EPA OIG Reports: National Emergency Response Planning, Chesapeake Bay Watershed Oversight

08-P-0055 EPA Should Continue to Improve Its National Emergency Response Planning [Report PDF – 27 pages] [At a Glance PDF] January 9, 2008: “We found that EPA’s Emergency Response Business Plan did not disclose the basis for EPA’s resource estimates. Additionally, EPA management stated they did not consider State and local resources in their resource …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents

First-Ever Ranking of 40 Leading Banks on Climate Change Strategies

Ceres press release: “While encouraging progress is being made, the banking sector still has a long way to go in confronting the business challenges posed by global climate change, according to a first-ever report issued today by the Ceres investor coalition that analyzes climate change governance practices of 40 of the world’s largest banks…The report …

Subjects: Internet, Legal Research

Center for Public Integrity The Buying of the President 2008

“This website is a companion to The Buying of the President 2008. Like the book, this site explores the roles that money and special interests play in presidential politics. But unlike the book, which will provide a behind-the-scenes examination of how big money influences the presidential election process, this site is a work in progress …

Subjects: Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research

Science 2.0: Great New Tool, or Great Risk?

Scientific American: Wikis, blogs and other collaborative web technologies could usher in a new era of science. Or not. By M. Mitchell Waldrop: “The explosively growing World Wide Web has rapidly transformed retailing, publishing, personal communication and much more. Innovations such as e-commerce, blogging, downloading and open-source software have forced old-line institutions to adopt whole …

Subjects: Blogs, Internet, Legal Research, Wiki

U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, November 2007

U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, November 2007: “The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, through the Department of Commerce, announced [January 11, 2008] that total November exports of $142.3 billion and imports of $205.4 billion resulted in a goods and services deficit of $63.1 billion, up from $57.8 billion …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents

Publishers Say Enactment of NIH Mandate on Journal Articles Undermines Intellectual Property Rights Essential to Science Publishing

Follow up to December 27, 2007 posting Mandate for Public Access to NIH-Funded Research Now Law, see this press release: “The Association of American Publishers [January 3, 2008] criticized a controversial new NIH research publication policy that was enacted as part of the omnibus appropriations package for 2008, and reaffirmed that journal publishers who have …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Intellectual Property, Legal Research, Legislation, Libraries

New GAO Reports: Defense Acquisitions, Nuclear Nonproliferation

Defense Acquisitions: Departmentwide Direction Is Needed for Implementation of the Anti-tamper Policy, GAO-08-91, January 11, 2008: “The Department of Defense (DOD) invests billions of dollars on sophisticated weapon systems and technologies. These may be at risk of exploitation when exported, stolen, or lost during combat or routine missions. In an effort to minimize this risk, …

Subjects: Government Documents

Internet's Broader Role in Campaign 2008

Pew Research Center Report: Internet’s Broader Role in Campaign 2008 – Social Networking and Online Videos Take Off, Released: January 11, 2008 “The internet is living up to its potential as a major source for news about the presidential campaign. Nearly a quarter of Americans (24%) say they regularly learn something about the campaign from …

Subjects: Internet

The Expanding Global Impact of Cellphone E-Waste

New York Times – The Afterlife of Cellphones: “Americans threw out just shy of three million tons of household electronics in 2006. This so-called e-waste is the fastest-growing part of the municipal waste stream and, depending on your outlook, either an enormous problem or a bonanza. E-waste generally contains substances that, though safely sequestered during …

Subjects: Internet

Reports Reveals Key Hazardous Chemicals in Vehicles and Child Car Seats

“HealthyCar.org is based on research conducted by the Ecology Center that looks at the presence of key hazardous chemicals in vehicles and child car seats. While there are numerous substances in vehicles that can lead to health and environmental problems, HealthyCar.org focuses on bromine, chlorine, lead, as well as some other heavy metals, allergens and …

Subjects: Internet