Open, Accountable Government
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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Fracking Projected to Continue for Decades in Texas
Mar 7, 2013 by Sofia Plagakis
The significant size of natural gas reserves in Texas could mean at least another two decades of hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) in the state, according to a recent study. This means that communities will have to deal with air and drinking water contamination from the toxic chemicals used in fracking for some time to come unless greater protections are put in place by the state or federal government.
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State Department Ignores the Environmental Impacts of Keystone XL
Mar 4, 2013 by Sofia Plagakis
On Friday, the U.S. Department of State published a revised draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Keystone XL pipeline, which essentially ignores the substantial environmental impacts associated with building the pipeline. If approved, the pipeline would transport tar sands (which are more corrosive than crude oil) from Canada through America's heartland to Texas and create air, water, and public health problems.
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Leaked BLM Draft May Hinder Public Access to Chemical Information
Feb 26, 2013
On Feb. 8, EnergyWire released a leaked draft proposal from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management on natural gas drilling and extraction on federal public lands. If finalized, the proposal could greatly reduce the public's ability to protect our resources and communities. The new draft indicates a disappointing capitulation to industry recommendations.
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Congress Asking the Right Questions on FOIA
Feb 12, 2013
A recent letter from Congress to the Justice Department represents a positive development toward strengthening the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The letter, sent Feb. 4 by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, asks what steps the government is taking on a number of key transparency improvements.
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Oil and Gas Production a Major Source of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, EPA Data Reveals
Feb 12, 2013
On Feb. 5, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new data indicating that in 2011, the oil and natural gas sector was the second-highest contributor of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. A method of natural gas drilling, known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking, is a major component of this industry. Given this data and its stated commitment to addressing climate change, the Obama administration will have to reconsider its strong support of natural gas production.
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Amount of Toxics Released in the U.S. Increased for the Second Year in 2011
Jan 29, 2013
Total releases of toxic chemicals in the U.S. increased for the second year in a row according to Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data reported to and analyzed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The TRI program, established as a part of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) of 1986, requires the EPA to make information on the release and transfer of toxic chemicals (above a certain threshold) available to the public in order to provide Americans with a better understanding about toxic pollution in their communities.
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Jan 23, 2013
Four years ago, when Barack Obama assumed the office of the President of the United States, he signaled his commitment to open and accountable government with a set of directives and executive orders designed to make his administration “the most transparent in history.” Significant progress was made in his first term, but the president's vision has not yet been translated into across-all-agencies improvements in openness, and in the area of national security, most civil liberties advocates are disappointed.
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Water Quality Reports Go Online but Access for Many Likely to Decline
Jan 10, 2013 by Sofia Plagakis
After months of waiting, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a disappointing memorandum allowing water companies to switch from mail to all-electronic delivery of annual drinking water quality reports. The memo fails to set clear standards for electronic notification and delivery and makes it likely that segments of the public will have less access to these reports.
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Transparency Wrap-Up: 2012 Edition
Dec 18, 2012
Last year saw clear and important accomplishments in government transparency in several areas, such as improved whistleblower protections and progress on the numerous open government commitments made under the Open Government Partnership. There was, however, a missed opportunity for U.S. leadership at the Rio+20 environmental summit. We are also concerned that undue industry influence in certain regulatory arenas may be reducing public access to information. And state laws on fracking chemical disclosure often allow exemptions that are so broad as to undermine the laws. Nonetheless, at the federal level, 2012 was a year of continuing progress for open government.
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