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Letter to HUD on Homelessness
The Dept. of Housing and Urban Development has issued two proposals that would significantly alter the way the government handles homelessness and institute major improvements to the agency’s work; Policy Integrity recently submitted a letter on both.
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DOT Announces New Regulations on Truckers’ Hours of Service
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced new restrictions to the amount of time truckers can spend behind the wheel. DOT maintained an 11-hour limit on truck drivers’ hours, scaling back a proposal to give them more rest. The rule does introduce some new limits, including a reduction a driver’s maximum work week by 12 hours to 70 hours.
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EPA Releases New Mercury and Air Toxics Standards
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency released air pollution regulations to lower emissions of 84 different toxic chemicals, including mercury.
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EPA releases new Boiler MACT proposed rule
Today the EPA released a new proposal to curb air pollution from industrial boilers. It’s an update on a version released in March of 2010, but never finalized.
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Letter to OIRA on NSPS
The federal regulation of greenhouse gases from coal-powered plants called “New Source Performance Standards” has been delayed several times but is now set to be released in early 2012.
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Comments to EPA on NSPS review for Nitric Acid Plants
Policy Integrity submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urging updates to its New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) program standards for nitrogen oxide (NOx ) and nitric acid plants, which can emit dangerous air pollutants that can cause illness and alter the climate. Though a statute requires the EPA to review and revise related regulations every eight years, the rules governing these plants have not been updated in four decades.
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Senate Votes to Retain Net Neutrality Rules
The Senate rejected a bid to overturn the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) net neutrality rules yesterday, ensuring that consumers will continue to garner huge economic benefits from an open Internet.
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BOEMRE Responds to Policy Integrity’s Petition
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) recently responded to our petition to reconsider its leasing policies. They commit to further review of our recommendations and mention the possibility of incorporating our findings in the next 5-year leasing program.
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Balanced Justice
Cost-Benefit Analysis and Criminal Justice Policy
Crime and justice are not usually associated with cost-benefit analysis. But they should be, according to new research. This is especially true in an economic downturn, when government funding is scarce. In “Balanced Justice,” released jointly with the Center for the Administration of Criminal Law, author Jennifer Rosenberg reviews a growing body of research showing that counting the costs and benefits of our nation’s justice system can highlight areas of improvement that can save billions of taxpayer dollars without compromising public safety.
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Internet Benefits
Consumer Surplus and Net Neutrality
This policy brief describes how a weakening of the principle of network neutrality might impact the Web. Based on an analysis of Internet usage, it finds that Internet infrastructure and content work together to generate huge economic benefits for consumers—possibly as much as $5,686 per user, per year.