Court agrees to put on hold rule to cut power pollution

A federal court Friday put on hold a controversial Obama administration regulation aimed at reducing power plant pollution in 27 states that contributes to unhealthy air downwind.

More than a dozen electric power companies, municipal power plant operators and states had sought to delay the rules until the litigation plays out. A federal appeals court in Washington approved their request Friday.

The EPA, in a statement, said it was confident that the rule would ultimately be upheld on its merits. But the agency said it was “disappointing” the regulation’s health benefits would be delayed, even if temporarily.

In the first two years, the EPA estimates that the regulation and some other steps would have slashed sulfur dioxide emissions by 73 percent from 2005 levels, and nitrogen oxides will be cut by more than half.

Environmentalists on Friday said they would continue to defend the regulations, which are essential for some states to be able to meet air quality standards for soot and smog and are far more protective than the ones proposed under the Bush administration.

The court is asking that oral arguments take place by April 2012.

GM recalling 4,000 Sonics for possible missing brake pads

General Motors Co. said on Friday that it is recalling more than 4,000 of its 2012 Chevrolet Sonic subcompact cars to check for missing brake pads.

The possibility that some Sonics could be missing an inner or outer brake pad was discovered during warranty service for a rental vehicle customer. GM said the problem “is expected to exist in very few cars,” and there are no known crashes or injuries related to the issue. The lack of a pad could lengthen stopping distance or contribute to a crash.

The recall involves 4,296 of GM’s 2012 Sonics sold in the U.S. The affected models are from the Orion Township, Mich., assembly plant, where the Sonic is built for sale in the U.S. and Canada.

Rocker Justin Dillon heads up anti-slavery campaign

Justin Dillon’s rock band was touring Eastern Europe when he met some college students who told him they were about to get work in the West. They were eager to begin what they were sure would be their new MTV-like lives.

Dillon dug deeper and asked to see their documents. He warned the young women they likely were about to be trafficked into the sex trade or sweatshops.

“They immediately felt embarrassed, but then emboldened,” he recalls of the 2003 exchange. “They said, ‘I mean, look around. I’ll take my chances on this. You think I’m going to stick around here?’ “

That conversation changed his life — and his life’s mission.

Today, the 42-year-old Berkeley rocker heads up a popular social media campaign to combat slavery. With a $200,000 grant from the State Department, he recently launched www.slaveryfootprint.org, which helps people identify the slave labor used for their own consumer goods. It is approaching 2 million hits.

And now — with the help of a groundbreaking anti-slavery retail law going into effect across California on New Year’s Day — Dillon believes the movement is reaching that tipping point where the average consumer can make a difference.

In announcing cuts, Spain warns deficit to be bigger

Spain’s new government warned Friday that the country’s budget deficit will be much bigger than anticipated this year, as it unveiled a first batch of austerity measures that include surprise income and property tax hikes.

Following the new conservative government’s second Cabinet meeting, the budget deficit for this year was revised up to 8 percent of national income from the previous government’s forecast of 6 percent.

Along with the upward revision, which comes amid predictions that the Spanish economy will soon be back in recession, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s government announced further measures to get a handle on Spain’s debts

— From news service reports