government News

Oregon Lawmakers to Introduce Bill Barring Utility Rate Increases Amid Unresolved Wildfire Lawsuits

Three Oregon lawmakers say they plan to introduce a bill that would bar utilities from raising rates if they have unresolved wildfire lawsuits for three or more years, describing it as an effort to hold PacifiCorp accountable as the utility …

Here’s a Look at the $100 Billion in Disaster Relief in the Government Spending Bill

Congress is allocating more than $100 billion in emergency aid designed to address extensive damage caused by disasters after this week’s scramble to find consensus on a government spending bill. The money comes after back-to-back hurricanes — Helene and Milton …

Beryl-Battered Grenada Becomes First to Utilize Government Bond Hurricane Clause

Grenada has become the first country in the world to use a so-called hurricane clause in a government bond — a special feature that allows authorities to postpone debt payments in the wake of a major natural disaster. The move …

Viewpoint: Washington Needs to Embrace Its Role as Ultimate Risk Manager

The actions that the federal, state and local governments in the U.S. have taken to stop the spread of the new coronavirus and to mitigate the resulting economic fallout have been tagged with the term “unprecedented” a lot over the …

Safety Oversight of Government Aircraft Lacking

Nonmilitary government agencies operate more aircraft than the world’s largest airline but are subject to little federal safety oversight – a situation accident investigators say has contributed to air crashes and deaths. Federal, state and local agencies own or lease …

Electric Car Battery Catches Fire During Crash Test

A Chevrolet Volt that caught fire three weeks after its lithium-ion battery was damaged in a government crash test has regulators taking a harder look at the safety of electric car batteries, federal officials said Friday. Based on testing so …

BP Wants U.S. Probes Barred from Oil Spill Suits

The companies involved in the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history are trying to prevent government investigations blaming them for the disaster from being used against them by the people and businesses who are suing them. Billions of dollars …

Thai Flood Holdouts Complicate Relief Efforts

There’s no food left for sale anywhere near Thipawan Pipatkul’s house. In fact, there’s not much of her house left above the surface now that the fetid black waters have poured in. Yet, like thousands in Bangkok’s flood zones, she’s …

Report: Industry Decides Food Ingredient Safety

A new report has found thousands of ingredients that go into food have been classified as safe by private industry alone, without any government oversight. The study published Wednesday found that since the early 1960’s, private companies and trade associations …

Flood-Damaged Government Documents Halt Northeast Transactions

It only took half an hour for the raging Mad River to flood much of Moretown during Tropical Storm Irene and fill the vault in the town clerk’s office with 51/2 feet of water, but it’s taking weeks to get …