Regulations & Compliance

U.S. Officials Defend Handling Of Boeing 787 Mishaps

January 24, 2013 2:18 pm | by Joan Lowy, Associated Press | News | Comments

Obama administration officials struggled Wednesday to defend their initial statements that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is safe while promising a transparent probe of mishaps involving the aircraft's batteries. FAA is working as quickly as possible to find the cause of the problems, assembling a team of technical experts that includes experts from industry as well as the agency's staff, Huerta said.

Whirlpool Wins ITC Decision In Anti-Dumping Case

January 24, 2013 2:09 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

The U.S. International Trade Commission issued a final ruling Wednesday determining that Samsung Electronics Co., LG Electronics Inc. and other foreign manufacturers have been selling washing machines in the U.S. at below their market value, hurting the U.S. industry. The decision means the U.S. government will impose duties on imports of the washing machines.

Unions See Sharp Decline In Membership

January 23, 2013 2:14 pm | by Sam Hananel, Associated Press | News | Comments

The nation's labor unions suffered sharp declines in membership last year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday, led by losses in the public sector as cash-strapped state and local governments laid off workers and — in some cases — limited collective bargaining rights.

Wal-Mart Warns Suppliers On Stricter Measures

January 22, 2013 2:04 pm | by Anne D'Innocenzio, AP Retail Writer | News | Comments

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has alerted its global suppliers that it will immediately drop them if they subcontract their work to factories that haven't been authorized by the discounter. Wal-Mart's stricter measure, along with other changes to its policy, comes amid increasing calls for better safety oversight after a deadly fire at a Bangladesh factory that supplied clothing to Wal-Mart and other retailers.

Court Won't Hear Challenge To Clean Air Act Rule

January 22, 2013 1:59 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

The Supreme Court won't hear a challenge to a tough new clean air requirement limiting sulfur dioxide emissions. The high court on Tuesday refused to hear an appeal from businesses and industrial interests involving an Environmental Protection Agency regulation setting emission levels of sulfur dioxide, a colorless gas with the smell of rotting eggs.

Environmentalists Hail Obama Climate Change Focus

January 22, 2013 10:23 am | by Matthew Daly, Associated Press | News | Comments

Environmental groups hailed President Barack Obama's warning Monday about climate change, but said the president's words will soon be tested as he decides whether to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast. Obama pledged in his inaugural speech to respond to what he called the threat of climate change, saying, "Failure to do so would betray our children and future generations."

Aviation Technology Advances, FAA Tries To Keep Up

January 21, 2013 2:34 pm | by David Koenig, AP Airlines Writer | News | Comments

After two separate and serious battery problems aboard Boeing 787s, it wasn't U.S. authorities who acted first to ground the plane. It was Japanese airlines. The unfolding saga of Boeing's highest-profile plane has raised new questions about federal oversight of aircraft makers and airlines.

Toyota Settlement May Signal Future Legal Strategy

January 21, 2013 10:15 am | by Greg Risling, Associated Press | News | Comments

As Toyota Motor Corp. chips away at settling lawsuits claiming its vehicles suddenly accelerate, the question remains whether attorneys who sued could prove to a jury there was a design flaw. The company maintains stuck accelerator pedals, faulty floor mats and driver error are the reasons for vehicles unexpectedly surging, while plaintiffs' attorneys contend Toyota's electronic throttle control system is to blame.

Shanghai Workers Lock Up Execs In Labor Dispute

January 21, 2013 10:11 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Workers at a Japanese-owned electronic parts maker in Shanghai locked up around 10 Japanese executives for two days to press their demands for better pay and working conditions, releasing them early Sunday after police intervention. Among the captives was the president of Shinmei Electric Co., the parent company of the Shanghai factory.

Over 140 Nations Adopt Treaty To Cut Mercury

January 21, 2013 10:07 am | by John Heilprin, Associated Press | News | Comments

A new and legally binding international treaty to reduce harmful emissions of mercury was adopted Saturday by more than 140 nations, capping four years of difficult negotiations but stopping short of some of the tougher measures that proponents had envisioned.

A Closer Look At The American Taxpayer Relief Act Of 2012

January 21, 2013 8:00 am | by Mary Balmer, CPA, director of research and development for Sage North America | Articles | Comments

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, signed into law on January 2, 2013, avoids the scheduled increases to individual income tax rates for most Americans andextends a host of expired and expiring tax provisions for both individuals and businesses. A sigh of relief has been heard as at least one portion of the fiscal cliff was narrowly averted. It also ends the long and acrimonious debate over the Bush-era tax cuts.

Judge Dismisses IN Right-To-Work Law Challenge

January 18, 2013 2:13 pm | by Tom Davies, Associated Press | News | Comments

A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by union members challenging Indiana's right-to-work law that was enacted last year. U.S. District Court Judge Philip Simon in Hammond ruled that none of the union's arguments against the law could succeed in federal court, although a challenge could still be made in state courts.

