“The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) provides the following public comment to “Federal Acquisition Regulation; Unique Identification of Entities Receiving Federal Awards,” (80 Fed. Reg. 72035, November 18, 2015). As an independent nonprofit organization committed to achieving a more accountable and transparent federal government, POGO has a longstanding interest in federal contracting issues and in… Continue Reading
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Search Results for: Hurricane Sandy
GAO Reports – Biosurveillance, Crude Oil Export Restrictions, Helium Stewardship Act of 2013, Info Sec, Medicaid, SBA
Biosurveillance: Additional Planning, Oversight, and Coordination Needed to Enhance National Capability, GAO-15-664T: Published: Jul 8, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 8, 2015: “Naturally-occurring infectious disease or the intentional use of a biological agent to inflict harm could have catastrophic consequences.” Crude Oil Export Restrictions: Studies Suggest Allowing Exports Could Reduce Consumer Fuel Prices, GAO-15-745T: Published: Jul… Continue Reading
Geospatial Resolution of Human and Bacterial Diversity with City-Scale Metagenomics
“Afshinnekoo et al. describe a city-scale molecular profile of DNA collected from a city’s subway system, public surfaces, and one waterway. These data enable baseline analysis of bacterial, eukaryotic, and aracheal organisms in the built environment of mass transit and urban life.” Afshinnekoo et al., 2015, CELS 1, 1–15 July 29, 2015. Highlights: Almost half… Continue Reading
White House releases new flood risk management standard
FACT SHEET: Taking Action to Protect Communities and Reduce the Cost of Future Flood Disasters “Across the country, extreme weather and other impacts of climate change are threatening the health, safety, and prosperity of our communities. This month, NOAA and NASA announced that 2014 was the hottest global year on record. And as the planet… Continue Reading
New GAO – Managing for Results, Small Business Administration
MANAGING FOR RESULTS: Selected Agencies Need to Take Additional Efforts to Improve Customer Service, GAO-15-84: Published: Oct 24, 2014. Publicly Released: Oct 24, 2014: “Providing customer service has been a long-standing challenge for federal agencies. GPRAMA requires that agencies establish a balanced set of performance indicators to be used in measuring progress toward performance goals, including customer service.… Continue Reading
Preparing Our Communities for Climate Impacts: Recommendations for Federal Action
“The Georgetown Climate Center released 100 recommendations … to improve federal programs that could be used to prepare for climate change. The new report will inform the White House State, Local and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. The report, Preparing Our Communities for Climate Impacts: Recommendations for Federal Action, draws from a series… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – 2013 Sequestration, Lobbying Disclosure, Emergency Transportation Relief, Surface Transportation
EMERGENCY TRANSPORTATION RELIEF: Agencies Could Improve Collaboration Begun during Hurricane Sandy Response, GAO-14-512: Published: May 28, 2014. Publicly Released: May 28, 2014. 2013 LOBBYING DISCLOSURE: Observations on Lobbyists’ Compliance with Disclosure Requirements, GAO-14-485: Published: May 28, 2014. Publicly Released: May 28, 2014. 2013 SEQUESTRATION: Selected Federal Agencies Reduced Some Services and Investments, While Taking Short-Term Actions to Mitigate Effects, GAO-14-452: Published: May… Continue Reading
American Libraries Critical Part of Fabric of Life in a Changing and Challenging World
Anna Clark – “America’s network of public libraries is older than America itself. You can make a strong case that the precursor to our modern book-lending system was developed in Boston in 1636, in Charleston in 1698, by Benjamin Franklin and his Philadelphia cohort in 1731, or in the Massachusetts town that named itself after… Continue Reading
What Lies Beneath Deep below the streets of New York City
William Langewiesche in Vanity Fair – “Deep below the streets of New York City lie its vital organs—a water system, subways, railroads, tunnels, sewers, drains, and power and cable lines—in a vast, three-dimensional tangle. Penetrating this centuries-old underworld of caverns, squatters, and unmarked doors, William Langewiesche follows three men who constantly navigate its dangers: the subway-operations… Continue Reading
Financing Natural Catastrophe Exposure: Issues and Options for Improving Risk Transfer Markets
Financing Natural Catastrophe Exposure: Issues and Options for Improving Risk Transfer Markets, Rawle O. King, Specialist in Financial Economics and Risk Assessment. August 15, 2013 “The federal government has an established institutional framework for disaster preparedness, reduction, prevention, and response—mainly disaster assistance. However, concerns have been expressed about the nation’s increasing exposure and vulnerability to… Continue Reading
Global Risks Report 2013
“The Global Risks Report 2013 analyses 50 global risks in terms of impact, likelihood and interconnections, based on a survey of over 1000 experts from industry, government and academia. This year’s findings show that the world is more at risk as persistent economic weakness saps our ability to tackle environmental challenges. The report highlights wealth gaps (severe income… Continue Reading
Federal Reserve Board – Beige Book – January 16, 2013
Beige Book – January 16, 2013 – Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District: “Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts indicated that economic activity has expanded since the previous Beige Book report, with all twelve Districts characterizing the pace of growth as either modest or moderate. Since the previous Beige… Continue Reading
