Free Republic

After mountain runner Michelino Sunseri ascended and descended Grand Teton in record time last fall, his corporate sponsor, The North Face, heralded his achievement as "an impossible dream—come true." Then came the nightmare: Federal prosecutors charged Sunseri with a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail for using a trail that the National Park Service described as closed, although it had never bothered to clearly inform the public of that designation. Sunseri unwittingly violated one of the myriad federal regulations that carry criminal penalties—a body of law so vast and obscure that no one knows exactly how many...

A Proposed Rule by the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 04/17/2025... The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (collectively referred to as the Services or we) are proposing to rescind the regulatory definition of “harm” in our Endangered Species Act (ESA or the Act) regulations. The existing regulatory definition of “harm,” which includes habitat modification, runs contrary to the best meaning of the statutory term “take.” We are undertaking this change to adhere to the single, best meaning of the ESA.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a potential landmark action, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency has privately urged the Trump administration to reconsider a scientific finding that has long been the central basis for U.S. action against climate change. In a report to the White House, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called for a rewrite of the agency's finding that determined planet-warming greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare, according to four people who were briefed on the matter but spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the recommendation is not public.

This consumer investigation takes a look at New York towing laws. There are perhaps few things more frustrating than walking outside to find that your car has been towed. But News10NBC anchor Nikki Rudd was more than frustrated when she got the bill for almost $5,000 for a 33-mile tow. Is that legal? That’s the question News10NBC consumer investigator set out to answer: It was just after midnight on December 21, 2024. Nikki was driving home to Livingston County after having anchored the 11:00 p.m. news. “It was a snowy night. Everyone was going slow and in a single lane,”...

Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas introduced a bill Thursday that would repeal gas can regulations implemented under President Barack Obama's administration. In the early 2000s, the vents in gas cans were removed due to a series of environmental regulations aimed at reducing vapor emissions. The vents by design prevented a vacuum from forming inside the gas can and would allow the gasoline to pour out smoothly.

Everyone wants the voracious, feral regulatory state defanged, declawed, drugged into a stupor, and chained in a cage, if not killed outright. This essay will walk readers through the process, along with making some recommendations for short- and long-term fixes. One way to dismantle the administrative state is via litigation (as was the case with getting the EPA to stop regulating private ponds, which finally happened via Sackett v. EPA). However, dismantling the Administrative State via suing the federal government regulation by regulation is not within the realm of possibility. That’s because the Administrative State, like onions and parfaits, has...

Recently President Biden and some Democrat-controlled states have taken what they claim are decisive steps to combat climate change. But in the end, it was all nonsense, hypocrisy, and wasteful spending — with taxpayers picking up the tab. The Biden administration put the final touches on a new regulation that will ban most types of domestic water heaters that use natural gas. Under the new regulations, approximately 40% of the tankless water heaters in production today would be banned by the year 2029 and replaced with less efficient models. The Department of Energy claims that the new regulations will reduce...

...The Biden administration is finalizing a rule Tuesday that will end the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports and ban lenders from using certain medical information in loan decisions. The rule will also remove an estimated $49 billion in medical bills from the credit reports of about 15 million people, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) said in a press release.... Credit reporting agencies and debt collectors are also expected to oppose the rule. They questioned the bureau’s findings and its authority to issue the regulation...

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is moving forward with a regulatory rule in the final days of the Biden administration that would effectively ban cigarettes currently on the market in favor of products with lower nicotine levels, which could end up boosting business for cartels operating on the black market, an expert tells Fox News Digital. "Biden's ban is a gift with a bow and balloons to organized crime cartels with it, whether it's cartels, Chinese organized crime, or Russian mafia. It's going to keep America smoking, and it's going to make the streets more violent," Rich Marianos, former...

Under the policy, new non-condensing, natural gas-fired water heaters will be prohibited for sale starting in 2029 due to concerns about carbon-dioxide emissions. The policy comes during President Biden's twilight days in the White House and was quietly announced without a press release. If the policy takes effect, as it is slated to on March 11, a little less than 40% of the tankless water heaters currently on the market would be banned, according to an estimate from the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.

The lame duck Biden administration’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a rule in December to curb overdraft penalties in what experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation is an example of government overreach that will ravage low-income Americans. The CFPB — an agency that is considered the brainchild of Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren — finalized the rule just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, with the aim of forcing banks to either cap overdraft fees at $5, far less than the $35 average, or to provide the overdraft as a form of credit rather than a penalty....

