Review of EPA Hydraulic Fracturing Study Plan EPA/600/R11/122, November 2011 – June 2012 “The American Petroleum Institute (API) and Americas Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) requested Battelle Memorial Institute (Battelle), an independent non-profit, science and technology research and development organization, to perform a critical review of the EPA Plan to Study the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: July 2012
2012 Global Peace Index
“The world has become more peaceful for the first time since 2009, according to the 2012 Global Peace Index. All regions excluding the Middle East and North Africa saw an improvements in levels of overall peacefulness. The 2012 GPI is the sixth edition of the worlds leading measure of global peacefulness. Produced by the Institute… Continue Reading
The Sentencing Project – Trends U.S. Corrections
“Trends in U.S. Corrections is a visual tool that provides a compilation of key developments in the criminal justice system over the past several decades. Among the issues featured in this collection are: Rate of incarceration from 1925 to 2010 International comparisons of incarceration rates Changes in the drug offender composition of prison populations over… Continue Reading
CBO – Monthly Budget Review – July 9, 2012
“CBO estimates in its latest Monthly Budget Review that the Treasury Department will report a deficit of $905 billion for the first nine months of fiscal year 2012, $66 billion less than the $971 billion deficit incurred through June 2011. Outlays are about 1 percent higher and revenues are about 5 percent higher than they… Continue Reading
Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve: Current Policy and Conditions
CRS – Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve: Current Policy and Conditions, Marc Labonte, Specialist in Macroeconomic Policy, July 6, 2012 “The Federal Reserve (Fed) defines monetary policy as the actions it undertakes to influence the availability and cost of money and credit. Since the expectations of market participants play an important role in determining… Continue Reading
Treasury Department Prepares to Launch Internet Payment Platform
Federal Register Volume 77, Number 131 (Monday, July 9, 2012), “On July 5, 2011, the Treasury Department announced that it will implement the Internet Payment Platform (IPP) no later than the end of fiscal year 2012; with all new payment requests in FY2013 processed using the IPP. The Internet Payment Platform (IPP) is a secure… Continue Reading
TRAC Releases Federal Prosecution Data for April 2012
“Federal criminal prosecutions totaled 14,950 for the month of April, according to the most recent data released by the Department of Justice. This was an increase of just under four percent from the previous month. Among the program categories, the largest number of prosecutions was seen in immigration, accounting for 59 percent of the filings.… Continue Reading
NOAA – State of the Climate National Overview June 2012
Climate Highlights June: “The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during June was 71.2°F, which is 2.0°F above the 20th century average. The June temperatures contributed to a record-warm first half of the year and the warmest 12-month period the nation has experienced since recordkeeping began in 1895. Scorching temperatures during the second half… Continue Reading
EPIC: Law Enforcement Requests to Wireless Carriers Topped 1.3 Million in 2011
“In response to recent letters from Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA), nine mobile wireless carriers have provided detailed reports of law enforcement requests for user cell phone records. These requests come from agencies – across all levels of government – seeking text messages, caller locations, and other information in the course of investigations. The reports show… Continue Reading
New GAO Report on Electronic Warfare
DOD Actions Needed to Strengthen Management and Oversight, GAO-12-479, July 9, 2012 “DOD has taken steps to address a critical electronic warfare management gap, but it has not established a departmentwide governance framework for electronic warfare. GAO previously reported that effective and efficient organizations establish objectives and outline major implementation tasks. In response to a… Continue Reading
Fortune's Global 500 List
From the July 23, 2012 issue of Fortune: “Royal Dutch Shell tops the Fortune Global 500, ending Wal-Mart’s two-year winning streak. See the full list of the world’s largest corporations, including detailed company profiles and contact information.” Continue Reading
Commentary: How LIBOR Impacts Financial Models and Why the Scandal Matters
How LIBOR Impacts Financial Models and Why the Scandal Matters, Mike Konczal, Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute. “If we can’t rely on the accuracy of basic measurements used to set loan prices, we can’t respond effectively to brewing financial crises. Matt Taibbi asks why nobody is freaking out about the LIBOR scandal, Robert Reich calls… Continue Reading
