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LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS BILL, 2016 – spotlight on LIBRARY OF CONGRESS [via FAS]: “The Committee recommends $591,431,000 for the operations of the Library of Congress. This is $33,071,000 below the budget request and is $510,000 above the current level. In addition to the appropriation, the Committee recommends offsetting collections of $42,127,000. Established by Congress in …
Andrew Crocker – “We now have the first decision from a court of appeals on the NSA’s mass surveillance program involving bulk collection of telephone records under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, and it’s a doozy. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued an opinion in ACLU v. Clapper holding that …
“The average person takes between 17,280 and 23,040 breaths a day. That is a lot of breaths…and each one is an opportunity to put pollutants into your lungs and body and to increase health risks if you are exposed to air pollution. For example: Research shows that air pollution is linked to health effects and …
“In conjunction with the recent enactment of the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA Act) (Pub. L. 113-101) and our ongoing efforts to improve federal spending data under the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), the federal government is working to establish government-wide financial data standards and increase the availability, accuracy, and usefulness of …
“To commemorate this milestone anniversary of the Allied nations’ Victory in Europe (V-E) Day and Victory Over Japan (V-J) Day, the Census Bureau presents a wide range of statistics related to those who served in World War II. The topics covered include the number of living veterans at the time of each decennial census, a breakdown of those serving by …
NASA Earth Observatory – “Decades of satellite observations and astronaut photographs show that clouds dominate space-based views of Earth. One study based on nearly a decade of satellite data estimated that about 67 percent of Earth’s surface is typically covered by clouds. This is especially the case over the oceans, where other research shows less …
Via FGI – Free Government Information, by James R. Jacobs – “Researchers at the University of Illinois say they have found evidence on the Whitehouse Web site that suggests “a pattern of revision and removal from the public record that spans several years, from 2003 through at least 2005. Instead of issuing a series of …
“There’s a new label hitting store shelves this spring and summer that will make it easier to find cleaning products that are safer for everyone, including our pets and the environment. To display the new Safer Choice label, a product must first be reviewed by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientists to ensure every ingredient it …
Ten Simple Things You Can Do to Help Protect the Earth “Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Cut down on what you throw away. Follow the three “R’s” to conserve natural resources and landfill space. Volunteer. Volunteer for cleanups in your community. You can get involved in protecting your watershed, too. Educate. When you further your own …
“We have 54 early restoration projects underway throughout the Gulf, and now you can track our progress quickly and easily using our new interactive map. Go straight to your state using the tabs at the top or use your cursor to navigate around. Each location has a link to more project information that will provide …
Transforming U.S. Energy Infrastructures in a Time of Rapid Change: The First Installment of the Quadrennial Energy Review “On January 9, 2014, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum directing the administration to conduct a Quadrennial Energy Review (QER). As described in the President’s Climate Action Plan,this first-ever review focuses on energy infrastructure and identifies the threats, risks, and opportunities …
Americans’ Views on Open Government Data By John B. Horrigan and Lee Rainie: “Government reformers and advocates believe that two contemporary phenomena hold the potential to change how people engage with governments at all levels. The first is data. There is more of it than ever before and there are more effective tools for sharing …
