people, four of whom died.  Between September 2015 and January 2016, 33 people […]

Katie Tracy | May 11, 2016

New Oxfam Report: Poultry Industry Denies Worker Requests for Bathroom Breaks

Can you imagine working for a boss who refuses you the dignity of taking a bathroom break? According to a revealing new report published today by Oxfam America, denial of bathroom breaks is a very real practice at poultry plants across the country, and line workers at these plants often “wait inordinately long times (an […]

Evan Isaacson | May 10, 2016

Trading Away the Benefits of Green Infrastructure

In the world of watershed restoration, there are multiple tools and tactics that government agencies, private landowners, and industry can use to reduce pollution and clean up our waterways. In Maryland, two of those approaches seem destined to collide. On the first track is nutrient trading, a least-cost pollution control concept predicated on the idea […]

James Goodwin | May 9, 2016

New Study Brings ‘Trickle Down’ Illogic to Regulatory ‘Costs’ Estimates

These days, it seems a week doesn’t go by without some conservative advocacy group releasing a new study that purports to measure the total annual costs of federal regulation. In this case, it’s literally true. Last week, the reliably anti-regulatory Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) put out its annual tally, provocatively titled “Ten Thousand Commandments,” which […]

Dave Owen | May 5, 2016

The Surprising Evolution of Federal Stream Protections

Originally published on Environmental Law Prof Blog by CPR Member Scholar Dave Owen. Right now, the United States' second-most-heated environmental controversy—behind only the Clean Power Plan—involves the Clean Water Rule, which seeks to clarify the scope of federal regulatory jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act. According to its many opponents, the rule is one big power grab. […]

Brian Gumm | May 4, 2016

New Paper: Americans Hurt By Forced Arbitration Agreements with Big Banks, Credit Card Companies

NEWS RELEASE: New Paper Shows Americans Hurt By Forced Arbitration Agreements with Big Banks, Credit Card Companies Forthcoming Rule from Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Offers Some Solutions, but More Can Be Done to Protect Consumers Opening a checking account or using a credit card is an essential, everyday activity for many Americans, but most financial […]

Daniel Farber | May 3, 2016

The Misleading Argument Against Delegation

It’s commonplace to say that agencies engage in lawmaking when they issue rules. Conservatives denounce this as a violation of the constitutional scheme; liberals celebrate it as an instrument of modern government. Both sides agree that in reality, though not in legal form, Congress has delegated its lawmaking power to agencies. But this is mistaking […]