Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

New GAO Reports – Electricity Generation Projects, U.S. Parole Commission

  • Electricity Generation Projects: Additional Data Could Improve Understanding of the Effectiveness of Tax Expenditures, GAO-15-302: Published: Apr 28, 2015. Publicly Released: May 28, 2015: “The states and the federal government have supported the development of electricity generation projects in a variety of ways. In recent years, state and federal supports have been targeted toward renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, although there have been some supports for projects using traditional sources—natural gas, coal, and nuclear. GAO was asked to examine state and federal supports for the development of utility-scale electricity generation projects—power plants with generating capacities of at least 1 MW that are connected to the grid and intend to sell electricity—for fiscal years 2004 through 2013. This report (1) identifies key state supports for these projects; (2) examines key federal support provided through outlays, loan programs, and tax expenditures for these projects; and (3) examines how state and federal supports affect the development of new renewable projects. GAO analyzed relevant legislation, agency outlay and loan program data, and interviewed stakeholders, including project developers and experts. GAO also surveyed state regulatory commissions about state policies. In addition, GAO modeled the impact of reducing federal tax expenditures on project finances.
  • U.S. Parole Commission: Number of Offenders under Its Jurisdiction Has Declined; Transferring Its Jurisdiction for D.C. Offenders Would Pose Challenges, GAO-15-359: Published: May 28, 2015. Publicly Released: May 28, 2015: “From fiscal years 2002 through 2014, the total number of offenders under the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) U.S. Parole Commission’s (USPC) jurisdiction declined 26 percent from about 23,000 to about 17,000. Specifically, following the abolition of parole, the number of offenders on or eligible for parole declined 67 percent among federal offenders, and 74 percent among D.C. offenders. However, following the introduction of supervised release, the number of D.C. offenders on supervised release or serving a prison sentence that includes supervised release increased 606 percent from fiscal year 2002 to fiscal year 2011, and then slightly declined through fiscal year 2014.”

Sorry, comments are closed for this post.