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Daily Archives: February 22, 2011

Avoiding Water Wars: Water Scarcity and Central Asia's Growing Importance for Stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan

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Avoiding Water Wars: Water Scarcity and Central Asia’s Growing Importance for Stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Majority Staff Report prepared for the use of the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate, 112th Congress, First Session, February 22, 2011

  • “This report by the committee majority staff examines United States policy with respect to water scarcity and water management in Central and South Asia. Water plays an increasingly important role in our diplomatic and national security interests in the region, and we must ensure that our approach is carefully considered and coordinated across the interagency. President Obama’s administration deserves credit for recognizing the critical role water plays in achieving our foreign policy objectives. As water demand for food production and electricity generation increases, in part as a result of the quickening pace of climate change, so too must our efforts to provide water security. While much of our focus currently rests on Afghanistan and Pakistan, we must also consider the interests in the shared waters by India and the neighboring five Central Asian countries—Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. This report draws on staff travel to the region and the work of experts in government, academia, and international institutions. It provides significant insight and several key recommendations to advance U.S. policy in Central and South Asia with respect to this vital transboundary resource.”

    • New GAO Reports: Debt Limit, Ryan White CARE Act, Defense Management, Superfund, Commercial Motor Carriers

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    Debt Limit: Delays Create Debt Management Challenges and Increase Uncertainty in the Treasury Market, GAO-11-203, February 22, 2011 Ryan White CARE Act: Estimated Effect of Continued Application of the Fiscal Year 2010 Stop-Loss Provision on 2011 Funding for Urban Areas, GAO-11-405R, February 18, 2011 Defense Management: Additional Cost Information and Stakeholder Input Needed to Assess… Continue Reading

    Chief Counsel's Report – BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

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    Follow up to previous postings on the Deepwater oil spill, see Macondo – the Gulf Oil Disaster – Chief Counsel’s Report | 2011, National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill And Offshore Drilling | Report to the President “Notwithstanding demanding time constraints, the Commission‘s Chief Counsel Fred Bartlit and his investigative team have… Continue Reading

    CDC: Ignition Interlocks Reduce Alcohol-Impaired Driving

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    Ignition Interlocks – A Proven Means for Preventing Impaired Driving Re-Arrests, and Reducing Alcohol-Impaired Driving: Ignition Interlocks “When someone is convicted of DWI and arrested, it’s clear that they’ve made the decision, at least once, to drink and drive. It’s important to take steps to prevent them from making such a risky decision in the… Continue Reading

    Iraq: The Transition from a Military Mission to a Civilian-Led Effort

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    Senate Foreign Relations Committee – Iraq: The Transition from a Military Mission to a Civilian-Led Effort (Committee Print – Majority), January 31, 2011 “This will be a year of unprecedented transition for the United States in Iraq as we move from a military-led mission to a civilian-led effort. The diplomatic mission that results will be… Continue Reading

    WaPo: Contractors nervous about public access to database of past problems

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    “A new database on contractors’ past behavior has industry scrambling to prepare, according to contracting lawyers and advocates. The Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System, or FAPIIS, is meant to ensure the government, before making major awards to contractors, knows of past problems such as criminal convictions, fines, suspensions and contracts terminated due to… Continue Reading

    CDC – Policy Impact: Impaired Driving

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    Policy Impact: Impaired Driving – “Each year, millions of people choose to drive while under the influence of alcohol, sometimes with devastating results. In 2009, almost 11,000 people were killed in crashes involving impaired drivers, nearly one-third of all traffic deaths. Alcohol-impaired driving crashes claim the lives of the most vulnerable: in a single year,… Continue Reading

    New Title 51 United States Code, 'National and Commercial Space Programs'

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    “The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 3237) to enact certain laws relating to national and commercial space programs as title 51, United States Code, `National and Commercial Space Programs’, having considered the same, report favorably thereon and recommend that the bill do pass. H.R. 3237 would enact certain laws… Continue Reading

    E-journals: their use, value and impact

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    E-journals: their use, value and impact [final report], 19 January 2011: “This report is the second arising from a two-year project funded by the Research Information Network to describe and assess patterns of the use, value and impact of e-journals by researchers in universities and research institutes in the UK. Publishers began to provide online… Continue Reading