Department of Interior, Atlantic Governors Agree to Form Consortium to Expedite Wind Power Permits

The Interior Department and the governors of 11 Atlantic states have agreed to form an Atlantic Wind Consortium to expedite the permitting process for offshore wind projects in the Outer Continental Shelf…

Class Claim Filed Against Google over Buzz Social Networking Service

Google’s Buzz social networking service unlawfully made Gmail users’ private data publicly available without their knowledge or authorization in violation of…

ANALYSIS: Complying with the HIPAA Privacy and Security Mandates under the HITECH Act: A Business Associate’s Perspective

The HITECH Act’s business associate provisions, which took effect Feb. 17, make business associates directly responsible for complying with certain provisions of the HIPAA privacy rule…

District Court to Hear Fraud Claims by Norwegian Municipalities Against Citigroup Entities

Applying the “conduct test,” the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York concluded Feb. 17 that it has jurisdiction over a securities fraud suit by seven Norwegian…

Investors in Hedge Funds that Held Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act Securities Foil Preemption Challenge

The 1998 Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act does not preclude investors’ securities fraud claims against the administrators of hedge funds whose portfolios include covered securities, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New…

ANALYSIS: 2010 Brings Raft of New U.S. Privacy Rules for Asset Management Businesses

Nathan J. Greene and Jesse P. Kanach, Shearman & Sterling LLP, write about a host of new privacy rules for investment management businesses…

IRS Says Transfers Within Foreign Parent Corporation’s U.S. Life Groups Will Qualify as Exchanges Under Section 351

The Internal Revenue Service in Private Letter Ruling 201006002, released Feb. 18, said transactions contemplated in connection with a foreign parent corporation’s eventual merger of its two U.S. life insurance groups will qualify as…

Employment Tax Takes Center Stage as IRS Begins National Research Project , Executive Compensation Audits

The Internal Revenue Service’s National Research Project, the most comprehensive study of worker classification since 1984, and other audit initiatives will focus on…

ANALYSIS: Tax Administration Without Borders: Navigating the Changing Global Tax Controversy and Risk Management Landscape

Mark Weinberger, Bob Brown, and Deborah Nolan write that tax policy and tax administration are undergoing monumental changes, with more on the horizon…

BNA INTERVIEW: International Tax Landscape Shaped by Globalization, Shifting Economy, Ex-IRS Official Says

Deborah Nolan, former commissioner of IRS’s Large and Mid-Size Business Division and currently with Ernst & Young LLP, tells BNA that…