Blog: The Fine Print / Open, Accountable Government
BLM Fracking Rule Violates New Executive Order on Open Data
May 16, 2013 by Sofia Plagakis
Today, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its revised proposed rule for natural gas drilling (commonly referred to as fracking) on federal and tribal lands. The much-anticipated rule violates President Obama's recently issued executive order that requires new government information to be made available to the public in open, machine-readable formats.
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Local Citizen Group Demands Groundwater Testing Near Ammunition Plant
May 1, 2013 by Amanda Frank
Community members living near an army ammunition plant traveled to Washington, DC, on Monday to deliver petitions to their senators and representatives calling for groundwater testing near the plant. The work of local residents demonstrates the importance of citizen action and environmental data in protecting public health.
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Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion Raises Important Questions
Apr 18, 2013 by Sofia Plagakis
Last night, there was a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant in central Texas (outside of Waco), which killed as many as 15 people and injured more than 160. Though investigators are still trying to determine the exact cause of the incident, the West Fertilizer Co. explosion raises serious questions about managing the risks that facilities can pose to local communities.
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Bill Would Open Access to Agency Reports to Congress
Apr 5, 2013 by Anastasia Postnikova
The Center for Effective Government joined more than 20 allies in endorsing the Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act (H.R. 1380). The legislation would require the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) to post any report issued to Congress or its committees on a public website. Introduced by Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) and a group of 10 bipartisan co-sponsors, the bill would improve public access to the thousands of reports that federal agencies are required to submit to Congress each year by allowing people to search, sort, and download the documents.
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Ruling in Major Freedom of Information Act Case Requires Meaningful Responses to Requests
Apr 4, 2013 by Anastasia Postnikova
On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an important ruling in a lawsuit that Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed against the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The court agreed with CREW’s position that in order to meet the Freedom of Information Act's (FOIA) deadline to reply to a request, an agency's response must be meaningful. The Center for Effective Government supported CREW’s position by joining an amicus brief in June 2012.
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Voluntary Certification Program for Fracking Companies Is Not Enough
Apr 1, 2013 by Sofia Plagakis
Last week, a coalition of natural gas producers, environmental groups, and philanthropic organizations unveiled a voluntary certification program for companies engaged in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in the Marcellus Shale region (parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, western Maryland, and western Virginia). The program is based on a set of fifteen water and air protection standards, which are more stringent than current federal law and many state laws. However, a careful review of the standards shows that they are still not strong enough and should not replace public protections enforced by state and federal governments.
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Informing All Financial Customers: Consumer Protection Agency Expands Complaint Database
Mar 28, 2013 by Gavin Baker
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced today that it will expand its online public database of customer complaints to include additional financial services that the bureau regulates. Previously, the database had included only complaints about credit cards. Under the new policy, the CFPB will disclose complaints it has received from consumers about mortgages, bank accounts and services, private student loans, and other consumer loans.
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Public Denied Right to Know about Chemicals Used in Fracking
Mar 27, 2013 by Sofia Plagakis
Last Thursday, a Wyoming district court ruled against a lawsuit brought by public interest groups, including the Center for Effective Government, that sought to make public the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The identities of these chemicals can remain secret when companies make claims that fracking solution formulas are "trade secrets." The court upheld such claims, effectively denying the people of Wyoming access to accurate, complete, and detailed information about the chemicals that are being injected into the ground and that may affect their health.
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2013 Sunshine Week in Review
Mar 21, 2013 by Anastasia Postnikova
For the Center for Effective Government, this year's Sunshine Week was a busy and productive time. We released two new reports and participated in several panels and events that gave us an opportunity not only to share our expertise and findings, but also to exchange ideas with other members of the open government community, government officials, and the media.
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Celebrating Sunshine Week 2013
Mar 7, 2013 by Gavin Baker
Sunshine Week, a nationwide initiative highlighting the importance of open government and accountability, will be held this year from March 10-16. Created by journalists in 2002, Sunshine Week is designed to educate people on their right to access public information in understandable, user-friendly formats to participate more effectively in democracy and to use such information to protect and improve their communities.
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