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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more news

Economy and Jobs Watch: More Weakness in GDP and Employment

Output data shows some sign of life, but the labor market continues to be weak.

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EPA Misinformation Could Pose Health Risks for the Public

The Inspector General’s office at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is investigating whether EPA mislead the public by stating in recent reports that 94 percent of community water systems met all health-based standards in 2002. EPA data directly contradicts the claim and reveals that the actual number could be much lower – only 79 to 84 percent of systems.

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With Patriot III tour planned, Congress & lawsuits challenge Patriot Act

The Patriot Act faced serious challenges recently from Congress and the courts in what some are calling a turning point in the debate over the controversial law. Meanwhile, after running into attacks for Patriot II, Attorney General John Ashcroft plans a roadshow to gather support for Patriot III, legislation being prepared by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) that would further expand the federal government's powers.

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Support for 1st amendment rights grows, poll finds

Public support for the First Amendment has returned to levels that existed prior to the September 11 attacks, a poll by the First Amendment Center finds. The poll, conducted annually by the Center, finds that 34 percent of Americans agree or strongly agree that the rights conferred on the public under the First Amendment "go too far," down from 49 percent a year ago. In addition, the poll indicates that nearly half of all Americans believe that the public has too little information about the government's efforts to fight terrorism.

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Senators and Secretive Saudis Ask US to Declassify 9/11 Report

Pressure is mounting on Capitol Hill to declassify the blanked out 28-page section of the congressional joint report on intelligence failures before and after the events of September 11, 2001. Nearly half of the members of the U.S. Senate called on the administration to declassify more of the report. According to the Federation of American Scientists' Secrecy News, 46 senators signed a letter asking the Administration to declassify the 28 pages. This letter comes after Sens. Bob Graham (D-FL) and Richard Shelby (R-AL) vocally pushed to make more of the report available to the public.

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Report Documents Administration's Political Interference with Science

The Democratic staff of the House Committee on Government Reform recently released a report examining the Bush administration’s handling of scientific matters -- finding in many cases, that scientific integrity has been sacrificed to further a political or ideological agenda. The report, which came at the request of Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), finds “numerous instances where the administration has manipulated the scientific process and distorted or suppressed scientific findings.” For example:

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Rule Allows Timber Projects to Avoid Environmental Assessments

The Forest Service recently issued standards allowing timber projects to eschew environmental assessments and impact statements -- normally required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) -- provided that the affected area poses a risk of wildfire or contains insect-infested or diseased trees. The measures outline three categorical NEPA exemptions that would allow the harvesting of up to 70 acres of live trees (up from 50 in the proposal), the removal of up to 250 acres of dead or dying trees, and the removal of up to 250 acres of insect-infested or diseased areas.

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Nobel Laureate Speaks Out Against Administration's Policies

Aug 6, 2003 by Guest Blogger

Nobel Laureate George Akerlof pulls very few punches in a recent interview.

"I think this is the worst government the US has ever had in its more than 200 years of history. It has engaged in extraordinarily irresponsible policies not only in foreign and economic but also in social and environmental policy. This is not normal government policy. Now is the time for people to engage in civil disobedience."

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IRS Revises EITC Certification Program

Aug 6, 2003 by Adam Hughes*

On August 5, the IRS announced significant changes in its proposed pilot program to require pre-certification of EITC taxfilers. (See previous entry for more information.)

The changes include:

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Revenue Loss and Social Security

Aug 5, 2003 by Guest Blogger

Bill Gale notes that the the size of the revenue loss from the recent tax cuts would have been more than enough to shore up Social Secuty and Medicare.

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