Lawyers for the Utility Air Regulatory Group (UARG) were among those who argued against the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan today before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Recent investigations have revealed that some of the nation’s largest electric utilities have quietly funded this special interest group’s attacks on the EPA’s first-ever limits on
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Lawyers from coal-dependent states, led by West Virginia, are challenging President Obama’s Clean Power Plan. Joining their effort is an army of industry-funded law firms that specialize in fighting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Together, they will argue that the EPA does not have any authority under Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act to
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In late 2010, the foreign-funded U.S. Chamber of Commerce, perhaps Washington’s most powerful corporate front group, unleashed a lobbying blitz to weaken the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The FCPA is designed to punish U.S.-based corporations that bribe foreign officials abroad. Earlier this year, a subsidiary of Wal-Mart — which is a Chamber member —
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In a piece about populism and the Democratic Party in Politico, Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown (OH) explained how Big Business has, through its ability to tap into an extraordinary amount of campaign contributions, independent expenditures, and other electoral interventions, been able to own Congress: “They own the Republican Party, and they have too much influence
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Yesterday, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman issued a subpoena targeting a foundation affiliated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for illegally funneling $18 million to the Chamber for its political campaigning and lobbying efforts. The New York Times reports: The investigation is also looking at connections between the chamber’s foundation, the National Chamber
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Last April, the Los Angeles Times reported that the “unemployment rate for veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq is 10.3%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For veterans age 24 and under, the rate is 29.1%, or 12 points higher than for civilians the same age. That compares with 8.2% unemployment nationally, and 7.5% for
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There are few corporations that have worked as hard over the years to cultivate a family-friendly image as The Walt Disney Company. Disney operates a television channel, theme park, releases movies, manufactures toys, and in general tries to court American families with its advertising and public relations campaigns. But being pro-family isn’t just about releasing
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While much of the buzz around Facebook has been geographically centered on Wall Street, perhaps just as lucrative for the company are the ties it’s creating in Washington. The social media giant has upped its lobbying game, spending a record amount on federal lobbying in the first quarter of 2012. But everyone knows that the
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