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  April 19, 2013, 12:06 pm

FTC warns of Boston Marathon charity scams

By Julian Hattem

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is urging people to be careful about giving money to groups that say they are helping victims of the Boston Marathon.

The consumer protection agency said scam artists might be posing as charity groups to profit off of the outpour of support after the terror attack.

“Urgent appeals for aid that you get in person, by phone or mail, by e-mail, on websites, or on social networking sites may not be on the up-and-up,” FTC consumer education specialist Colleen Tressler wrote in a blog post this week. “Unfortunately, legitimate charities face competition from fraudsters who either solicit for bogus charities or aren't entirely honest about how a so-called charity will use your contribution.”

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Archived under: Other
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  April 19, 2013, 11:59 am

$20 billion beer merger back on track after anti-trust settlement

By Ben Goad

The settlement would allow Anheuser-Busch to purchase Grupo Modelo.

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Archived under: Court Battles
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  April 19, 2013, 11:33 am

FTC backs new Social Security numbers for child victims of identity theft

By Megan R. Wilson

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Friday approved an administration proposal to issue new Social Security numbers to children who fall victim to identity theft.

The policy “promises to be a helpful tool for children and their parents and guardians, as they work to undo the harms resulting from misuse of the child’s SSN [Social Security number],” the FTC said in a letter to the Social Security Administration. 

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Archived under: Pending Regs
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  April 19, 2013, 10:29 am

Monday's meeting announcements: The FCC and the BBG

By Julian Hattem

Monday's Federal Register will announce some of the government's first advisory panel meetings of the summer. Here's what's coming up:

On April 18, the Federal Communications Commission will meet in Washington, D.C., to discuss issues of foreign ownership, landline competition and consumer and governmental affairs. 

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Archived under: Other
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  April 19, 2013, 9:59 am

Biz groups to court: EU oil rule doesn’t justify SEC mandates

By Ben Geman

Business groups challenging federal rules that force oil companies to reveal payments to foreign governments say new European Union plans to force similar disclosures do not bolster the legal case for the U.S. rules.

“The EU action is ... legally irrelevant,” states a letter to federal judges Thursday from the U.S Chamber of Commerce, the American Petroleum Institute and other groups.

It’s the latest move in the legal battle over Securities and Exchange Commission rules that force SEC-listed petroleum and mining companies to disclose payments to foreign governments related to projects in their countries.

The new letter comes a week after Oxfam America, which is defending the SEC rules, made the case to federal judges that the EU plan undercuts the industry’s legal challenges to the SEC mandates.

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Archived under: Energy & Environment, E2-Wire, Energy/Environment
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  April 19, 2013, 9:41 am

New regs for Monday: Onions and fishing

By Julian Hattem

Monday's Federal Register will publish a couple of new agriculture and fishing regulations, as well as some proposed changes to a drug-free workplace policy and veteran's copayments. Here they are:

Fishing and Agriculture:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is increasing the fee for onions grown in South Texas. 

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Archived under: Pending Regs
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  April 19, 2013, 8:04 am

News bites: Scrutiny shifts to regulators after Texas blast

By Ben Goad

Federal and state agencies for years overlooked the threat posed by the type of fertilizer – sometimes used to make bombs – linked to the deadly explosion, The Dallas Morning News reports.

The Fertilizer industry fears the blast will spark a regulatory overreaction, according to RegWatch.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected end the grounding of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, according to The New York Times.

Real-estate investment trusts have drawn the attention of federal regulators, who are raising concerns about potential risks to the U.S. financial system, The Wall Street Journal reports.

President Obama’s choice to lead the U.S. Department of Labor emerged from a Senate confirmation hearing relatively unscathed, but hurdles remain, The Hill’s On The Money blog reports. 

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Archived under: Energy/Environment
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  April 18, 2013, 5:46 pm

Fertilizer industry worries explosion will lead to new regs

By Julian Hattem

The fertilizer industry is hoping that a Texas explosion that left as many as 15 people dead does not lead to more oversight.

On Wednesday night, a fertilizer retail facility exploded in West, Texas, injuring more than 160 residents and destroying a four-block area around the blast. 

The fertilizer industry is worried that the tragedy could lead to regulatory overreaction.

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Archived under: Business
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  April 18, 2013, 4:53 pm

Industry balks at ‘food safety tax’ to hit consumers

By Ben Goad

A coalition of dozens of food industry trade groups is urging Congress to do away with a set of proposed food safety fees they say would be passed along to families at supermarkets across the country.

The fees, set out in President Obama’s 2014 budget proposal, stem from the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act, which in January prompted a set of sweeping new regulations now under consideration.

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Archived under: Pending Regs
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  April 18, 2013, 3:36 pm

Conservation groups ask White House to save the whales

By Megan R. Wilson

Animal rights groups are meeting with the White House to ensure that regulations protecting an endangered whale species do not expire in December.

The rule says that large boats traveling in specific areas along the Eastern Seaboard need to travel 10 knots — or 11.5 miles per hour — to avoid hitting the North Atlantic right whale, a relatively slow-moving animal that eats by filtering small organisms through its open mouth.

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Archived under: E2-Wire, Pending Regs, Administration, Energy/Environment
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