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Regulation

The Efforts to Keep Industry in Check

U.S. Cybersecurity Expert Presses Software Regulation Amid High-Profile Hacks

Recent cyberattacks in the U.S. might have been detected sooner if infected computers had logging software, a feature in premium Microsoft licenses. Former National Cyber Director Chris Inglis says this type of security should already be built in.

by Renee Dudley,

America’s Dangerous Trucks

How Recent State Laws Are Making It Harder to Sue Trucking Companies After Crashes

Texas, Florida, Iowa and other states have passed new laws backed by trucking industry lobbyists that can limit crash victims’ ability to bring lawsuits or cap the compensation plaintiffs can win.

by James O’Donnell, FRONTLINE,

America’s Dangerous Trucks

DOT Rejected Truck Side Guards After Meeting With Trucking Industry Lobbyists

The Department of Transportation allowed trucking lobbyists to review an unpublished report recommending a safety device that could save lives by preventing pedestrians and cyclists from getting crushed under large trucks.

by Kartikay Mehrotra, ProPublica, and A.C. Thompson, ProPublica and FRONTLINE, photography by Amy Osborne for ProPublica,

Scores of Critical Lab Tests Fall Into a Regulatory Void. The FDA Is Trying to Close It.

Lab-developed tests like prenatal screenings have become increasingly popular, all while escaping the bulk of federal scrutiny over marketing and accuracy. Now, the FDA is beginning the process of imposing regulations on these kinds of tests.

by Anna Clark,

Impact of Our Reporting
Caret

The Ugly Truth

Senators, Regulator Call for More Scrutiny of “We Buy Ugly Houses” Company

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s head said the Department of Justice and state attorneys general should be made aware of predatory house-flipping practices, following ProPublica reporting on HomeVestors of America.

by Anjeanette Damon, Mollie Simon and Byard Duncan,

Toxic Burden

The Federal Government Plans to Reform “Star” Workplace Safety Program That Reduced Inspections at Some Manufacturers

After ProPublica raised questions about the rigor of inspections at Star Program facilities that used asbestos but received limited unannounced OSHA visits, regulators are seeking input about how to reform it.

by Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi,

Colorado Law Will Require Homes to Be More Wildfire Resistant

The state will develop building standards for homes in high-risk areas after ProPublica’s reporting showed previous efforts to require fire-resistant housing materials had been repeatedly stymied by developers and municipalities.

by Jennifer Oldham for ProPublica,

Series

Series: America’s Dangerous Trucks: Inside the Battle to Prevent Deadly Crashes

Series: Train Country: Investigating Railroad Safety in America

Series: Homeowner Hell: Investigating Colorado’s Unregulated Homeowners Associations

Series: Toxic Burden: How American Chemical Regulations Failed the Public

Series: Unchecked: America’s Broken Food Safety System

Series: Polluter’s Paradise: Environmental Impact in Louisiana

Series: The Bad Bet: How Illinois Bet on Video Gambling and Lost

Series: Trashed: Inside New York’s Deadly Private Garbage Industry

Series: Louisiana’s Ethical Swamp: Lawmakers’ Conflicts of Interest

Series: HUD’s House of Cards: Public Housing Failures

Series: The Tax Divide: Inequities and Errors Riddle Cook County’s Property Tax Assessments

Series: Fed Tapes: The Secret Recordings of Carmen Segarra

Series: Freddie Mac: Playing the Mortgage Market

Series: Nuclear Safety: After Fukushima

Series: The Trade: Hold Companies, Executives and Government Officials Accountable

157 stories published since 2014

Senators, Regulator Call for More Scrutiny of “We Buy Ugly Houses” Company

by Anjeanette Damon, Mollie Simon and Byard Duncan,

Trapped Under Trucks

by A.C. Thompson, ProPublica and FRONTLINE, Kartikay Mehrotra, ProPublica, and Julia Ingram, FRONTLINE,

New Investigation by ProPublica and FRONTLINE Reveals How Regulators and Lobbyists Blocked Measures to Prevent Deadly Crashes

by ProPublica and PBS's Frontline,

Help ProPublica Report on Railroad Worker Safety

by Topher Sanders, Dan Schwartz and Ruth Baron,

The Federal Government Plans to Reform “Star” Workplace Safety Program That Reduced Inspections at Some Manufacturers

by Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi,

Colorado Law Will Require Homes to Be More Wildfire Resistant

by Jennifer Oldham for ProPublica,

Controlled Burns Help Prevent Wildfires, Experts Say. But Regulations Have Made It Nearly Impossible to Do These Burns.

by Jennifer Oldham for ProPublica,

The Federal Government Accidentally Burned Down Their Houses, Then Made It Hard to Come Home

by Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico,

Feds Advance Portable Generator Safety Rule to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

by Perla Trevizo, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, and Suzy Khimm, NBC News,

Major Chemical Company Changes Tune on Asbestos, No Longer Opposes EPA Ban

by Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi,

The True Dangers of Long Trains

by Dan Schwartz and Topher Sanders, with additional reporting by Gabriel Sandoval and Danelle Morton, graphics by Haisam Hussein,

