Subscribers to the OMB Watcher can now download a FREE copy of this week's CQ Weekly special report on John Graham and the regulatory review agenda of OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), which has the power to reject or alter agency efforts to protect public health, safety and the environment. The package of stories and sidebars contains an overview on OIRA, plus a comprehensive analysis of the 18 "return letters" that OIRA has issued to various agencies since John Graham was confirmed as administrator, and an explanatory box on the regulatory tools Graham uses.

Vice President Cheney recently (February 27) unveiled the administration’s plans to harness the Internet to make government more responsive and accessible, focusing mostly on transactions, such as the filing of taxes, while giving little attention to the dissemination of information.

In a ruling that upholds the public’s right to access government information, a D.C. federal district court ordered the Department of Energy (DOE) on February 21 to hand over documents to the Natural Resources Defense Council that relate to the workings of Vice President Dick Cheney’s energy task force.

The California-based Greenlining Institute released recommendations for campaign finance reform from a civil rights perspective on February 12, the day the House of Representatives started debating the issue. Their recommendations are based on consultations with minority and low-income community leaders and a study of campaign contribution patterns in California. While some recommendations are addressed in pending campaign finance reform legislation, others are not, and will require a continued push for reform. The recommendations are: