WASHINGTON, April 12 -- The American Waterways Operators (AWO), representing the tugboat, towboat, and barge industry, submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Coast Guard addressing the agency's proposed modification of operating regulations for the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge over the Old Brazos River in Brazoria County, Texas. The proposal seeks to enable remote operation of the drawbridge, but AWO expressed strong safety concerns regarding this method. As the largest sector of the domestic maritime fleet, AWO emphasized its role in  more ST

NEW YORK, April 11 -- The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, an organization that defends the right of Catholics to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination, issued the following commentary on April 10, 2026, by Director of Research Kyle Nazareth: * * * WHAT IS A RELIGION? Over the past decade, the U.S. Supreme Court has significantly expanded religious liberty, restoring religion's rightful place in the public square. In response, irreligious groups have moved to exploit this advance by turning r more PR

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution released the following testimony by Jessica M. Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, from a March 25, 2026, hearing entitled "Protecting American Citizenship II: Federalism, Sanctuary Cities, and the Rule of Law": * * * Thank you, Chairman Schmitt, for the opportunity to testify. Today there are 13 states and about 100 localities that have adopted sanctuary policies. We estimate that more than half of the illegal immigrant populat more PR

WASHINGTON, April 12 -- The Cicero Institute, a policy research organization focused on government accountability and transparency, submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Education addressing the proposed rule titled "Accountability in Higher Education and Access Through Demand-Driven Workforce Pell." The letter provides detailed feedback on the Workforce Pell program, emphasizing the need for stronger outcome-based accountability, removal of barriers facing alternative pathways, and better integration with existing workfor more ST

WASHINGTON, April 12 -- Brittany Ruiz, a licensed Life and Health Insurance agent and foster care reform advocate, submitted a public comment letter to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) expressing strong support for the agency's proposed rescission of the 2024 Designated Placement Requirements under Titles IV-E and IV-B for LGBTQI+ children. The comment emphasizes legal, practical, and child welfare concerns associated with the original rule, underscoring the need to more ST

WASHINGTON, April 13 -- Hereford Ethanol Partners, L.P. (HEP), a Texas-based producer of clean transportation fuel, has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regarding the Clean Fuel Production Tax Credit under Section 45Z of the U.S. tax code. The letter responds to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) published in February 2026, calling for final regulatory guidance that would provide certainty to taxpayers aiming to claim the credit. HEP emphasizes the critical ro more ST

WASHINGTON, April 13 -- Infinium Operations, LLC, a leading provider of synthetic fuels or eFuels, submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of the Treasury addressing proposed regulations under Section 45Z of the Internal Revenue Code related to the Clean Fuel Production Credit. Infinium highlighted the importance of this tax credit in supporting the expansion of domestic eFuel production, including projects in Texas producing synthetic aviation fuels (eSAF) and other clean fuels. In its letter, Infinium expressed support for a more ST

WASHINGTON, April 11 -- Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-New Mexico, issued the following news release: * * * Lujan, Warren, Escobar, Underwood Lead 32 Lawmakers in Pressing Homeland Security Watchdog to Investigate Detainee Locator System Failures * "Without a functional locator system, DHS is effectively creating 'disappearances' on U.S. soil, and we urge the DHS Office of Inspector General to investigate this matter" Santa Fe, N.M. - U.S. Senators Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Representatives Veronica Escobar ( more PR

WASHINGTON, April 12 -- Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-New Mexico, issued the following news release: * * * Lujan, Warren, Escobar, Underwood Lead 32 Lawmakers in Pressing Homeland Security Watchdog to Investigate Detainee Locator System Failures * "Without a functional locator system, DHS is effectively creating 'disappearances' on U.S. soil, and we urge the DHS Office of Inspector General to investigate this matter" Santa Fe, N.M. - U.S. Senators Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Representatives Veronica Escobar ( more PR

WASHINGTON, April 12 -- The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), representing more than 1,700 private, nonprofit colleges and universities, submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Education regarding the Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-driven (AHEAD) Workforce Pell Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). The letter addresses provisions of the proposed rule on Pell Grant exclusions relating to other grant aid, Workforce Pell Grants, and program accountability. NAIC more ST

