Open, Accountable Government

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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Details Emerge on Data Rejected in Morning-after Pill Decision

Internal FDA memos reported by the Washington Post last week show senior scientists at the FDA disagreed sharply with the agency's decision last month to bar the Plan B morning-after pill from over-the-counter sales. The scientists asserted that FDA officials applied a higher standard for determining Plan B's OTC status than has been applied to other drugs. Dr. John Jenkins, director of FDA's Office of New Drugs, wrote in an internal memo reported in the Wall Street Journal that Plan B is "fully consistent with the agency's usual standards for meeting the criteria" for OTC status.

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Good Riddance to Bad Policy: Budget Enforcement Bill Dies

A conservative effort to severely limit domestic programs was soundly defeated in the House last week. The so-called "Spending Control Act of 2004" failed by a vote of 146-268.

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Economy and Jobs Watch: Mid-year Update

Halfway through 2004 seems a good time to review where the United States is on the economy and jobs situation.

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Court Rejects Claim in First Decision on Data Quality Act

In the first ever court decision to address the Data Quality Act, a federal district court in Minnesota has held that the Act does not permit petitioners to seek judicial review.

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DHS Seeks Exemptions From Public Disclosure Requirements

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is looking to hide Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), partially or in whole, from public disclosure. A June 14 directive published in the Federal Register would exempt the agency from a number of requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

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State Department Releases New Terrorism Death Count, Corrects Flawed Data

The State Department released drastically higher numbers for terrorism-related deaths June 22, after the administration used the original April report to claim the war on terrorism is succeeding. Government officials cited outdated computers and personnel shortages as the reasons for the flawed data, according to the Washington Post. The revised report identifies 625 deaths from terrorist attacks, more than double the original report's number of 307. The 1,593 injuries jumped to 3,646, "significant" incidents went up by five, and all incidents increased from 190 to 208.

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FBI Used Controversial Patriot Act Provision

The FBI applied to use a section of the USA Patriot Act less than a month after Attorney General John Ashcroft stated it had never been used, according to new documents. Section 215 allows the government to track the public's reading habits in bookstores and libraries and seize an organization's computers, files and "any material thing" as part of an ongoing investigation.

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Appropriations Still Unknown

The appropriations process for FY 2005 doesn't lend itself well to periodic updates on which bills have been passed and who the winners and losers are. No one is even pretending that the House and Senate will debate and pass any of the 13 separate appropriations bills, or reconcile the two versions in conference -- the normal budget process. Rather, it has been clear from the start that an impossibly tight budget in an election year will dictate the process.

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Education in the U.S. Leaves Many Children Behind

A number of reports have been issued recently revealing cuts for next year in federal spending for education, including Pell Grants for college students, adult and vocational education, and Head Start, and ongoing inadequate funding for the Bush "No Child Left Behind" Act and special education.

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Supreme Court Denies Cheney's Bid to Avoid Discovery in Energy Task Force Decision

While it is disappointing that the Supreme Court declined to take this opportunity to embrace the principle of openness in Cheney v. United States District Court, it is heartening that the Court did not side with the administration, and instead remanded the case to the lower court.

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more resources

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

Details Emerge on Data Rejected in Morning-after Pill Decision

Good Riddance to Bad Policy: Budget Enforcement Bill Dies

Economy and Jobs Watch: Mid-year Update

Court Rejects Claim in First Decision on Data Quality Act

DHS Seeks Exemptions From Public Disclosure Requirements

State Department Releases New Terrorism Death Count, Corrects Flawed Data

FBI Used Controversial Patriot Act Provision

Appropriations Still Unknown

Education in the U.S. Leaves Many Children Behind

Supreme Court Denies Cheney's Bid to Avoid Discovery in Energy Task Force Decision

Pages

Living in the Shadow of Danger: Poverty, Race, and Unequal Chemical Facility Hazards

A Tale of Two Retirements: One for CEOs and One for the Rest of Us

Blowing Smoke: Chemical Companies Say “Trust Us,” But Environmental and Workplace Safety Violations Belie Their Rhetoric

Gasping for Support: Implementation of Tougher Air Quality Standards Will Require New Funds for State Agencies

Citizen Health & Safety Topics

Recent Reports

Living in the Shadow of Danger: State Scorecards

Living in the Shadow of Danger: Poverty, Race, and Unequal Chemical Facility Hazards

A Tale of Two Retirements: One for CEOs and One for the Rest of Us