And amusingly enough, there is a bitter fight between the regulators as to how and whether to regulate these companies, one that Geithner could be swaying behind the scenes (as he did so often with policies he did not like during the crisis).
As economist Robert Kuttner, author of Obama's Challenge (and a new report that explains how we should strive to reform the financial regulatory system) said here last week, "the issue isn't whether to regulate or not, but the character of regulation".
I spoke to a government official who said the regulator is still "watching and evaluating options on whether to regulate Bitcoin, and when, if at all need be".
As more political campaigning goes online, federal regulators face a tricky set of questions about how, and whether, to regulate the Internet as it plays an increasingly powerful role in promoting candidates, raising money and encouraging debate.
Mr. Hale said the agency was deciding whether to regulate the waste as hazardous or nonhazardous.
The real question is not whether to regulate, but how and in whose interest.
It expects to decide by next spring whether to regulate food from animal clones.
A Senate bill would eliminate this rule, letting states decide whether to regulate insurer profits.
In Washington, the Education Department is considering whether to regulate preferred lending lists.
