Regulations & Compliance
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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
EPA Signs Idaho Superfund Cleanup Plan
October 3, 2012 10:07 am | by John Miller, Associated Press | News | CommentsFederal regulators signed documents on Tuesday outlining an interim cleanup plan for a polluted southeastern Idaho Superfund site they say will cost $57 million and take up to five years to complete. The Environmental Protection Agency said it opted to move forward with the plan for FMC Corp.'s former plant near Pocatello, but reserved the right to make changes, if necessary.
Judge Lifts U.S. Ban On Sales Of Samsung Tablet
October 3, 2012 10:05 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA federal judge has lifted a ban on sales of Samsung Electronics Corp.'s Galaxy 10.1 tablet computer. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh ruled Monday the South Korean technology giant is now free to start selling the product in American stores.
NJ Glassmaker Settles Air Pollution Allegations
October 2, 2012 2:26 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsFederal and state officials say a southern New Jersey glass manufacturer has agreed to pay $300,000 in civil penalties to settle allegations that it violated air pollution standards. Durand Glass Manufacturing Co. made no admission of violations under the agreement announced Monday. The settlement, though, won't take effect until a federal judge approves it.
Samsung Motions To Add iPhone 5 To Patent Case
October 2, 2012 2:24 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsSouth Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. says it has filed a motion with a U.S. court to add Apple's iPhone 5 to their ongoing patent battle. Samsung says it filed the motion Monday with the California court, alleging that Apple's new phone infringes on eight of its patents.
ND Legislature May Take Up Lockout Benefit Dispute
October 1, 2012 1:59 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA lawmaker says he's expecting the North Dakota Legislature to take up the issue of whether workers who are locked out of their jobs should get unemployment benefits. The North Dakota Supreme Court is considering whether state law provides jobless benefits for about 400 locked-out workers at American Crystal Sugar Co.
A Third Of U.S. Public Fears Police Use Of Drones
September 28, 2012 10:03 am | by Joan Lowy, Associated Press | News | CommentsMore than a third of Americans worry their privacy will suffer if drones like those used to spy on U.S. enemies overseas become the latest police tool for tracking suspected criminals at home, according to an Associated Press-National Constitution Center poll.
NTSB: 2nd 787 Engine Found With Cracked Mid-Shaft
September 28, 2012 10:00 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsInspectors looking into what caused a Boeing 787 Dreamliner engine to fail during a test flight at Charleston International Airport have found a second problematic plane. The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday its investigators had found a second engine with a cracked mid-shaft. That engine was installed on a 787 that hadn't yet flown.
DuPont's DeLisle Plant Pays $117K Pollution Fine
September 27, 2012 1:59 pm | by Jeff Amy, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has fined DuPont Co.'s DeLisle plant $117,000 after pollution control equipment broke down, allowing a smokestack to emit too much during a March 2011 test. DuPont Co., based in Wilmington, Del., makes titanium dioxide, a whitening agent used in paint, paper and plastics, at the Harrison County plant.
Ex-President Of Japan's Olympus Pleads Guilty
September 25, 2012 2:01 pm | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsOlympus Corp.'s former president Tsuyoshi Kikukawa admitted guilt Tuesday in a cover-up of massive investment losses at the Japanese camera and medical equipment maker. The scandal emerged last year when Michael Woodford, the British chief executive who turned whistleblower, raised questions about payments for financial advice and dubious acquisitions. Woodford was later fired.
Woman Gets Life In Prison In Philly Plant Shooting
September 25, 2012 10:08 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA woman convicted of fatally shooting two co-workers at a Philadelphia food plant has been formally sentenced to life in prison. Earlier this month, a judge found Yvonne Hiller guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and other counts in the deaths of 47-year-old Tanya Wilson and 36-year-old LaTonya Brown.
U.S. Trade Office Bows To WTO Ruling On Boeing
September 24, 2012 2:13 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe United States Trade Office says the U.S. government has responded to and complied with a World Trade Organization ruling that found the U.S. had provided illegal subsidies to Boeing Co. The U.S. and the European Union have been at odds over subsidies to the world's top two plane makers — Boeing and Europe's Airbus.
Court Halts Injunction In DuPont-Kolon Fight
September 24, 2012 2:09 pm | by Randall Chase, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsA federal appeals court has stayed an injunction against a South Korean company that lost a trade-secrets battle with the DuPont Co. Kolon Industries says the decision means it can continue selling its Heracron fiber products while it appeals.
Apple, Samsung Battle Over $1B Verdict
September 24, 2012 2:08 pm | by Paul Elias, Associated Press | News | CommentsNeither side in a bitter patent battle is satisfied with Apple Inc.'s $1 billion jury verdict over Samsung Electronics after a three-week trial this summer. Samsung wants a new trial. Apple is seeking an additional $707 million in damages and interest.
