SACRAMENTO, California, April 17 [Category: Law/Legal] -- The Pacific Legal Foundation issued the following news release: * * * Divided court rules that auto repair shop qualifies as a coal mine * A federal appeals court ruled today that a West Virginia truck repair shop qualifies as a "mine" under federal law -a setback for an independent trucking company that has fought for years against federal regulators' expansive reading of their own authority -but a forceful dissent adopted all of the  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, April 16 -- The Boston University School of Public Health issued the following news: * * * Earth Day Forecast: Cloudy With a Chance of Optimism *. Despite shifts in federal policies, Jonathan Levy, professor and chair of environmental health, sees signs of improvement in public acceptance of climate change.  Viewpoint articles are written by members of the SPH community from a wide diversity of perspectives. The views expressed are solely those of the authors and are  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Florida, issued the following news release: * * * ICYMI: U.S. Rep. Castor Channels Popular Anger at Energy Sec. Wright for Sky-High Electric and Fuel Bills * WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14) grilled Trump-appointed Energy Secretary Chris Wright on policies that are costing Americans. Trump and GOP policies and their war with Iran are driving massive price hikes and inflation. Rep. Castor grilled Energy Secretary Chris Wri  more

WASHINGTON, April 18 -- The Jamestown Foundation issued the following commentary on April 17, 2026, by Andrew McGregor, former editor of Terrorism Monitor and Militant Leadership Monitor: * * * Outlook for Minority Rebel and Separatist Militants in Iran Executive Summary: * Iran's marginalized ethnic minorities, who often endure state suppression, may view current U.S. and Israeli military operations as an opportunity to seize greater autonomy. * Four minority groups--the Kurds, Balochs, L  more

WASHINGTON, April 18 [Category: Environment] -- The League of Conservation Voters posted the following news wrapup, This Week in Climate Action - April 17, 2026: * * * Your weekly resource to learn what the environmental movement is saying about the news of the day and the political fight of our generation. This week, we're covering Trump and Republicans' attacks on clean air and public lands, and state advancements in energy affordability and climate action. Be sure to follow LCV on Facebook  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 [Category: Energy] -- The Institute for Energy Research posted the following commentary: * * * Natural Gas Dominates in the Annual Energy Outlook 2026 * Key Takeaways 1 The EIA's Annual Energy Outlook 2026 predicts more natural gas combined-cycle capacity deployed from 2025 to 2050.  2 Levelized costs remain higher due to some Biden-era regulations still on the books, which force the retirement of coal plants and limit new combined-cycle plants to an annual capacity  more

WASHINGTON, April 18 -- The House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Workforce Protections released the following testimony by Rachel U. Greszler, senior research fellow in workforce and economics at the Advancing American Freedom Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise, and a visiting fellow at the Economic Policy Innovation Center, from an April 15, 2026, hearing entitled "Building an AI-Ready America: Understanding AI's Economic Impact on Workers and Employers": * * * My name is Rachel   more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued the following statement on April 15, 2026, by Secretary Scott Bessent: * * * Secretary Bessent IMFC-DC Statement This year's Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank provide an important opportunity to engage on current global economic challenges as well as our work with partners and the international financial institutions to support a pro-growth agenda, macroeconomic and financial stability, an  more