“Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James L. Oberstar wrote to President-elect Obama regarding their investigation into the drastic deterioration of the Clean Water Act enforcement program. New internal documents obtained by the Committees show that hundreds of Clean Water Act violations have not been pursued with enforcement actions. Dozens of existing enforcement cases have become informal responses, have had civil penalties reduced, and have experienced significant delays. Many violations are not even being detected because of the substantial reduction in investigations. Violations involving oil spills make up nearly half of the Clean Water Act violations that have been detected but are not being addressed.”
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Daily Archives: December 16, 2008
FHFA September Foreclosure Prevention Report Released
News release: “…the September monthly Foreclosure Prevention Report, which provides comprehensive monthly data on the loss mitigation efforts of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as well as information on delinquencies, foreclosures initiated and foreclosures completed. Since year-end 2007, while loans 60+ days delinquent have increased, loans for which foreclosure was started actually decreased. Loss mitigation… Continue Reading
South Region Consumer Price Index: November 2008
“The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the South declined 2.2 percent in November to 205.559 (1982-84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureaus regional commissioner, noted that this was the second consecutive record monthly decrease since the reporting of monthly changes… Continue Reading
Prisoners in 2007 and Probation and Parole in the United States, 2007 – Statistical Tables
News release: “More than 7.3 million men and women were under correctional supervision in the nations prisons or jails or on probation or parole at yearend 2007, the U.S. Department of Justices Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. About 3.2 percent of the U.S. adult population, or one in every 31 adults, was incarcerated… Continue Reading
Bankruptcies Rose 30 Percent In Year Ending September 30
U.S. Courts: “Bankruptcy cases filed in federal courts totaled 1,042,993 for the 12-month period ending September 30, 2008, up more than 30 percent when compared to the 801,269 filings in Fiscal Year 2007, according to statistics released today by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The September 2008 filings are the highest of any… Continue Reading
Comparison of Legislative Resources on GPO Access and Selected Government and Non-Government Web Sites
“A comparison of legislative resources available on GPO Access and other Government and non-Government Web sites was recently completed. Eight Web sites were selected for in-depth analysis including GPO Access, THOMAS, House.gov, Senate.gov, CQ.com, HeinOnline, Lexis-Nexis Congressional, and Westlaw. The report specifically evaluates the availability of legislative resources on all of the databases examined, the… Continue Reading
Wyden-Requested IG Report on Interior Corruption Uncovers "Contempt for the Public Trust" and "Untold Waste"
News release, Sen. Wyden: “Significant harm to the integrity of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the morale and reputation of the Fish and Wildlife Service as well as potential harm to individual species, and the untold waste of hundreds of thousands of taxpayers dollars are just some of the consequences of what the Interior… Continue Reading
IRS Speeds Lien Relief for Homeowners Trying to Refinance, Sell
News release: “The Internal Revenue Service today announced an expedited process that will make it easier for financially distressed homeowners to avoid having a federal tax lien block refinancing of mortgages or the sale of a home. If taxpayers are looking to refinance or sell a home and there is a federal tax lien filed,… Continue Reading
Review of NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program An Interim Report
Review of NASA’s Exploration Technology Development Program An Interim Report, Committee to Review NASA’s Exploration Technology Development Program, National Research Council, December 2008 “To meet the objectives of the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE), NASA must develop a wide array of enabling technologies. For this purpose, NASA established the Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP). Currently,… Continue Reading
