GAO report on EPA proposal to change TRI threshold
Hi all, I'm Chris and, as mentioned, I am FGI's BOTM for February. Since I've admitted to being a Government Accountability Office (GAO) fan, I thought I'd kick things off with a pertinent GAO report. The GAO released a preliminary report today critical of how the EPA handled a proposal to change the threshold of toxic chemical releases that must be reported for inclusion in the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). Currently, if a facility releases annually 500 pounds or less of toxic chemicals, it can fill out the short Form A instead of the long Form R. The information in Form R is included in the TRI, which is available to the public. In January, the EPA proposed changing the minimum amount of releases that require the use of Form R to 2,000 pounds. In its initial findings, the GAO found that the EPA "did not adhere to its own rulemaking guidelines in all respects when developing the proposal to change TRI reporting requirements." It found that EPA management essentially forced the threshold change into the decision-making process of the work group that was analyzing changes to the TRI reporting guidelines, then gave the internal and regional offices little time to review the change. PDFs of the full report and its highlights is available on the report's abstract page. Continue reading
Why are EPA Libraries Closing?
FGI has been tracking on the issue of the closings of Environmental Protection Agency libraries around the country for some time now. I reported on the many meetings that EPA officials had with librarians of the Government Documents Roundtable (GODORT) at last month's ALA conference in Seattle. Much of the talk revolved around esoteria like digitization, preservation and public service numbers -- terms that **yawn** don't necessarily resonate with the general public. I think the elephant in the living room that was missing from the ALA meetings was a discussion about the obvious political aspects of the Bush administration's overt attack on federal environmental protection laws and regulation. Now here's an article that explains the political attack on EPA libraries in a way that will resonate with the public. Christopher Moraff's article in In These Times (2/1/07) is filled with budget slashing, EPA doublespeak and the shift in the political winds that may save the rest of the EPA libraries from the fate of EPA’s Region 5 facility in Chicago. Please read and distribute.
In February 2006, when President Bush unveiled his budget proposal for FY 2007, the EPA Library Network learned that its annual disbursement would be slashed 80 percent from 2006 funding levels—from $2.5 million to just $500,000. A month later, administrators at the EPA’s Region 5 facility in Chicago circulated an e-mail announcing it would be the first to close. By October, two other regional libraries were gone. Together, the three facilities had served the entire middle United States.Continue reading
Chris Zammarelli, blogger of the month (BOTM) for February, 2007
February is a short month, but I'm sure that Chris Zammarelli, this month's blogger-of-the-month, will make the most of it. Check out Chris' bio for more. Welcome Chris! I'd also like to thank Deb Liptak for being our BOTM for January. Deb was very busy and posted lots of great stories. Thanks tons Deb. We hope you continue to add to the conversation! Here's the list of Deb's posts in reverse chronological order:
- Two Leaders
- House Committee on Science and Technology
- FirstGov.gov will soon become USA.gov
- What is Information Warfare?
- Wikileaks.org
- Military Expands Intelligence Role in U.S.
- Pentagon Sets Rules for Terror Suspect Trials
- Boeing and U. S. Air Force Research Laboratory Launch "Airborne Information Broker" Balloon.
- Woman faces 13-year wait for public records
- New Report: Government Secrecy vs. Freedom of the Press
- Rockefeller: I Don't Trust What They're Doing
Chris Zammarelli, BOTM for February, 2007
Chris Zammarelli is studying e-government at the University of Maryland's College of Information Studies. He the webmaster for SLA's Government Information Division and writes the blog Libraryola. He has worked in law and government libraries for a number of years, and is a huge GAO fan. Continue reading
Feb. 6 Hearing on EPA issues
From the Feb. 1 Congressional Record Daily Digest, page D130:
Committee on Environment and Public Works: February 6, to hold an oversight hearing to examine recent Environmental Protection Agency decisions, focusing on EPA actions and documents, including monitoring regulations related to perchlorate, the process for setting National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), the lead NAAQS process, air toxics control (the once in always in policy), the Toxic Release Inventory, and EPA library closures, 10 a.m., SD-406.
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearings are webcast; see the hearings section of their site at http://epw.senate.gov/ . Continue reading