Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Federal agencies

114 laid off from federal energy lab in Golden as Biden-era programs face scrutiny
Approved, kdvr.com, Local, National

114 laid off from federal energy lab in Golden as Biden-era programs face scrutiny

By Heather Willard | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — On Monday, 114 employees of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory were “involuntarily separated” from the agency. The mass layoff was confirmed in an email from an NREL spokesperson, who said NREL is dealing with “a complex financial and operational landscape shaped by the issuance of stop work orders from federal agencies, new federal directives, and budgetary shifts.” “As a result, NREL has experienced workforce impacts affecting 114 employees across the laboratory, including staff from both research and operations, who were involuntarily separated today,” the statement read. “We appreciate their meaningful contributions to the laboratory. NREL’s mission continues to be critical to achieve an affordable and secure energy future. We a...
DEA to consider loosening federal marijuana restrictions
Approved, National, The Daily Signal

DEA to consider loosening federal marijuana restrictions

By Brett Rowland | The Daily Signal The Drug Enforcement Administration plans to hold a formal hearing next week on its plan to reschedule marijuana at the federal level. The proposal is to move marijuana from a Schedule I drug, along with heroin and LSD, to Schedule III, where it would join ketamine and anabolic steroids. In May, the Department of Justice announced that it had submitted a rule that would ease restrictions on cannabis, but the change falls short of the full legalization or decriminalization sought by some advocates. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DAILY SIGNAL
McMeekin: Trump should immediately stop federal agencies from hiding documents by needlessly marking them classified
Commentary, The Federalist

McMeekin: Trump should immediately stop federal agencies from hiding documents by needlessly marking them classified

By Sean McMeekin | Commentary, The Federalist Files should be open to the public unless otherwise specified, not secret by default. We the people have a right to know what our government does in our name, and to know our own history. Early in his third presidential campaign, Donald Trump vowed to establish a “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” to “declassify and publish all documents on Deep State spying, censorship, and abuses of power.” The phrase “Truth and Reconciliation” recalls bodies established to investigate abuses by toppled Communist regimes such as East Germany’s, or the former apartheid government of South Africa. The framing suggests that Trump views the entire past decade, from “Russiagate” to the “lawfare” cases entangling himself and his advisers, as the...