Court Rules Part of Act 13 Fracking Law Unconstitutional

David Headley, a Split Estate landowner, has been adversely affected by natural gas development since drilling beganon his property in 2006. © J.B.Pribanic

Parts of Pa. law favored by frackers overturned by Alice Su Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court overturned parts of the state’s controversial Act 13 on Thursday, returning zoning authority over natural gas drilling to the municipalities and townships that had contested the [...]

Michigan Emergency Law Permits Private Control Over Public Office

Michigan governor Rick Snyder (R). photo: Wikimedia Commons

Michigan’s budget crisis puts democracy on the chopping block Michigan’s emergency manager law grants sweeping powers to unelected officials. by Paul Abowd for iWatch News When the city of Pontiac, Mich., ordered the closing of its fire department [...]

The Clean Air Act Fails Residents Across the Country: NPR and The Center For Public Integrity Report

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by Emma Schwartz for iwatch news Two decades ago Congress strengthened the Clean Air Act in an attempt to limit emissions of some of the most hazardous chemicals. But an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity’s iWatch News and [...]

What is ALEC? How Model Legislation is Written by Corporations

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Founded in 1973 by Paul Weyrich and other conservative activists frustrated by recent electoral setbacks, ALEC is a critical arm of the right-wing network of policy shops that, with infusions of corporate cash, has evolved to shape American politics. Inspired by Milton Friedman’s call for conservatives to “develop alternatives to existing policies [and] keep them alive and available,” ALEC’s model legislation reflects long-term goals: downsizing government, removing regulations on corporations and making it harder to hold the economically and politically powerful to account.

New Jersey Legislature Bans Hydraulic Fracturing for Natural Gas (Fracking)

“Today, New Jersey sent a strong message to surrounding states and to the nation that a ban on fracking is necessary to protect public health and preserve our natural resources,” said Senator Bob Gordon (D-Bergen). “Any benefits of gas production simply do not justify the many potential dangers associated with fracking such as pollution of our lakes, streams and drinking water supplies and the release of airborne pollutants. We should not wait until our natural resources are threatened or destroyed to act. The time to ban fracking in New Jersey is now.”