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June 22, 2016

Wyoming Judge, An Obama Appointee, Declares BLM Fracking Rules Illegal

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A federal judge in Wyoming on Tuesday tossed out Obama administration rules on fracking. District Judge Scott Skavdahl ruled that the Bureau of Land Management lacked authority to issue the regulations when it did so, in March 2015. Skavdahl, an Obama-appointee nominated to the bench in 2011, said BLM had narrow jurisdiction when regulating energy production. “Congress delegated regulatory authority for environmental protection of underground water sources to the Environmental Protection Agency, not the BLM,” he concluded. Administration lawyers had argued that Congress granted BLM…

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Senate, For Now, Denies FBI Request for More Warrantless Access to Internet Records

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In a narrow vote on Wednesday, the upper chamber rejected a measure that would have allowed federal authorities to obtain online metadata using specialized national security state subpoenas. The amendment was introduced by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to a Justice Department appropriations bill. Though it was supported by a bipartisan group of 58 senators,  it failed to attain the sixty votes it needed to advance. Heavily lobbied for by the FBI, the measure would have allowed the bureau to use National Security Letters (NSL) to…

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House Passes Bill to Counter Government Obstruction of Inspector General Investigations

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The House of Representatives passed a bill that would make it more difficult for executive agencies to thwart internal investigations. Legislation bolstering subpoena power for the federal governments’ inspectors general was approved by the House. It passed Tuesday in a voice vote with rules under suspension, meaning it required two-thirds majority for approval without amendment. The maneuver came roughly ten months after a top Justice Department lawyer issued a memo justifying the stonewalling of IGs. “Inspectors General are at the heart of keeping the federal…

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Congressional Republicans Pull Knives Out for Net Neutrality

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A spending bill set to be considered in the House on Wednesday is being loaded up by Republicans with provisions to neuter the Federal Communications Commission and the signature ruling it made last year. The latest GOP onslaught against the FCC and its Net Neutrality rules comes a week after a federal appeals court in Washington, DC upheld the regulations, which classified the internet as a public utility. The move was designed to prevent telecom companies from putting up barriers to non-proprietary content online. Internet industry titans are expected…

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