News from July 2024
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached a Consent Agreement and Final Order (CAFO) with International-Matex Tank Terminals LLC (IMTT). Under the CAFO, IMTT is required to pay a civil penalty of $23,568 to EPA Region 6 within 30 days of receiving the order. Additionally, IMTT has committed to performing a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) valued at $150,000 aimed at reducing annual air emissions and mitigating unsafe pressure build-up in its storage tanks.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) led a letter with 54 other members to Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Shalanda Young and Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) Administrator Richard Revesz, expressing concerns with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) pending North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule. The letter asks OMB and OIRA to return the rule to NOAA for further input and review. In part, the members wrote:
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
The U.S. Department of Labor has announced the allocation of up to $13.9 million in funding to support pilot programs aimed at delivering information technology skills, training, and job services to Job Corps students. Management and Training Corp. (MTC) will receive up to $3.9 million, while Net America Corp. will be awarded up to $9.9 million for demonstration projects in the Atlanta and San Francisco regions.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
On Tuesday, July 16, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Director Andrea Gacki will participate in a beneficial ownership reporting outreach event in Columbus, Ohio, in partnership with Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH).
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced the implementation of federal disaster assistance for New Hampshire following severe storms and flooding from April 3 to April 5, 2024. President Biden issued a major disaster declaration for Belknap, Carroll, Rockingham, and Sullivan Counties.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
Secretary Blinken’s Call with Angolan President Lourenço
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
TechNet, the national bipartisan network of innovation economy CEOs and senior executives, has announced the appointment of Drew Hudson as General Counsel and Director of Federal Policy. Based in Washington, D.C., Hudson will be instrumental in advancing TechNet’s federal policy advocacy on issues such as trade, tax, supply chains, e-commerce, and financial technologies. He will also oversee TechNet’s involvement in court cases affecting the tech sector and provide legal and regulatory advice.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability (ADS) Mallory Stewart will travel to California from July 17-18, 2024. During her visit, she will give remarks at the Public Policy and Nuclear Threats Bootcamp at the University of California’s Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. Additionally, she will visit two U.S. Space Force (USSF) bases to conduct meetings with USSF leadership and observe military space operations units.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
(Beijing – July 15, 2024) On July 8, 2024, Pastor Jin Mingri and the pastoral team of the Beijing Zion Church issued a prayer letter to inform that on Sunday a group of young people at the church were set upon by the local police while gathering in Haidian District, Beijing, and many of them were taken away by the Ganjiakou police. Zhou Sirui has not returned nor been heard from for more than 24 hours.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has charged multiple entities with housing discrimination for issuing a biased appraisal and then denying a refinance loan application in Denver, Colorado. HUD’s Charge against the appraiser, Maksym Mykhailyna; appraisal company, Maverick Appraisal Group; appraisal management company, Solidifi U.S. Inc.; and lender, Rocket Mortgage, LLC, alleges that the appraiser issued a discriminatory appraisal that undervalued a Black homeowner’s property on the basis of her race. The Charge further alleges...
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
Washington, D.C. — Today, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump on the grounds that the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith was unconstitutional. In response, Devon Ombres, senior director for Courts and Legal Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued a statement.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
The U.S. Department of Labor announced the successful resolution of a course of remediation addressing alleged labor rights violations at the RV Fresh processing facility in Michoacan, Mexico, under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Rapid Response Labor Mechanism. The Secretary of Labor and U.S. Trade Representative co-chair the Interagency Labor Committee.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout:
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
Apple has introduced the HomePod mini in a new midnight color, made with 100 percent recycled mesh fabric. Standing at just 3.3 inches tall, the HomePod mini offers substantial sound in a compact design. Its exterior features a seamless, acoustically transparent mesh and a backlit touch surface that illuminates from edge to edge.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
This week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the release of $100 million in Community Development Block Grant – Mitigation funds to the U.S. Virgin Islands. The funds are available for the purchase of fuel storage infrastructure benefitting the Islands, streamlining the fuel delivery process, and increasing energy security and resilience on the Islands.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
On July 12, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Deputy Director Jimmy Kirby participated in a beneficial ownership reporting outreach event in Lakewood, Colorado. The event was coordinated with the office of Representative Brittany Pettersen, a member of the House Financial Services Committee.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on July 15 that it will implement earlier protections for farmworkers, their families, and the general public from pesticide spray drift. The agency will now assess potential exposure to pesticides when they drift away from application sites earlier in its review process. This change applies to new active ingredient pesticide registrations and new use decisions, aiming to provide protections 15 years sooner than previously.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) has submitted a comment to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in response to its request for information on building the Federal Evidence Agenda on Disability Equity. The Agenda aims to enhance the federal government’s ability to make data-informed policy decisions that advance equity for people with disabilities.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
On July 11, 2024, U.S. Secretary of Health Xavier Becerra met with Minister Keizo Takemi of Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare to discuss the longstanding global health partnership between the United States and Japan. Secretary Becerra and Minister Takemi spoke about the planning of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Knowledge Hub in Tokyo and continued cooperation on World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic negotiations.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 15, 2024
WASHINGTON D.C. -- Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have sent a letter to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, requesting an assessment of information that Russia has shared with the People's Republic of China (PRC) regarding U.S. weapons capabilities and those of its partners and allies.
