Blog Posts and Analysis / Open, Accountable Government

Committee Releases Clarke's Declassified Testimony

The Senate Committee on Intelligence Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) finally released declassified testimony from former White House Counterterrorism Chief Richard Clarke regarding the 9/11 investigation. As reported in a previous OMB Watcher article, Roberts refused to release the testimony publicly, even though officials declassified it earlier this year. The testimony gained attention after critics asserted that Clarke made statements this past March regarding pre-9/11 intelligence that conflicted with the earlier testimony.

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Jersey to Withhold Hazardous Waste Records

A proposed rule in New Jersey would keep important health and safety information secret, possibly endangering residents that live near chemical plants, or workers that are employed at a number of different facilities.

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CSX Refuses to Disclose Hazardous Waste Re-Routing

Rail companies that operate in and around Washington, DC, refuse to reveal whether or not hazardous chemicals are being re-routed around the city. Rail companies may be voluntarily re-routing trains, but the public will not be informed.

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Court Dismisses First Data Quality Act Case

In the first Data Quality Act case to be handled by the courts, a U.S. District Court has ruled that challenges under the DQA and its subsequent guidelines to agencies are not judicially reviewable. A previous court decision addressed the issue of reviewability, but the legal claim in that case was not limited to data quality.

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EPA Releases Early TRI Data, Usability Limited

On Nov. 23, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began early access to the 2003 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), but in a limited manner. This early release is seven months faster than last year's release. While this earlier access represents a step in the right direction, the data format significantly limits its use. Additionally, EPA will not make the underlying data available to the public at this time.

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Terrorism Case Whistleblower Sues Justice Department

Former Justice Department lawyer Jesselyn Radack filed a lawsuit Oct. 28, claiming that the Department of Justice (DOJ) forced her out after she raised objections over the interrogation of "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh. According to Radack, the DOJ's interrogation of Lindh, the American captured while fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan, violated federal law. Even after Lindh's father retained a lawyer for him, DOJ officials interrogated Lindh without his attorney present. Lindh eventually pled guilty to aiding the Taliban and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

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Halliburton Whistleblower Cut Out of Contract Procedures

The Army Corps of Engineers violated procurement rules in negotiating its contract with the Halliburton Corporation in early 2003, according to the Corps's chief contracting officer -- Bunnatine Greenhouse. She asserts that after expressing numerous objections to Halliburton contracts, she was threatened with demotion and was pressured to approve the contracts by her superior.

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