The minimum wage is on the table this session with two separate bills being introduced, one by U.S. Rep. Jack Quinn, R-N.Y., and another one by U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and U.S. Rep. David Bonoir, D-Mich. Both propose a wage hike over the next two years. Senator Kennedy and Representative Bonoir's bill would increase the minimum wage by $1.50 an hour, and Representative Quinn's would increase the minimum wage by $1 an hour. The minimum wage is currently at $5.15 an hour. President Bush is being urged by Representative Quinn to add the minimum wage hike to his tax plan.
The environmentalists group, Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, opposed former Sen. John Ashcroft's nomination to be U.S. attorney general. Earthjustice cited Ashcroft's track record as "anti-environment" and their fear was he would not uphold the laws already in place. Earthjustice sent a letter to U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Va., and U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, asking them to vote against his confirmation. The Senate approved Ashcroft 58 to 42.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been sued by the National Petrochemicals & Refiners Association (NPRA), which represents oil refiners. They have suggested since the diesel fuel rule was first issued that refineries would be forced to close because they couldn't meet the necessary requirements of the new rule. Under the rule, sulfur in diesel fuel will have to meet a reduction of 97 percent of current levels and reach 15 parts per million. The NPRA says these levels will be costly to the industry and the consumer. The EPA counters NPRA's argument by saying the health and cost benefits the rule inhabits will save consumers billions of dollars.
U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., introduced a bill that would elevate the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to a cabinet position. According to Boxer, “It is high time that we recognize the critical role that EPA plays by making it a department and part of the presidential cabinet.” If the bill passes it would make current EPA regulator Christine Whitman the secretary of the Department of Environmental Affairs. It would give the department more responsibility and coordinate international environmental policies, and give the EPA an opportunity to help with federal departments doing their own environmental cleanups.
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AutoInc. Magazine ® Vol.XLIX, April 2001
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Copyright © 2001 Automotive Service Association (ASA). All rights reserved.