The FAA and DOT announce registration requirements for recreational drone operators, presidential candidate proposes curtailing fracking regulations, and more…
IN THE NEWS
- In light of mounting calls for stricter enforcement measures over recreational drone operators, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the establishment of a task force that will provide recommendations on a mandatory registration process for recreational drone operators.
- Presidential candidate Marco Rubio announced his plans to reduce fracking regulation, authorize the Keystone XL pipeline, increase offshore drilling, and remove the ban on crude oil exports, among other reforms in the energy sector.
- Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau, whose expected regulatory reforms include expanding environmental regulation and legalizing marijuana, was elected Prime Minister of Canada.
- In an effort to eliminate parasites from honeycombs, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule authorizing the application of potassium salts of hops beta acids, which are used to produce beer, as a pesticide.
- The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report addressing U.S. agencies’ responses to the influx of unaccompanied children who have migrated from Central America, and based on its findings offered recommendations to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Department of State (DOS) on how they can address this issue.
- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a proposed rule that would formalize standards for HUD assessment of harassment claims against protected groups under the Fair Housing Act.
PPR NEWS
- The U.S. Department of Commerce’s (DOC) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded $160,000 to the Penn Program on Regulation (PPR) and Cary Coglianese—a Penn Law professor and the director of PPR—to “develop and pilot” course modules and case studies about codes and standards, which instructors would then be able to use “to educate future lawyers and policymakers.”
- Penn Law Professor Cary Coglianese released his final report for the Penn Program on Regulation’s Best-in-Class Regulator Initiative, sponsored by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), in which he examined how to define and measure regulatory excellence, and what attributes characterize the truly excellent regulators.
- The University of Pennsylvania Law Review and the Penn Program on Regulation (PPR) co-sponsored a symposium on executive discretion, which featured a host of speakers and discussions addressing the limits of presidential authority over domestic issues.
WHAT WE’RE READING THIS WEEK
- In a forthcoming publication for Boston College’s Law Review, Professor Jennifer Fan examines disclosure regulations for public versus private companies. Fan argues that the current regulatory regime creates risks by not treating very large private companies like their publicly traded counterparts.
- A recent report from the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law explores the declining role of political parties. The report argues that relaxing campaign finance regulations to strengthen official party organizations could help increase voter participation and improve constituent satisfaction with elected officials.
