Following pressure from four governors and more than 150 lawmakers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says it is considering whether to suspend the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) and is requesting public feedback, Congressional Quarterly reports. The agency’s 30-day comment period will begin when the notice is published in the Federal Register. “This notice is…
A U.S. appeals court last week struck down a law that requires tobacco companies to use graphic health warnings, such as of a man exhaling smoke through a hole in his throat. The 2-1 decision by the court in Washington, D.C., contradicts another appeals court’s ruling in a similar case earlier this year, setting up…
NACS is again representing the convenience and fuel retailing industry in the standards development arena, having been accepted as a full voting member onto the International Code Council (ASC A117) Consensus Committee on Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities. The committee is responsible for setting minimum building codes that are accepted in all 50 states…
Last week, the Obama administration finalized standards that will increase fuel economy to the equivalent of 54.5 mpg for cars and light-duty trucks by model year 2025. When combined with previous standards set by this administration, this move will nearly double the fuel efficiency of those vehicles compared to new vehicles currently on the road.…
Last week’s FDA Center for Tobacco Compliance (CTP) webinar for tobacco retailers provided an overview of a new document that CTP began sending to retailers in July 2012. The document, known as a Compliance Check Inspection Notification, informs tobacco retailers that they might be receiving a violation notice in the future. Compliance Check Inspection Notifications…
Don’t discount the healthcare discussion anytime soon. Long after the November elections, the pains of health-care costs are likely to continue. A recent report by Institute of Medicine has revealed that the U.S. healthcare system “squanders $750 billion a year—roughly 30 cents of every medical dollar—through unneeded care, byzantine paperwork, fraud, and other waste,” writes…
The federal government is sending less produce, meat, and dairy products to food banks and pantries, which is impacting their ability to meet demand, USA Today reports. “It’s not playing out too good for us; I’m running out of food,” said Peggy Taylor, who runs the pantry at the One Accord Baptist Church in Martinsville,…
Indiana retailers can expect a formal notice and warning from state and local officials that continued synthetic drug sales could cost them their business, according to the State Attorney General Office. Beginning last week, Indiana retailers caught selling the fake drugs known as bath salts and spice will face penalties that include the loss of…
The USDA’s Economic Research Service has identified more than 6,500 food desert tracts in the U.S. based on 2000 CENSUS and 2006 data on locations of supermarkets, supercenters, and large grocery stores, reports The Food Institute. USDA examined the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of these tracts to see how they differ from other census tracts…
The FDA’s Center for Tobacco Compliance (CTP) has updated its compliance check enforcement activity of retailers selling tobacco, revealing a sharp increase in the number of compliance checks. Analysis of the CTP data by the We Card Program, which uses publicly available data at fda.gov, shows the 2012 totals and rates through August 31 are…