This fourth of July marks the 45th anniversary America’s freedom of information law. FOIA transformed our world by giving teeth... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 7/1/2011
Here is Friday’s look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 6/30/2011
Here is Thursday’s look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News... View Article
Continue readingSemi-soft Money Prevails at the FEC
The FEC’s decision on Stephen Colbert’s request to form a PAC garnered a lot of publicity today, but a second,... View Article
Continue readingWest Virginia mine kept separate records for regulators
Last year, we wrote about the fatal Upper Big Branch mine explosion that killed 29 people in West Virginia. You... View Article
Continue readingLawmakers with ties to railroad industry propose Amtrak privatization bill
by Eric Dunn, Policy Intern The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure recently held a hearing on the Competition for Intercity... View Article
Continue readingFEC allows candidates to solicit limited contributions for Super PACs
The Federal Election Commission voted unanimously Thursday to allow federal candidates and party officials to solicit limited contributions for Super PACs, groups that have changed the campaign-finance landscape in the past year by raising and spending unlimited amounts from indivuals, corporations and labor unions.
The draft Advisory Opinion that the commission approved says candidates and party officials can solicit up to $5,000 from individuals and other PACs.
The vote came in response to a request by two Democratic Super PACs -- Majority PAC and House Majority PAC -- which asked the FEC whether candidates could solicit unlimited contributions on their behalf ...
Continue readingInfluence Explored: Bank of America, BlackRock, Bank of New York Mellon all invest heavily in Congress
An article from Reuters yesterday highlights an $8.5 billion settlement reached between Bank of America and 530 trusts currently holding... View Article
Continue readingLive from OKCon
I suspect/hope that most of this blog's readership is still asleep right now, but for those who rightly begin their day with a review of Sunlight blogs over their morning coffee, let me encourage you to tune in to the proceedings here at OKCon. So far we've already heard great talks from Rufus Pollock and Glyn Moody, and Richard Stallman is beginning a talk as I post this. I'll be speaking around 8:30am EDT, and plan to say a bit about the e-Gov cuts, #savethedata and the lessons that other open data organizations can take from the episode.
If that's too early for you, I suspect that the video will be archived. And while you're at it, have a look at the OKCon schedule -- there's lots of good stuff coming up!
Continue readingNatural gas proponents powered by industry donations
An investigation by the New York Times this week raised questions about whether the natural gas industry has had too much influence on policymaking by federal agencies, and whether that sway has led investors, members of Congress and others to be overly bullish about the energy source.
The article focused on the Energy Information Agency, the research arm of the Department of Energy, which writes annual reports on the industry that are considered authoritative. Ian Urbina wrote that, in its reports, the EIA has:
Continue reading[S]teadily increased its estimates of domestic supplies of natural gas, and investors and the oil ...
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