U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 administrator Mary Gade felt the full force of Dow Chemical's influence in Washington when on May 1, she was told to resign or be fired by June 1. Gade, who used to represent industries and often advocated against increased regulation, was on the other side of protracted negotiations with Dow over clean-up of dioxin contamination at its plant in Midland, MI. Gade chose to resign following the ultimatum.

Increasing gasoline prices have spurred federal lawmakers to propose policies designed to help consumers at the pump. One such proposal that has garnered considerable attention is a "gas tax holiday." Unfortunately, this proposal would do little for consumers because it would be unlikely to lower the price of gas.

Multiple White House offices are working in concert to block a new policy that would expand federal protections for the North Atlantic right whale. The offices, including the office of Vice President Cheney, are questioning the findings of scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the agency attempting to finalize the rule.

The National Association of Manufacturers' (NAM) legal challenge to the stealth lobbying disclosure provisions in the 2007 lobbying and ethics reform law was rejected by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on April 11. After the U.S. Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to grant a stay pending appeal, NAM announced it would comply with the law while its appeal proceeds by disclosing members who contributed more than $5,000 toward lobbying in a quarter and have supervision, control, or active participation in NAM's federal lobbying efforts.