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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Support for Contractor Lobbying Disclosure?

Feb 4, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

In June 2008 Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) and then Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) introduced legislation to expand the information available on USASpending.gov, the Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008. The bill was a follow up to the 2006 Transparency Act, which the two senators also worked together on. It would have required USASpending to include information on contractor and grantee performance.

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Senate Considers Stimulus Bill with Weaker Transparency Language

Feb 3, 2009 by Craig Jennings

The Senate is currently debating the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (S. 336), (or just "ARRA" or close friends and associates). And as we noted last week, the tax cuts and spending in the House version (HR 1) were receiving wide press attention, but we were more interested in the bill's transparency and accountability language. Today, we turn the spotlight on the analogue provisions in the Senate bill.

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New Treasury Secretary Takes Steps to TARP Transparency

Jan 29, 2009 by Craig Jennings

Yesterday, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner announced that the Treasury Department will begin posting investment contracts of the banks that are participating in the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).

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White House Promises a New Era of Sunlight

In his first full day in office, President Barack Obama acknowledged the importance of transparency by signing an executive order on the Presidential Records Act (PRA) and issuing memoranda on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and open government standards in general. He further pledged that he would "hold [himself], as president, to a new standard of openness."

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Obama Transparency Rhetoric Trickles Down to EPA

The new administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Lisa Jackson, pledged in a memo to staff to "uphold the values of scientific integrity, rule of law, and transparency every day." In the memo, Jackson also highlighted five priorities for the EPA, including reducing greenhouse gases and strengthening EPA's chemicals management and risk assessment programs.

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New Potential and Challenges for White House Website

President Barack Obama replaced the Bush administration's White House website at noon on Inauguration Day. The new website has been met with both applause and criticism in its first week of operation, but it offers indications of how the new president may utilize Internet technology to better inform the public.

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OMB Watch Commends Obama Administration for Open Government Memos, Urges Strong Follow-Through

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2009—OMB Watch today commended the Obama administration for making government openness and transparency one of its top priorities. In its first full day in office, the administration issued memos directing agencies to adhere to principles of openness and transparency and instructing the Attorney General to issue new guidelines on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that embody the spirit of open government.

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Revised SCHIP Legislation Passes House

Jan 14, 2009 by Adam Hughes*

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Notes from the Economy: The Bush Record

Jan 14, 2009 by Craig Jennings

"It's almost a lost economic decade." -- Mark Zandi, co-founder of and chief economist at Moody's Economy.com

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Transparency Concerns Raised about EPA Nominee

President-elect Barack Obama's nominee to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Lisa Jackson, has drawn both praise and criticism from environmental advocates. Some have accused Jackson of limiting public participation, denying the release of information to the public, and weakening scientific integrity in her time as a state environmental commissioner in New Jersey. Other environmentalists have hailed the nomination and believe the events should not be attributed to Jackson.

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