Blog Posts and Analysis / Open, Accountable Government

Public Meeting for National Infrastructure Advisory Council

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in the Federal Register that the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC) will hold a public meeting on the security of information systems for critical infrastructure on Tuesday, July 22, 2002. The Council advises the President on issues around security of information systems relating to the critical infrastructure supporting sectors of the economy including banking, finance, transportation, energy, manufacturing, and emergency government services.

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FOIA Officers Meet Over News of Secrecy

The principal administrative Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) officers gathered on June 25th for a conference on the relationship between homeland security matters and FOIA. Homeland security matters have been among the leading rationales used for recent broad restrictions in public access to government information.

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EPA Releases Public Involvement Policy

Christie Whitman issued a new “Public Involvement Policy” on June 6, 2003, right before her departure as Environmental Protection (EPA) Administrator. The policy establishes what public participation is, why it is important, and how it will benefit the agency. Essentially, the public involvement policy is an information policy because the public involvement that EPA is seeking is the collection and inclusion of information in the form of feedback, opinions, and concerns from the public.

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2001 TRI Data Finally Arrives

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing the 2001 Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) today, June 30th, just one day shy of the July 1st reporting deadline for 2002 data. As part of the unveiling, EPA will also release their analysis of the latest TRI data and conduct various briefings for the press, congressional offices, environmental community and industry representatives. In addition to being the latest public release of TRI data the 2001 TRI also marks the first year that releases of lead will be reported and potentially the last year that mining companies report their toxic releases.

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Grassley Re-Engages on Whistleblower Issues

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) has recently become more active on the issue of whistleblower protection, investigating a specific whistleblower case and co-sponsoring legislation. Given the Bush administration’s continuing use of secrecy and information restrictions as its primary response to security concerns, the leadership of a key Republican Senator on the issue of disclosing information for the public benefit is particularly welcome and helpful.

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House Companion "Restore FOIA" Bill Introduced

On June 19th, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) introduced the Restoration of Freedom of Information Act of 2003 (H.R. 2526) or “Restore FOIA” in an attempt to address the recent problems of information access. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced the Senate companion bill (S. 609) in March. The bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296) and provides for the protection of voluntarily furnished confidential information.

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DHS Internal Investigation Shows No Misuse of Resources

Last week, an internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) investigation cleared the department of any wrongdoing when it used federal resources to track down Texas Democratic state legislators in a partisan battle last month. As reported in a June 2 Watcher article, the Democrats fled the state in order to avoid quorum for hearings on redistricting. The department’s Air & Marine Interdiction Coordination Center (AMICC) was called in order to track down a private plane belonging to one of the lawmakers.

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