HOUSTON, Texas, April 9 -- Occidental Petroleum, an oil and gas, exploration and production company, issued the following news release: * * * Occidental Announces Gulf of America Oil Discovery at Bandit Occidental and its co-owners are evaluating results to determine next steps * Occidental (NYSE: OXY) today announced an oil discovery at the Bandit prospect in the Gulf of America, about 125 miles south of the Louisiana coast. The exploration well, located in Green Canyon Block 680, encountered high-quality, full-to-base oil-bearing Miocene more PR

MERRIFIELD, Virginia, April 11 -- The Public Advocate of the U.S. issued the following statement on April 9, 2026, by President Eugene Delgaudio: * * * PUBLIC ADVOCATE CELEBRATES: 23 STATES AND SEVERAL NATIONS NOW BLOCK PORN Eugene Delgaudio, age 71, in a direct email message to supporters nationwide in the United States wrote: "THANK YOU to Public Advocate supporters who helped me fight for the passage of Age Restrictions in Texas and helped me convince the Supreme Court to uphold that age restriction requiring pornographers to verify the more PR

LOS ANGELES, California, April 11 -- The Reason Foundation issued the following commentary on April 10, 2026, by drug policy analyst Layal Bou Harfouch: * * * Better data collection is the key to improving pregnancy care behind bars Across the United States, at least 1,157 pregnant women are admitted to prison each year, based on U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) data. The true number is likely higher, as these figures do not fully capture state and local systems where reporting is inconsistent. States like Ohio are beginning to act  more PR

WASHINGTON, April 12 -- The San Jacinto College District in Pasadena, Texas, submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education regarding the proposed Workforce Pell regulations. The community college district expressed support for expanding Pell Grant eligibility to short-term workforce programs while offering suggestions aimed at clarifying and improving the implementation of the rule. San Jacinto College emphasized the importance of Workforce Pell programs as entry points for many stude more ST

DALLAS, Texas, April 7 -- Southwest Airlines issued the following news release: * * * Southwest Airlines Pops the Cork on Santa Rosa Service Paired with Sip and Ship Program for Wine Lovers Starting April 24 Travelers can toast to a new destination and fly a case of wine home "on the house" * Southwest Airlines Co. began service in Santa Rosa, California's Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport today. To celebrate the airline's wine country expansion, Southwest(R) will introduce a new Sip and Ship(TM) program/1, which will allow Southwest more PR

GEORGETOWN, Texas, April 7 (TNSjou) -- Southwestern University issued the following news: * * * Professor of Spanish Publishes Research Inspired by Personal Fertility Journey Motivated by her own personal fertility journey, Professor of Spanish Katy Ross recently published Narrating Infertility in Spain, an examination of the fertility crisis in Spain and around the world. * For Professor of Spanish Katy Ross, research is often personal, a tool to help process the things going on in her daily life. Ross' most recent research is perhaps her more PR

CANBERRA, Australia, April 13 -- The office of the Prime Minister of Australia issued the following news release: * * * Television interview - Sunrise * MATT SHIRVINGTON, HOST : We're being warned this morning that major Asian fuel producers may start prioritising their own domestic markets if this supply crisis continues to worse around the world. NAT BARR, HOST : That could be a disaster for Australia because we import around 90 per cent of our refined fuel from Asia. So, later today, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will fly back to the more PR

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, April 8 -- Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences issued the following news release: * * * Texas A&M Veterinary Team Saves Kitten From Rare Congenital Abnormality When Kalyn Scott picked up her Sphynx kitten, Kai, at 7 weeks old, she immediately fell in love with his playful personality and big heart. The last thing she could have imagined for her fun-loving and affectionate kitten was having him undergo major surgery to save his life. However, after Kai was diagnosed with congeni more PR

WASHINGTON, April 13 -- The Texas Department of Transportation submitted a public comment letter to the Federal Highway Administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation addressing the agency's information collection for the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) and Recreational Trails Program (RTP) Annual Reports. Texas' agency conveyed views on the necessity, burden estimates, and potential improvements of the data collection process. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the data collection offers benefits by su more ST