Obama Administration Trying To Speed up Transmission Line Approvals

October 26, 2011–As part of its push to improve the nation's power system, the Obama administration is trying to expedite construction of 7 transmission lines, in various stages of planning and design, spanning 3,100 miles in 12 states.

Reporters Committee Offers Digital Journos' Legal Guide

October 19, 2011–RCFP's free online guide covers many topics: credentials for bloggers; state and federal FOIA rights; libel and SLAPP laws; privacy concerns online; Internet regulation; and more.

Florida Court Won't Order OSHA To Withhold Images of Orca-Trainer Death

September 21, 2011–Judge Gregory Presnell ruled that the federal Freedom of Information Act did not allow an injunction before the agency itself had made its decision on whether to release the records.

Proposed Rule To Target Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Mileage

September 14, 2011–By Sept. 28, 2011, EPA and the US Dept. of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration say they will jointly release proposed standards designed to significantly increase fuel mileage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from passenger cars, light trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles in model years 2017-2025.

EPA May Finally Release Final Ozone Standards

July 20, 2011–The standards were initially scheduled to be released in August 2010, then October 2010, after EPA determined that the ones approved during the George W. Bush administration weren't grounded in science, didn't protect public health with an adequate margin of safety, and didn't protect the environment.

EPA To Issue Long Overdue Standards for Oil & Gas Facilities

July 20, 2011–Two and a half years after being sued, EPA is under a twice-extended court deadline to release by July 28, 2011, proposed standards which will address air toxics from oil production facilities and natural gas production, processing, transmission, and storage facilities.

Defiant Murdoch E-Tab To Judge: Nuts To Pulling BP Deposition

July 13, 2011–U.S. Magistrate Judge Sally Shushan of the Eastern District of Louisiana ordered iPad-only publication The Daily to remove the deposition, by former BP CEO Tony Hayward in the Gulf oil spill lawsuit, because it had not been published with her permission.

EPA To Announce Secondary Standard for SOx and NOx

July 6, 2011–While primary standards are designed to protect human health, secondary standards are established to protect the environment. In the case of NOx and SOx, some of the primary targets include reduced aquatic and terrestrial acidification, and reduced nitrogen deposition on land and water.

EPA Outs 150 Chemicals Claiming Trade Secret Status Under TSCA

June 15, 2011–The chemicals, the identities of which had been withheld up till now based on companies' "confidential business information" claims, are used in products like oil dispersants, air fresheners, non-stick and stain-resistant materials, fire-resistant materials, nonylphenol compounds, perfluorinated compounds, and lead.

BLM Invites More Public Comment for New Oil Shale PEIS

April 27, 2011–Public meetings in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming from April 26 to May 5, 2011 will likely be newsy events, with advocates and critics representing industry, environmentalists, local governments, and other interested groups and individuals voicing their opinions.