Utah Car Device Company Settles EPA Complaint

January 18, 2013 2:06 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

A Utah company that sold devices to remove emission controls on vehicles has agreed to pay $500,000 to settle claims by the Environmental Protection Agency that it violated the Clean Air Act. The EPA says the illegal devices allow cars to spew smoke containing particulates linked with health problems, including respiratory disease and bronchitis.

Toyota Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit

January 18, 2013 10:21 am | by Andrew Dalton, Associated Press | News | Comments

Toyota Motor Corp. has settled with family members of two people killed in a sudden-acceleration crash in Utah as part of a lawsuit that was to go to court next month and serve as a test case for a group of hundreds more that are pending. Paul Van Alfen and Charlene Jones Lloyd were killed when their Camry slammed into a wall in 2010.

Ex-Mamtek CEO Waives Hearing On Fraud Charges

January 17, 2013 1:47 pm | by David A. Lieb, Associated Press | News | Comments

The former CEO of a failed artificial sweetener facility waived a preliminary hearing Thursday at which Missouri prosecutors were to have laid out evidence of theft and fraud charges against him, but he will be back in court next week to face a formal arraignment.

Gunpowder Company Owner Faces Trial In Explosion

January 15, 2013 2:26 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

The owner of a New Hampshire gunpowder company that was the site of a 2010 factory explosion that killed two men is scheduled for trial in May. Craig Sanborn of Maidstone, Vt., was indicted last year on two counts of manslaughter and two counts of negligent homicide for negligently engaging in the manufacture, production, testing and storage of explosive material.

FAA To Launch Comprehensive Review Of Boeing 787

January 11, 2013 10:21 am | by Joan Lowy, Associated Press | News | Comments

The Federal Aviation Administration is undertaking a comprehensive review of the critical systems of Boeing's 787s, the aircraft maker's newest and most technologically advanced plane, after a fire and a fuel leak earlier this week, the agency said Friday.

Chinese Police Probe Kickbacks By Foxconn Managers

January 10, 2013 1:53 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Hon Hai Precision, a leading maker of iPhones and other high-tech gadgets, has said it is working with Chinese police probing allegations that employees of its Foxconn unit solicited kickbacks from suppliers. Hon Hai said in a statement late Wednesday that it will "thoroughly investigate" the alleged kickback case and also review its procurement procedures to close any possible loopholes.

BP Oil Spill Settlement Payments Top $1B Mark

January 10, 2013 1:46 pm | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | Comments

Businesses and individuals who claim BP's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico cost them money have been paid more than $1 billion through the company's class-action settlement with a team of private plaintiffs' attorneys, court-supervised claims administrator Patrick Juneau said.

Governor Wants To Eliminate FL Equipment Tax

January 9, 2013 2:03 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Gov. Rick Scott wants to eliminate Florida's sales tax on equipment and machinery bought by businesses. Scott on Wednesday in Jacksonville said he will ask the Legislature this year to fully exempt such purchases from sales tax. Florida currently offers a sales tax exemption on equipment purchased for industrial use if it expands a manufacturer's output by at least 5 percent.

U.S. To Require Electric Cars To Make Noise

January 8, 2013 10:12 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

A U.S. government safety agency wants electric and hybrid vehicles to make more noise when traveling at low speeds so pedestrians can hear them coming. The cars and trucks, which are far quieter than conventional gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles, don't make enough noise at low speeds to warn walkers, bicyclists and the visually impaired, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.

Proposed Asphalt Plant Stirs Up MA Town

January 7, 2013 10:22 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Residents in Uxbridge are in an uproar because a developer is attempting to build an asphalt manufacturing plant in town, even though residents voted to prohibit them in 1995. The problem is that no one apparently recorded the 1995 zoning bylaw amendment after it was approved. So the prohibition isn't on the books following the latest amendment of the bylaws in 2011.

Google Emerges From FTC Probe Relatively Unscathed

January 4, 2013 10:22 am | by Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer | News | Comments

Google has settled a U.S. government probe into its business practices without making any major concessions on how the company runs its Internet search engine, the world's most influential gateway to digital information and commerce. Thursday's agreement with the FTC covers only some of the issues raised in a wide-ranging antitrust investigation that could have culminated in a regulatory crackdown.

China Fines LG, Samsung In Flat Panel Price Case

January 4, 2013 10:18 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

China fined South Korean and Taiwanese makers of LCD display screens $56 million on Friday for price-fixing, joining the United States and Europe in a crackdown on the industry. Suppliers have been hit by American and European regulators with penalties totaling more than $3 billion for colluding to push up slumping prices of display screens in 2001-06. U.S. courts have sentenced 12 executives to prison.

Big Brother Takes The Wheel

January 4, 2013 8:00 am | by Meaghan Ziemba, Associate Editor, PD&D | Blogs | Comments

While I am all for the advancement of automobile safety, I wonder if placing black boxes in cars is stepping over the privacy boundary? A recent article, “Black Boxes in Cars Raise Privacy Concerns” discussed the placement of event data recorders, also known as black boxes, being placed in new cars and light trucks – such a development caused me to raise an eyebrow.