Trump administration

In yet another branded White House initiative, it’s Energy Week. President Trump will be focused on American “energy dominance,” and touting the boom in U.S. fossil fuels and plans to support and increase energy exports. A ban on exporting U.S. oil and gas was lifted under the Obama administration. Energy companies may appreciate less oversight and more […]

It’s “Technology Week” at the White House. So, naturally, President Trump is heading to farm country today. If that seems incongruous, you may not know there’s a lot of high-tech stuff going on in the growing field of “precision agriculture.” Farmers are using all sorts of technology to determine the most efficient growing practices, which […]

The board of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which regulates many of the country’s smaller banks and oversees the “living wills” of larger banks, could soon have a new chairman. President Trump plans to tap long-time Republican congressional staffer James Clinger for the role, which would require congressional approval. What could change at the FDIC under […]

Department of Energy head Rick Perry has a history of developing renewable energy, especially wind power, as governor of Texas. He voiced support for wind and solar power expansion in his confirmation hearings and elsewhere. But the budget on the table for DOE includes drastic cuts to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, […]

There are two forces pushing cars and fuel efficiency in opposition directions: the federal government and California. California for decades has had special permission to set environmental rules that are stricter than the federal rules. The Trump administration had suggested it might try to revoke the waiver that grants that permission. But in a bit […]

For-profit colleges may be getting a bit of a reprieve from the Trump administration. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced plans to roll back two Obama-era regulations that made life tough for that beleaguered industry. The gainful employment rule held those colleges accountable for a students’ earning potential after graduating. The other allowed students from colleges […]

President Trump has made much of his plans to boost American steel, and there’s an investigation underway at the Department of Commerce to determine if the steel industry should be deemed crucial to our national security. That would pave the way for more import protections, but could also open the door to a trade war. […]