Audit Suggests GA Food Manufacturers Not Testing
September 24, 2012 10:05 am | by Ray Henry, Associated Press | News | CommentsFood manufacturers in Georgia may be dodging a first-of-its-kind law requiring that they inform state food inspectors when their products test positive for contamination, according to an audit of the state's food inspection service. An audit released this summer offers a combination of anecdotal and statistical evidence suggesting the so-called "red flag law" was not strictly followed after it was implemented in 2010.
Some Tribulations Of Testing And Truthfulness
September 19, 2012 8:16 am | by Alan Nicol, Executive Member, AlanNicolSolutions | Blogs | CommentsMost of us do some form of testing or other validation of our designs and production systems before we initiate production of our products. For some of us, especially those of us who produce products related to safety, we must prove to a regulatory agency that our products are safe and meet regulations. I’ve yet to witness an environment where testing of products is not a delicate balance.
Mamtek CEO Charged With Theft, Securities Fraud
September 18, 2012 2:12 pm | by David A. Lieb, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe CEO of a failed artificial sweetener company was charged Tuesday with theft and securities fraud in Missouri for using bond revenues to avoid foreclosure on his Beverly Hills, Calif., home and for failing to tell the truth about the company's troubled operations. The charges announced by Attorney General Chris Koster cap a yearlong investigation into Bruce Cole, who was chairman and CEO of Mamtek U.S.
Fines Proposed After Moss Point Plant Death
September 18, 2012 10:11 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA federal safety agency has proposed fines of $79,200 for Omega Protein Inc. for 25 safety and health violations found after the death of a worker who got caught in a rotating screw conveyor. The Sun Herald reports the Occupational Safety and Health Administration released its findings Monday from an inspection in April after 24-year-old Christopher Hebert died from blood loss at the Moss Point plant.
China Files Trade Case Against Washington
September 17, 2012 10:22 am | by Joe McDonald, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsChina filed a World Trade Organization case Monday challenging U.S. anti-dumping measures on billions of dollars of kitchen appliances, paper and other goods, adding to worsening trade strains as global demand weakens. Beijing's move came after American officials said the Obama administration plans to file its own WTO case this week accusing China of improperly subsidizing exports of automobiles and auto parts.
House Votes To End Energy Loan Guarantee Program
September 14, 2012 2:08 pm | by Jim Abrams, Associated Press | News | CommentsRepublicans on Friday pushed a bill through the House shining a campaign-season light on the most conspicuous failure of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package. The bill would phase out federal loan guarantees like those that went to the now-bankrupt solar power company Solyndra LLC and left taxpayers on the hook for more than $500 million.
Feds Demand LCD Maker Pay $1 Billion
September 13, 2012 2:10 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsFederal prosecutors are seeking harsh sentences against a Taiwan company and two of its former executives, saying they participated in the most significant price-fixing "cartel" ever prosecuted in the United States. The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday demanded AU Optronics Corp. pay $1 billion and the two former executives each serve 10-year prison sentences for illegally fixing computer screen prices.
iPhone Manufacturer Faces Labor Complaints
September 12, 2012 10:25 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe company that manufactures Apple's iPhones has responded to an accusation that vocational students are forced to work in its Chinese factories by saying Wednesday its agreement with their schools allows them to leave. China Labor Watch, a Hong Kong group, said this week that Foxconn, which employs some 1.2 million people in China, employed students aged 16 to 18 in its factories.
Price Fixing and Other Horizontal Agreements
September 12, 2012 8:07 am | by Roberta F. Howell, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP | Articles | CommentsHorizontal price-fixing occurs when two or more competitors conspire to set prices, price levels, or price-related terms for their goods or services. With very limited exceptions, price-fixing is per se illegal, regardless of its reasonableness or actual effect on competition. As a result, price-fixing is serious business.
Pricing Issues And Federal Antitrust Law
September 11, 2012 8:07 am | by Roberta F. Howell, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP | Articles | CommentsMention antitrust law to a small business (or even medium business) owner and expect to see eyes glaze over. But antitrust law is an area of law where ignorance is definitely not bliss. Antitrust laws are the “traffic laws for business”. Just like the rules of the road, antitrust law tells business what is lawful competition (“green lights”), what is unlawful competition (“red lights”), and what falls in between (“yellow lights”).
Navy Cited By OSHA For Mishandling Toxic Materials
September 7, 2012 2:17 pm | by Julie Watson, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Navy has been cited for safety violations that exposed hundreds of employees at an aircraft hangar in Coronado to toxic materials such as lead, cadmium and beryllium, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Thursday.
S. Korean Antitrust Watchdog Probes Samsung
September 7, 2012 10:03 am | by Youkyung Lee, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsSouth Korea's antitrust watchdog said Thursday it has launched an investigation into whether Samsung Electronics Co. is abusing its dominant position in the wireless market to disadvantage Apple Inc. The investigation could add a headache for Samsung in its global legal battle with Apple.
