MarketWatch: “The EPA says to think of the AQI as a yardstick that runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. For example, an AQI value of 50 or below represents good air quality for essentially all the population. A… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: E-Government
Pesticide use data
Jeremy Singer-Vine, Data is Plural: “As part of its National Water-Quality Assessment Project, the US Geological Survey publishes maps and datasets that estimate local pesticide usage, based on “proprietary surveys of farm operations.” The datasets provide high/low estimates (measured in kilograms) by county, chemical, and year, as well as by crop group for each state.… Continue Reading
USDA Climate Hubs Go Global
“For more than a decade, USDA’s Climate Hubs has been at the forefront of supporting climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts for U.S. farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. Last week, the department significantly boosted its efforts globally, by launching the International Climate Hub. The new hub builds on the experience with 10 regional Climate Hubs… Continue Reading
USPS Is Asking for These Changes to Your Mailbox, Starting Sunday
Best Life: “Your mailbox is what keeps you connected to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). It’s where your carrier drops off your mail, and picks up any outgoing letters—allowing you to avoid a trip to the post office. But the USPS is serious about mail security, so it won’t deliver your mail unless certain conditions… Continue Reading
Government Begins to Ask: When Do We Leave Twitter?
Government Technology: “For years, Twitter has been an indispensable piece of government communications — especially during emergencies, public officials turn often to the app as one of the fastest options for telling people what’s happening. But last week at the annual Government Social Media Conference in Reno, Nev., a government communications professional stood up and… Continue Reading
HHS Launches New Website to Help People Find Support for Issues with Mental Health, Drugs, or Alcohol
“A video guide of FindSupport.gov is available for download and use in reporting, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As part of continuing efforts by the Biden-Harris Administration to increase access to mental health and substance use resources, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today launched FindSupport.gov,… Continue Reading
Whistleblowers Are the Conscience of Society, Yet Suffer Gravely For Trying to Hold the Rich and Powerful Accountable For Their Sins
Via LLRX – Whistleblowers Are the Conscience of Society, Yet Suffer Gravely For Trying to Hold the Rich and Powerful Accountable For Their Sins – Lawyer, activist, author, and whistleblower Ashley Gjovik states: “I blew the whistle and was met with an experience so destructive that I did not have the words to describe what… Continue Reading
DOE Launches New Consumer Energy Savings Hub
“The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today launched the Energy Savings Hub — an online one-stop shop for American families and consumers to access the savings tools that President Biden’s Investing in America agenda has made available to drastically cut energy costs. The new website—Energy.gov/Save—puts President Biden’s clean energy tax credits and forthcoming rebates right at… Continue Reading
HHS Making Ownership Data for All Medicare-Certified Hospice and Home Health Agencies Publicly Available
CMS – “The Biden-Harris Administration has made promoting competition and protecting consumers a top priority. Today, in support of the President’s Executive Order on promoting competition and the Administration’s commitment to transparency, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is releasing ownership data for all Medicare-certified hospice and home health agencies. For the… Continue Reading
Smithsonian Puts 4.5 Million High-Res Images Online and Into the Public Domain Making Them Free to Use
Open Culture: “That vast repository of American history that is the Smithsonian Institution evolved from an organization founded in 1816 called the Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences. Its mandate, the collection and dissemination of useful knowledge, now sounds very much of the nineteenth century — but then, so does its name.… Continue Reading
Key Agencies Missing from Central Freedom of Information Act Portal
Congress Required Common FOIA Website in 2016, We’re Still Waiting. National Security Archive Sunshine Week Audit Names and Shames Delinquent Agencies. Justice Department and Office of Management and Budget Must Act Decisively to Ensure Portal’s Success National Security Archive: “The public still cannot submit Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the CIA or other… Continue Reading
How to Track Your Tax Refund in 2023
ProPublica – “The IRS offers a few simple ways to track the status of your tax refund. Here’s when and how you can keep an eye on it. Online: You can check your refund status on the IRS website. See below for the information you’ll need to have handy. App: The IRS2Go app is available… Continue Reading