There’s not much Donald Trump could ever do as president that will generate more resistance and hatred than bleeding the fetid capital swamp. It’s arguable that there’s nothing he could ever do as president that would be better for the republic. Trump’s decision to make administration appointments from figures who are outside of the establishment adds to the loathing that so many in the political-media establishment already directed toward him. Various grifters, vipers and unprincipled schemers from both parties have spent their adult lives seeking seats of power, comfort and endless tenure in the capital. To see the secretarial positions,...

Elon Musk’s call to delete the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has ignited a fierce debate over the future of financial regulation in America. Musk called for the elimination of the CFPB, describing it as an example of excessive regulatory duplication. Many consider the CFPB to be unconstitutional. Musk’s Bold ProposalDuring a social media campaign, Elon Musk issued a clarion call to end the existence of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Musk labeled the bureau as a redundancy, implying it crippled economic dynamics through its bureaucratic control. Critics and supporters have emerged from various corners as the proposal took the...

...The RV industry saw it coming. Since 2020 it’s been working with CARB (the California Air Resources Board—creator of ACT) on how these regulations would affect the industry and RVers. Industry had hoped CARB would work in an exemption for recreational vehicles. That didn’t happen. The situation is further complicated by more than just the ACT regulation. It also involves a trio of regulations passed in the last two to three years: the ACT, the Omnibus Low NOx rule, and the Advanced Clean Fleets rule. Together, these regulations are designed to transition medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs)...

It’s butter stupidity! Costco was forced to recall nearly 80,000 pounds of butter because the label failed to mention that the kitchen staple contains milk — and many social media users are rolling their eyes at the dairy dilemma. The FDA sent out an initial recall for 79,200 pounds of Kirkland Signature butter due to the undeclared allergen in October. Packages for both the salted and unsalted Kirkland Signature Sweet Cream Butter list cream as an ingredient, but do not include an allergy warning that the butter “Contains Milk.” The bizarre recall has left many internet users scratching their heads....

Peanut the Squirrel, and an Election Brought into Focus at Last by John F. Di Leo As the 2024 election approached, many voters found themselves with a dilemma. They’ve been told for a decade that they must dislike President Trump, though he did a good job as president. They’ve been told that they should like Kamala Harris, though everything about her from policies to behavior seems weird. So, while many have been able to comfortably cast early votes with confidence, others put it off until the last minute, hoping perhaps for a flash of clarity, a winning argument, or maybe...

The number of children being educated at home has been growing for the past few decades. No one knows by how much, and that is part of the problem. Home­school­ing is barely tracked or regulated in the U.S. But children deserve a safe and robust education, whether they attend a traditional school or are educated at home.The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported that by last count, in 2019, nearly 3 percent of U.S. children—1.5 million—were being home­schooled. This number, calculated from a nationwide survey, is surely an undercount because the home­schooling population is notoriously hard to survey, and...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration proposed a new rule Tuesday to address excessive heat in the workplace, as tens of millions of people in the U.S. are under heat advisories due to blistering temperatures. If finalized, the measure would protect an estimated 36 million U.S. workers from injuries related to heat exposure on the job — establishing the first major federal safety standard of its kind. Those affected by excessive heat in the workplace include farmworkers, delivery and construction workers, landscapers and indoor workers in warehouses, factories and kitchens. Under the proposed rule, employers would be required to identify...

The California State Senate passed a bill on Tuesday that would require new vehicles to come equipped with a function that warns motorists when they’re driving 10 mph over the speed limit. If passed by the state Assembly and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, SB961 by San Francisco state Sen. Scott Wiener would make California the first state with such a requirement for new vehicles. The bill cleared a significant hurdle Tuesday, passing the state Senate on a 22-13 vote. Specifically, SB961 would require new vehicles built or sold in California to include what’s known as “passive speed governors” that...

The Biden administration has saddled the U.S. economy with more than $1 trillion worth of final rules and regulations thus far in 2024, according to analysis conducted by the American Action Forum (AAF).The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final emissions regulations for light- and medium-duty vehicles, which some have characterized as an electric vehicle (EV) mandate, pushed the costs of the Biden administration’s regulatory agenda over the $1 trillion threshold for 2024, alone, according to AAF’s analysis. Across all agencies and regulatory actions last week, the federal government published regulations imposing $103 billion worth of total costs and 11.6 million annual...