A federal appeals court has rejected a motion for a partial stay of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed greenhouse gas (GHG) regulations, clearing the way for the rules to take effect on Jan. 2.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that the motions filed by coalitions of industry groups and the State of Texas failed to prove that the harm likely to be caused by the regulations is "certain," or that it will be caused directly by the regulations. API is a member of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) coalition, which moved for a partial stay of the regulation of GHG emissions from stationary sources.

NAM stood behind the coalition's arguments. In a statement, Quentin Riegel, NAM's vice president for litigation and deputy chief counsel, s... more »

An international coalition of business groups has asked the Group of 20 leaders to reach consensus encouraging the global trade of rare earth minerals. The minerals are used in cell phones, cars, alternative energy technologies, as well as in military hardware including smart bombs and sonar. (The New York Times)

About 97 percent of the world's rare earth minerals come from China. On Sept. 21, the Chinese government halted rare earth exports to Japan after Japan detained a Chinese fishing trawler. The export interruption was expanded to other countries, including the United States, on Oct. 18. Beijing reinstated mineral shipments on Oct. 28, only hours before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton planned to mention China's export embargo at a news conference in Honolulu. (The New York Times)

The pace of the economic recovery is the slowest in the past 50 years, and if the government raises taxes, the economy "could fall off a ledge." Those were the statements of three economists who briefed reporters on the economic recovery today at API. They included (left to right) Dave Crowe of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), John Felmy of API and David Huether of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). Each represents an essential economic sector.

NAHB's Dave Crowe said, "Part of the reason the economy isn't growing is because housing isn't growing." Despite lower housing prices and mortgage interest rates, consumers aren't buying new homes due to low consumer confidence. Crowe added that the supply of new homes is at a 42-year low, with only 400,000 new units a... more »

The blogosphere is buzzing about a recent Wall Street Journal editorial titled, "Oil Industry Booms--in North Dakota." The article discusses the state's recent economic prosperity as companies utilize advanced technologies to turn the Bakken Shale deposit into one of the fastest-growing oil-producing areas in the United States.

In just three years, the Bakken Shale has helped North Dakota double its oil production--surging to 80 million barrels in 2009--making the state the nation's fourth-largest oil producer, after Texas, Alaska and California.

The National Association of Manufacturers' (NAM) Shopfloor blog writes:

"Thanks largely to the oil boom, North Dakota's economy has fought off the recession. The state's unemployment rate in December was 4.3 percent... It's trouble other states w... more »

Yesterday, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF) released a study--Economic Impact of the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act--that again demonstrates the significant costs associated with this House-approved legislation. The Senate will soon take up similar legislation that could have a profound impact on Americans' everyday lives, especially if it resembles this version.

The study found that under a high-cost scenario, the House bill could reduce economic growth by 2.4 percent and cost 2 million jobs by 2030. And though the impact of the bill will grow over time, the economy will start feeling the effects of the carbon cap almost immediately.

For more information, read the full study.