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Daily Archives: May 29, 2014

New Carbon Pollution Standards Can Save Americans $37.4 billion on Electric Bills

“The first-ever limits on carbon pollution from power plants can save American households and business customers $37.4 billion on their electric bills in 2020 while creating more than 274,000 jobs, a Natural Resources Defense Council analysis shows. Those are among the tangible potential benefits of the anticipated limits on carbon pollution spewing from the nation’s coal- and gas-fired power plants. The standards are the centerpiece of President Obama’s plan to combat climate change and are scheduled to be unveiled on Monday. In the study released today, NRDC said the federal carbon pollution standard could fuel a surge in energy efficiency investments, creating new jobs filled by electricians, roofers, carpenters, insulation workers, heating/air conditioning installers and heavy equipment operators, among others. The NRDC analysis was conducted by ICF International, using NRDC’s assumptions. ICF is a highly respected firm that has studied electricity markets for industry and government alike. The projected benefits are based on an innovative proposal NRDC advanced in December 2012, and updated this March, that has drawn widespread notice. If the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopts a similar approach, the nation would slash carbon pollution by 531 million tons per year, nearly 25 percent by 2020 from 2012 levels (nearly 950 million tons and 35 percent below 2005 levels), helping deliver more than $50 billion in health and environmental benefits, NRDC’s analysis shows.”

The Condition of Education 2014

“The Congress has mandated that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) produce an annual Condition of Education report to help inform policymakers about the progress of education in the United States. This year’s report presents 42 indicators on important topics and trends in U.S. education. These indicators focus on population characteristics, participation in education, elementary and… Continue Reading

Implementation monitoring for the PFMIs: first update to Level 1 assessment report

“The Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems (CPSS) and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) continue to closely monitor the implementation of the Principles for financial market infrastructures (PFMIs). The PFMIs (published by CPSS-IOSCO in April 2012) are international standards for payment, clearing and settlement systems, and trade repositories. They are designed to ensure that the… Continue Reading

Online Shopping and Mail Order Businesses Jump 27 Percent

“Electronic shopping is showing rapid growth compared to the rest of the retail trade sector, with the number of establishments growing 27.4 percent between 2011 and 2012, according to new U.S. Census Bureau statistics released today. Drawn from County Business Patterns: 2012, the new data provides the only detailed annual information on the number of establishments,… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – Army Networks, Defense Acquisitions, Defense Research, Foster Care, Foster Children

ARMY NETWORKS: Select Programs Are Utilizing Competition to Varying Degrees, GAO-14-460: Published: May 29, 2014. Publicly Released: May 29, 2014. DEFENSE ACQUISITIONS: Assessment of Institute for Defense Analyses’ C-130 Avionics Modernization Program Analysis, GAO-14-547R: Published: May 29, 2014. Publicly Released: May 29, 2014. DEFENSE RESEARCH: Improved Management of DOD’s Technical Corrosion Collaboration Program Needed, GAO-14-437: Published: May 29, 2014. Publicly Released: May 29, 2014.… Continue Reading

VA Report – Patient Wait Time at Phoenix Health Care System

Interim Report, Office of Audits and Evaluations – Review of Patient Wait Times, Scheduling Practices, and Alleged Patient Deaths at the Phoenix Health Care System. May 28, 2014. 14-02603-178 “OIG provides an interim report of the ongoing review at the Phoenix Health Care System (HCS). The report identifies the allegations substantiated to date, and provides recommendations that VA should implement immediately. Allegations at the… Continue Reading

Google Posts About Lack of Diversity in their Workforce

Posted by Laszlo Bock, Senior Vice President, People Operations: “…Put simply, Google is not where we want to be when it comes to diversity, and it’s hard to address these kinds of challenges if you’re not prepared to discuss them openly, and with the facts. So, here are our numbers…there are lots of reasons why technology companies… Continue Reading

New Technologies Making It Easier To Protect Threatened Species

“Human actions have pushed extinction rates to 1,000 times faster than the natural rate, but a new Duke University-led study finds that emerging technologies could give scientists and policymakers a more efficient way to identify the species at greatest risk and take steps to protect them before it’s too late. “Online databases, smartphone apps, crowd-sourcing and… Continue Reading

LexisNexis – Study tells a Story about Law Firm File Sharing

LexisNexis Survey of Law Firm File Sharing in 2014 – “This study found that file sharing is increasingly important in law firm collaboration and while those firms are keenly aware of the consequences of IT security risks, unencrypted email – reinforced with a statement of confidentiality – remains the primary mechanism for sharing files. See… Continue Reading