Lawmakers Have Renewed the Effort to Ban Asbestos

by Neil Bedi and Kathleen McGrory,

EPA Asks for More Public Input on Asbestos After ProPublica and Others Reveal New Information

by Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi,

Senators Had Questions for the Maker of a Rent-Setting Algorithm. The Answers Were “Alarming.”

by Heather Vogell,

Regulatory Failure 101: What the Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank Reveals

by Jesse Eisinger,

This “Climate-Friendly” Fuel Comes With an Astronomical Cancer Risk

by Sharon Lerner,

A Norfolk Southern Policy Lets Officials Order Crews to Ignore Safety Alerts

by Topher Sanders and Dan Schwartz,

Regulators Overhaul Inspections of Hospice Providers

by Ava Kofman,

Lawmakers Attempting Takeover of Funds for Jackson’s Water System, Federal Manager Warns

by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press,

What to Know About TurboTax Before You File Your Taxes This Year

by Sophia Kovatch,

The Tests Are Vital. But Congress Decided That Regulation Is Not.

by Anna Clark,

Why the U.S. Is Losing the Fight to Ban Toxic Chemicals

by Neil Bedi, Sharon Lerner and Kathleen McGrory,

Michigan’s Largest Utility Wants a Rate Hike as It Disconnects a High Number of Customers for Nonpayment

by Sarah Alvarez, Outlier Media, and Emily Hopkins, ProPublica,

Senator Seeks Antitrust Review of Apartment Price-Setting Software

by Heather Vogell,

Lawmakers and Public Health Advocates Call for Congress to Finally Ban Asbestos

by Neil Bedi and Kathleen McGrory,

Lawsuits: A Factory Blew Asbestos Into a Neighborhood; Decades Later, Residents Are Getting Sick and Dying

by Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi,

USDA Plans Major Reforms to Curb Salmonella in Poultry

by Michael Grabell,

Justice Department Digs Into “Competition Concerns” in New England Fishing Industry

by Will Sennott, The New Bedford Light,

A Shut-Off Switch Was Supposed to Prevent 99% of Generator-Related Deaths. It Failed a Family of Three.

by Perla Trevizo, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, and Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC News,

Nearly $30K Vanished From the HOA’s Account. The State Can’t Investigate the Management Company.

by Brittany Freeman, Rocky Mountain PBS,

Why Outlawing Ghost Guns Didn’t Stop America’s Largest Maker of Ghost Gun Parts

by Anjeanette Damon,

The Fed Keeps Getting More Powerful. Is It Bad for America?

by Jesse Eisinger,

Joe Manchin’s Price for Supporting the Climate Change Bill: A Natural Gas Pipeline in His Home State

by Ken Ward Jr. and Alexa Beyer, Mountain State Spotlight,

What Private Equity Firms Are and How They Operate

by Chris Morran and Daniel Petty,

U.S. Senators Demand Federal Scrutiny of Private Equity’s Incursion Into Fishing

by Will Sennott, The New Bedford Light,

The Supreme Court’s EPA Decision Could Hamper Regulators’ Ability to Protect the Public

by Lisa Song,

Congress Investigates Portable Generator Manufacturers Following Carbon Monoxide Deaths

by Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC News, and Perla Trevizo, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune,

A Republican Tried to Introduce a Commonsense Gun Law. Then the Gun Lobby Got Involved.

by Megan O’Matz,

Why 18-Year-Olds in Texas Can Buy AR-15s but Not Handguns

by Kiah Collier and Jeremy Schwartz, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune,

Inside the Government Fiasco That Nearly Closed the U.S. Air System

by Peter Elkind,

Detroit City Council Calls on Michigan’s Largest Utility to Pause Shut-offs, Explain Its High Electricity Rates

by Sarah Alvarez, Outlier Media,

Citing ProPublica’s Reporting on McKinsey, Senators Propose Bill Addressing Contractors’ Conflicts of Interest

by Ian MacDougall,

She’s Supposed to Protect Americans From Toxic Chemicals. First, She Just Has to Fix Trump’s Mess and Decades of Neglect.

by Lydia DePillis,

Southwestern States Make Changes to Welfare After ProPublica Investigations

by Eli Hager,

Senators Ask JPMorgan Chase to Explain Its Lawsuit Blitz Against Credit Card Customers

by Patrick Rucker, The Capitol Forum,

Did You Get the Help You Needed After a Hurricane or Tropical Storm? We’re Investigating Disaster Relief.

by Richard A. Webster, The Advocate | The Times-Picayune,

Kidney Failure, Emergency Rooms and Medical Debt. The Unseen Costs of Food Poisoning.

by Maryam Jameel,

When Dangerous Strains of Salmonella Hit, the Turkey Industry Responded Forcefully. The Chicken Industry? Not So Much.

by Michael Grabell and Bernice Yeung,

El monóxido de carbono que producen los generadores envenena a miles de personas al año. Estados Unidos ha fallado en exigir cambios de seguridad.

por Perla Trevizo, Lexi Churchill y Ren Larson, ProPublica y The Texas Tribune; Mike Hixenbaugh y Suzy Khimm, NBC News,

The Low-and-Slow Approach to Food Safety Reform Keeps Going Up in Smoke

by Bernice Yeung, Michael Grabell and Mollie Simon,