A bill that passed the House of Representatives on Friday would, among other things, eliminate the $75 million cap on liabilities related to oil spills. The overhaul of the nation's offshore drilling regulations would require oil companies to pay the full cost involved with any spills.
The passing of Sen. Robert Byrd, the longtime West Virginia Democrat, could throw a wrench into the party's plans to pass the landmark financial-overhaul bill by July 4 and thereby to hand President Obama a key election-year victory.
President Obama can't be pleased by the loss of a Democratic Senate seat which jeopardizes passage of his cherished health-care reform. The news, however, appears to have fueled a mini stock rally in the health-care and pharma sectors wary of how any reform would affect their businesses. The uptrend is expected to continue.
