The Salt Lake Tribune and the Mine Safety and Health News are reporting that families of victims in the August 2007 Crandall Canyon mine collapse have reached a settlement with the companies that owned and operated the mine and related insurance companies. The settlement involves three civil suits representing 16 groups of plaintiffs and includes seven defendants.

Today, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag issued a statement denying that his office made any attempt to push back against the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent notice that called greenhouse gases a threat to the public.

The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee has scheduled a hearing on the nomination of Cass Sunstein to be the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12 at 10:00am, and it looks like it will be webcast.

Yesterday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced its long-awaited new rule requiring stronger roofs in vehicles in an attempt to better protect passengers in rollover crashes.