LABOR, ECONOMY & THE CLIMATE - page 30

The National Park Service (NPS) is proposing a relaxation on rules governing corporate partnerships in a move that could see parks increasingly commercialized and dependent on the whims of private donors. Some park superintendents will be asked to help raise up to $5 million in individual gifts, according to the NPS proposal. In return, the service will allow the use of park names and imagery in corporate advertising campaigns. NPS will also allow the display of corporate logos in park infrastructure through “donor recognition.” NPS… Keep Reading

Two out of every three cubic meters of natural gas produced in the United States is extracted from the earth via hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” The Energy Information Administration said Thursday that the controversial technique now yields the vast majority of gas produced in the US. In 2010, fracked natural gas accounted for roughly half of all domestic production. “For decades, hydraulic fracturing had been referred to as an unconventional completion technique, but over the past 10 years it has become the technique by which… Keep Reading

A long-anticipated regulation proposed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) aims to restore the ability of customers to sue misbehaving banks and credit card companies. The rule would prohibit so-called “forced arbitration” clauses, which firms have used to deny customers an opportunity to file class action lawsuits. Forced into one-on-one proceedings, cheated Americans are often over-matched by their corporate abuser’s legal resources, and unlikely to recoup any damages. “Signing up for a credit card or opening a bank account can often mean signing away your right to take the company to court if… Keep Reading

The Federal Reserve on Tuesday put forward a rule aimed at preventing “asset fire sales” like the one that preceded the global financial collapse of 2008. Firms that deal with the largest banks would be forbidden from canceling deals with them in the event of their bankruptcy, under the draft approved by the Fed’s Board of Governors. The hold on transactions would last for 48 hours. “The proposed rules we are considering today are important elements of the Board’s strategy to ensure our financial system… Keep Reading

Indiana voters didn’t get the memo from the Democratic and Republican establishments on Tuesday, handing victories to the two candidates that make party leadership especially uneasy. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by five points with nearly all the votes counted. The senator was buoyed by the state’s open primary rules, which allow independents to participate in the nomination process—a group that Sanders won with 73 percent of on Tuesday. Despite the victory, Sanders and Clinton are walking away from the… Keep Reading

The Justice Department found that South Dakota violates the rights of disabled residents by only offering them nursing homes as part of state-administered treatment. The department’s Civil Rights Division said Monday that the state is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) after a 20-month investigation into its healthcare system. “Thousands” are given no other choice but inpatient treatment through programs financed by Medicaid, DOJ found. Title II of the ADA and a 1999 Supreme Court decision require government institutions to “provide community-based… Keep Reading

Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla (PPD-P.R.) announced on Sunday that Puerto Rico would not be able to make $370 million in debt payments due Monday. Garcia said the US territory was not willing to sacrifice essential public services in order to pay the money it owes. Puerto Rico had been previously scheduled to pay on Monday $422 million in bond obligations. “Faced with the inability to meet the demands of our creditors and the needs of our people, I had to make a choice,” Garcia said.… Keep Reading

House Republicans are again trying to use an agriculture spending bill to undermine regulation of financial speculators. The agriculture appropriations bill passed out of committee this year would relax Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) oversight of so-called “swap dealers.” Currently, firms and individuals that trade $8 billion annually in swaps are officially considered dealers by the CFTC. The designation requires them to comply with additional rules, including “disclosure, recordkeeping and documentation requirements,” as Tim Massad, the commission’s chair, noted in February. The threshold is set… Keep Reading

Republicans criticized a Department of Labor regulation that will force employers to disclose ties to outside union-busting advisers. Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), the Chairman of a House labor subcommittee, convened a hearing Tuesday, calling for the elimination of the so-called “Persuader Rule.” The measure took effect this week, seeking to shed light on the opaque anti-union consulting industry. “I think this needs to be stopped now and it should be bipartisan,” Rep. Roe said during the proceedings, claiming that the new regulation stifles employer free speech and… Keep Reading

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won four out of five primary contests on Tuesday night, effectively closing the narrow pathway that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) still had open in his bid to win the Democratic nomination. With nearly all the votes counted, Clinton picked up resounding victories in the delegate-heavy states of Maryland and Pennsylvania, winning by 30 points and 12 points respectively. She also won Delaware by 20 points, and picked up a smaller win in Connecticut by 5 points, netting roughly 60… Keep Reading