Senate examination of the rulemaking process, stricter drilling safety standards, the EPA sued over smog policy, and more.
- The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs held a hearing examining proposals for improving the rulemaking process, reducing regulatory capture, and minimizing regulatory burdens on businesses. See related The Regulatory Review essay.
- Michael Bromwich, the director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, testified to the House Committee on Natural Resources that British Petroleum is voluntarily adopting more stringent safety standards than required.
- President Obama tapped former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which came to life July 21, 2011. Cordray awaits Senate confirmation for the position.
- The House passed a bill with an amendment that will effectively prohibit enforcement of the light bulb efficiency standards Congress enacted in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
- Several groups, including Los Angeles doctors, Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles, Desert Citizens Against Pollution, Communities for a Better Environment, and the Natural Resources Defense Council sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), claiming a failure to properly regulate smog levels.
- The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced it will accept public comments on the report recently submitted by LightSquared about the potential interference to GPS operations posed by Lightsquared’s broadband system.
- Proposed rules in the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Zadroga Act would add new categories of beneficiaries and set new filing deadlines. The Zadroga Act compensates individuals sickened by exposure to toxins at Ground Zero after the September 11 attacks.
- The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced it will hold a field hearing July 29 on the municipal securities market in Jefferson County, Alabama to discuss issues related to solvency and transparency. It will be the third regional hearing of its kind.
