OVERNIGHT REGULATION: For gun groups, ammo fight isn't over yet
March 10, 2015
March 10, 2015
Welcome to OVERNIGHT REGULATION, your daily rundown of rules from Capitol Hill and beyond. Here's the latest...
THE BIG STORY
The National Rifle Association is forcing the Obama administration to retreat on a controversial bullet ban, but the nation's top gun lobby says the fight is not over just yet.
Gun-rights groups are concerned that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Explosives (ATF) has not completely dropped the notion of banning a certain type of armor-piercing ammunition that is commonly used in AR-15 hunting rifles.
The ATF said Tuesday that it will not move forward with the proposed bullet ban "at this time" as it "further studies" the issue.
Critics say it could resurrect the rule at any point.
"Make no mistake, the fight is not over," NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre said in a statement.
"We will remain vigilant and continue to fight against President Obama's attempt to dismantle the Second Amendment."
The ATF announced it is backing off the ban proposal Tuesday after receiving tens of thousands of complaints from gun owners.
"You spoke, we listened," the ATF tweeted.
The move comes after Republicans stepped up the pressure on Capitol Hill and follows intense lobbying efforts from gun groups like the NRA.
Republicans criticized the bullet ban as a backdoor attack on the Second Amendment.
"It's that fuzzy thinking that it's the nature of a bullet that causes crime," Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told The Hill. "It's not the bullets, it's the people who pull the trigger."
Senate and House Republicans each sent letters to the ATF demanding the rule be withdrawn. GOP legislation in the lower chamber also would have rolled back the agency's authority to regulate bullets. http://bit.ly/1D1eQvU
ON TAP FOR WEDNESDAY
The Charles Colson Task Force of Federal Corrections will meet to discuss new findings for what's driving federal prison populations. http://urbn.is/
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing to examine state perspectives of the EPA's proposed carbon dioxide emissions rule for existing power plants. http://1.usa.gov/
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will hold a heating on whether the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) is any closer to establishing the mandated nationwide public safety broadband network. http://1.usa.gov/
The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing of the State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee on protecting religious freedom abroad. http://1.usa.gov/
The Commerce Department, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Fisheries Service will meet to discuss options for the conservation and management of all Atlantic tuna, swordfish, billfish and shark fisheries. http://1.usa.gov/
The Energy Department and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will meet to discuss implication and compliance approaches to the proposed Clean Power Plan rule. http://bit.ly/1b0lbfa
TOMORROW'S REGS TODAY
The Obama administration will publish 86 new regulations, proposed rules, notices and other administrative actions in Wednesday's edition of the Federal Register.
Here's what is happening:
--The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) will issue new pipeline safety regulations.
The PHMSA says it will make changes to the safety requirements for post-construction inspections, leak surveys, and the transportation of pipes, among other things.
The changes go into effect on Oct. 1. http://bit.ly/1Bor67I
--The Department of Energy (DOE) will propose new test procedures for residential furnaces and boilers.
The test procedures from the Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy would measure whether the residential furnaces and boilers are in compliance with the agency's energy conservation standards.
The DOE is required to review its test procedures every seven years to make sure they are up to date.
The public has 75 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1Afgkvi
--The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will correct mistakes made in a rule for charitable hospital organizations.
The IRS issued new guidance for charitable hospitals last December under a provision of ObamaCare, but the rules contained minor errors the agency plans to fix.
The correction goes into effect immediately. http://bit.ly/
--The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will propose new protections for the black pine snake.
The FWS is looking to develop a critical habitat for the snake that would be located across 338,100 acres in Mississippi and Alabama.
Meanwhile, the FWS separately proposed last October to list the black pine snake as a threatened species, and is now reopening the comment period, so both rules can be considered at the same time.
The public has 60 days to comment. http://bit.ly/199Wqg6
--The Coast Guard will push new rules for mobile offshore drilling units that operate in the outer continental shelf.
The proposed rules include new minimum design, operation, training, and manning requirements for these vessels.
The Coast Guard originally announced these rules last November, but is now moving forward with a public meeting on March 31 to further discuss the potential changes. http://bit.ly/1BoqUFi
NEWS RIGHT NOW
Toxic chemicals: Sens. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and David Vitter (R-La.) are introducing legislation to overhaul the nation's chemical laws, which are widely viewed as broken. http://bit.ly/1wpXs1k
Asbestos: Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) wants the public to have access to up-to-date information on where asbestos has been found to reduce exposure to the potentially deadly substance. http://bit.ly/
Pot: Military veterans would no longer be denied access to medical marijuana under sweeping new legislation before the Senate. http://bit.ly/1wqJjkK
Arbitration: Consumers are being unfairly limited in their legal options by mandatory arbitration clauses that accompany a host of financial products, according to a new government study. http://bit.ly/1MqWaqT
Climate change: Florida Gov. Rick Scott is denying allegations that he told former state employees to avoid using the phrase "climate change," NPR reports.http://n.pr/1HwILLc
Ferguson: The Ferguson police department missed its deadline for filing state racial data relating to traffic stops, the AP reported. http://bit.ly/
Regulatory reform: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said small business growth and opportunity will come through tax and regulatory reform, The Washington Post reported.http://wapo.st/
BY THE NUMBERS
300 million: The number of privately owned firearms in the U.S.
100 million: The number of gun owners in the U.S., of which 40-45 million own handguns
14.5 million: The number of hunting licenses sold annually.
(Source NRA-ILA Firearms Fact Card, March 2014)
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"No one got everything they wanted," Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) said about the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, bipartisan legislation he introduced with Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) on Tuesday to reform the Toxic Chemicals Control Act (TSCA) of 1976.
We'll work to stay on top of these and other stories throughout the week, so check The Hill's Regulation page (http://thehill.com/regulation
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