On Sept. 23, the Justice Department released a new policy on use of the state secrets privilege. The policy, which parallels several related recommendations from the Moving Toward a 21st Century Right-to-Know Agenda, will be implemented on Oct. 1. The long-expected announcement drew mixed reactions from public interest groups, ranging from support to criticism that the policy offers little more than a rehash of the heavily criticized policies of the Bush administration.

Transparency is integral to a responsive, accountable, and ultimately functioning government, but it is also a vital component of a functioning economy. Indeed, a number of federal institutions exist to ensure that depositors, lenders, and borrowers have access to relevant financial data that allows them to engage in mutually beneficial transactions. The Obama administration's financial regulatory reform proposal acknowledges the important role that transparency plays in the economy's financial sector and contains a number of measures to increase transparency in the notoriously opaque financial system.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board's (CSB) investigation into the cause of a fatal 2008 explosion at a Georgia sugar refinery concludes that the Imperial Sugar Company and its managers did not take corrective actions to prevent dust explosions, even though they knew of potential hazards. The initial blast and subsequent dust explosions throughout the plant killed 14 workers and injured 36.