Business Group Supports Pentagon's Purchase Of Canadian Fuel

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is coming out in defense of the U.S. military’s right to purchase fuel derived in Canada.

The Chamber, the largest pro-business trade group in the nation, released a statement today blasting a lawsuit filed against the DoD by the Sierra Club, an environmental group based in Washington.

“This lawsuit is yet another effort to regulate greenhouse gas emissions through litigation rather than legislation,” said Robin Conrad, executive vice president of the National Chamber Litigation Center, the Chamber’s public policy law firm. “This litigation could harm a wide range of American employers, from the domestic refiners who process the oil sands crude to the mechanics who work on the equipment.”

Read more about the case here.

Mega Corps Plead Guilty In Price-Fixing Case

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Thursday that a pair of  giant manufacturers have agreed to plead guilty in a case involving the price fixing of refrigerant compressors.

“These are the first charges as a result of the Antitrust Division’s ongoing investigation into the worldwide refrigerant compressors market,” said Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division.  “We are committed to investigating and bringing to justice those who engage in this kind of international price fixing.”

Read more about the case here.

Senators Unveil Aviation Security Reform Bill

Senate Homeland Security members Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Scott Brown (R-Mass.) have introduced legislation aimed at bolstering security at U.S. airports.

According to the duo, The Aviation Security Innovation & Reform (AIR) Act would “strengthen transportation security and make sure the men and women at our nation’s airports and other transportation centers have the best training possible.”

Read more about the bill here.

Door To House Closes Friday

The House leaves Capitol Hill at the end of this week following votes on a continued resolution to keep the government operating for a few more months, a bill to compensate 9/11 responders, and a defense intelligence bill.

An assistant to Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said this morning that “it is unlikely we would be in session next week.”

That, of course, could change should Democratic leaders decide to vote on extending the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) have both signaled a desire to hold a vote before the November elections, despite the fact that passage at this point is extremely unlikely…

ACLU Opposes Obama Effort To Wiretap The Web

Christopher Calabrese, Legislative Counsel of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), released the following statement today in response to reports that the Obama administration is considering requesting an expansion of federal wiretapping programs:

“Under the guise of a technical fix, the government looks to be taking one more step toward conducting easy dragnet collection of Americans’ most private communications. Mandating that all communications software be accessible to the government is a huge privacy invasion. With concern over cybersecurity at an all-time high, this proposal will create even more security risks by mandating that our communications have a ‘backdoor’ for government use and will make our online interactions even more vulnerable.”
 
“Congress must reject the Obama administration’s proposal to make the Internet wiretap ready.”