The New York Times reports, “In a 2-1 ruling, a panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said the Environmental Protection Agency had exceeded its authority in the way it apportioned the cleanup work among 28 upwind states.” The court ruled that while the EPA “was authorized to set rules that would require upwind states ‘to bear responsibility for their fair share of the mess in downwind states,'” it “had improperly required states ‘to reduce their emissions by more than their own significant contribution to a downwind state’s nonattainment.'”
The Washington Times calls the ruling “a major blow to environmentalists and a significant setback to the Obama administration’s clear-air agenda”, while Politico refers to “a rebuke to the Obama administration”.
Ben Geman, in a blog post for The Hill, reports that “the 2-1 court decision Tuesday is a victory for industry groups, some states and GOP lawmakers, who alleged the rule would create economic burdens and force the closure of substantial numbers of coal-fired power plants.” Geman adds that “Capitol Hill Republicans have taken aim at the rule, passing legislation in the House to scuttle it and force EPA to re-write the restrictions. But a bid to nix the rule in the Senate fell well short of the needed votes last November.”
It was “a major victory for utilities and business groups,” the Washington Post reports, “who fought the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule on the grounds that it was costly, burdensome and arbitrary.” The ruling was “authored by Judge Brett Kavanaugh and joined by Judge Thomas Griffith – two George W. Bush appointees,” while “Judge Judith Rogers, a Bill Clinton appointee, dissented.”
In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal casts the ruling as part of a larger pattern of the Obama Administration’s EPA pushing the limits of Federal power beyond what’s appropriate, and in the process hurting US business.
Business Inventories Rose 0.1 Percent In June
Bloomberg News (8/15, Jamrisko) reports, “Inventories in the US rose in June at the slowest pace in nine months as a slump in sales gave companies little incentive to keep more goods on hand. The 0.1 percent increase in stockpiles followed a 0.3 percent gain in May,” the Commerce Department said. “Manufacturers, burdened by slower global economic growth, may find companies will place fewer orders and limit investment until households pick up the pace of spending.”
The AP (8/15, Crutsinger) reports, “Sales fell 1.1 percent, the sharpest decline since March 2009 when the economy was still in recession. The small June increase in inventories pushed total business stockpiles up to $1.58 trillion. That’s 20 percent higher than the low reached in September 2009 when businesses were slashing inventories in response to the recession.”
U.S. Plans to Impose Tariffs on Appliances from South Korea and Mexico
The U.S. Department of Commerce will impose tariffs on some imported appliances – this after it ruled on Monday that some appliances are being dumped on the U.S. market.
The DoC made a preliminary determination in an anti-dumping investigation of large residential washing machines being imported from South Korea and Mexico. The investigation came in response to a petition filed by Whirlpool Corp. in
December 2011. “Dumping” happens when a foreign company sells a product in the United States at less than fair value.
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