March, 2012
Federal Regulators Order San Onofre to Stay Closed
The utility that runs Californias San Onofre nuclear plant misled federal regulators about equipment and design changes that are the likely cause of extensive wear on tubing that carries radioactive water, a report commissioned by an environmental group claimed Tuesday. Federal regulators told Southern California Edison Tuesday that it cannot put the San Onofre Nuclear [...]
Here is the latest Minnesota news from The Associated Press
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – State regulators have approved a 2.7% rate increase for Xcel Energys electric customers in Minnesota. Its less than half what the utility originally sought. Residential customers whove been paying higher interim rates will get refunds of about $30. ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota transportation officials say a series of [...]
Benefits of Federal Regulations Far Exceed the Costs
Todays debate about regulatory overreach is filled with mostly empty talking points, so its easy to forget that theres actually a ton of regularly-updated, widely available data analyzing precisely the cost-benefit breakdown of federal rules and regulations. Yesterday, the OMB released a draft of its annual report titled, literally, On the Benefits and Costs of [...]
Gas pipelines remain a threat
Even though a congressman boasts that his bill signed into law in January will assure steps are taken to safeguard new shale-gas pipelines snaking across Pennsylvania, safety regulators surveyed nationally say they still need convincing. The state regulators fears, expressed to federal auditors about the public-safety threat from badly built or shoddily maintained pipelines, stand [...]
Fed officials clash on view of economy – Interesting News!
CHICAGO (Reuters) The gap between the Federal Reserves dovish core and its hawkish wing was on display on Thursday as a top Fed official said the economy is in better shape even as Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke focused on a source of weakness. While growing slower than we would like, the US economy is expanding [...]
George F. Will: Let The Market Work Its Magic
Pulitzer prize-winning columnist George F. Will is best known for his polite and well-sourced right-wing political views, some of which he’ll share at IndexUniverse’s Inside Indexing Conference taking place March 19-20 in Philadelphia. Offering a taste of his upcoming keynote speech, the Illinois native told IndexUniverse.com’s Managing Editor Olivier Ludwig that entitlement programs pose [...]
The answer to challenges of growth? No growth
Re: The true north strong and – suburban; Report says sprawl is winning the population battle in Canada, The Journal, Feb. 18. While the statistics in the report are likely accurate, it is illuminating to check their source, and the political philosophy of their authors. As an Edmontonian with an interest in urban sprawl issues, [...]
Bill that aids small business advances
WASHINGTON — Legislation to help startup companies raise capital by reducing some federal regulations won easy passage in the Senate on Thursday despite warnings from some Democrats that less government oversight would mean more abuse and scams. President Barack Obama supports the measure, which stands to be one of the few bipartisan bills to pass [...]
Coke changes ingredient to avoid ‘carcinogen’ label
Coca-Cola has announced it will change the colouring in its signature soft drink, after health authorities in California threatened to force the company to affix a carcinogen label to the beverage. The chemical in question is 4-methylimidazole, a component of the chemical stew thats typically simplified down to caramel colouring on food labels. More related [...]
Fed’s words do influence longer-term rates: paper
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Reserves verbal clues on the future path of interest rates are effective at lowering borrowing costs, according to a paper co-authored by a top central bank official. Based on data going back to the mid-1990s, Charles Evans, president of the Chicago Fed, and three other economists, found that markets do [...]