Monday, June 30, 2008

Western Governor's Association Meeting 2008

The Western Governor's Association is meeting through Tuesday and discussing a variety of issues. The group is made up of 19 states and 3 Pacific Islands and works on issues of importance to the western states of the United States. The group has already released a plan on preserving wildlife corridors in the West (see the press release). This plan is built to address the growth of both drilling and communities across the west. They have also written a 142 page report discussing this issue.

The group is also discussing issues such as the presidential elections, energy and other issues that are important to the west. To see their press releases and reports check out the meeting web site.

Want to know more about the Western Governor's Association? Check out their mission page.

Want press reaction to the plan? Check out the Denver Post's "Governors launch wildlife plan" or a discussion of this and many other western issues from "Meet the Press."

Still want more? Check out the library guides on Environment and Energy.

Friday, June 27, 2008

GAO Releases this week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week they investigated a variety of issues, such as border security, individual retirement accounts, terrorism, and the Coast Guard. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports
Correspondence
Testimony

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Supreme Court Rules on DC handgun ban

The Supreme Court ruled today that the District of Columbia's ban on handgun ownership is unconstitutional. This ruling in District of Columbia, et al. v. Heller has far reaching impacts outside the District of Columbia, possibly affecting gun regulations nationally.

Want more information on this decision? Why not check out the Washington Post's article "Supreme Court Strikes Down D.C. Ban on Handguns" or the Wall Street Journal's "Court Strikes Down D.C. Gun Ban, Affirms Second Amendment Rights."

Want more information on the Supreme Court? Check out the library's guide.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Predicting the future: Effects of Climate Change and Energy

It is Wednesday and we are half way through this week and I thought I would highlight a few new releases from the federal government on Climate Change and Energy. These are both attempts by the government to predict the future of these issues.

First, let's look at energy. The Department of Energy released today the International Energy Outlook. This report predicts that (baring any radical changes) "world marketed energy consumption is projected to grow by 50 percent over the 2005 to 2030 period" and in that period world carbon dioxide emissions will increase "from 28.1 billion metric tons in 2005 to 34.3 billion metric tons in 2015 and 42.3 billion metric tons in 2030—an increase of 51 percent over the projection period."

That second quote may make you want to go check out the report from the National Intelligence Council on the effect of climate change on national security. The report hasn't been released on their web site, but NPR did manage to get a copy of their statement before Congress today. In it they state in summary that they "judge global climate change will have wide-ranging implications for US national security interests over the next 20 years." This may come in the form of problems in the US, such as increased hurricanes or drought, but also can come from destabilization in countries outside the US due to the effects of climate change.

Want more information? Why not check out the guides to climate change and energy.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Congressional Research Service Reports

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress's request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week brings us CRS reports on the medicaid, Iraq, food safety, and much more. While these reports are in the public domain there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report you can request it from your Senator or Representative. This list is compiled from CRS reports discovered by Secrecy News and OpenCRS:
Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports back to 1916.

Not on campus, but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.

Monday, June 23, 2008

It's Monday and time for more fun charts!

The OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) has released a new fun way to view the statistics from the OECD Factbook (if you are on campus check out this link for both print and electronic versions). This web site, using Gapminder graphs, lets you compare the interactions of three different statistics.

For example, why not compare the total production of energy, production of crude oil and crude oil prices (here's the chart)? You can also get the data by clicking on the little tiny symbol (kinda looks like an excel box) on the right next to size.

Want more statistical data (and who wouldn't)? Check out the library's guides.

Friday, June 20, 2008

GAO Releases this week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week they investigated a variety of issues, such as privacy and personally identifiable information, Afghanistan security, and environmental satellites. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports
Correspondence
Testimony

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

CRS Reports this week

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress's request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week brings us CRS reports on the tuberculosis, treaties, Russia, and much more. While these reports are in the public domain there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report you can request it from your Senator or Representative. This list is compiled from CRS reports discovered by Secrecy News:
Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports back to 1916.

Not on campus, but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Roan Plateau Oil and Gas Leases

For those of you here in Colorado you might have heard some of the recent discussions on the Roan Plateau and the plans to lease land out for oil and gas development. Well, the announcement came out last week allowing the leases to go forward in August. Governor Ritter released a letter and press release protesting this decision. In April Rep. Salazar and Sen. Salazar had submitted identical bills in the house and senate trying to stop this action from taking place, but so far neither has moved out of committee.

Want to learn more about the process that lead to this action? Check out the Bureau of Land Management site which contains documents, decisions, and announcements.

Want to learn more about federal lands? Check out the library guide.

Monday, June 16, 2008

President Bush winds up his European Tour

The President finished his tour of Europe today, after visiting six countries in Europe. The White House has a web site gathering together all of the press releases on the trip in one place.

There is no one page for articles on this trip, but you can view articles on the White House at the Washington Post web site.

Want more information on the presidency? Check out the library's guide.

Friday, June 13, 2008

GAO Releases This Week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week they investigated a variety of issues, such as climate change, border security, FDA oversight of food safety, and digital television transition. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports
Correspondence
Testimony
  • 2010 Census: Plans for Decennial Census Operations and Technology Have Progressed, But Much Uncertainty Remains, by David A. Powner, director, information technology management issues, and Mathew J. Scire, director, strategic issues, before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives. GAO-08-886T, June 11.
    http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-886T
    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08886thigh.pdf
  • Compact of Free Association: Micronesia Faces Challenges to Achieving Compact Goals, by David B. Gootnick, director, international affairs and trade, before the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, House Committee on Natural Resources. GAO-08-859T, June 10.
    http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-859T
  • Compact of Free Association: U.S. Assistance to Palau, Accountability Over Assistance Provided, and Palau's Prospects For Economic Self-Sufficiency, by David B. Gootnick, director, international affairs and trade team, before the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, House Committee on Natural Resources. GAO-08-858T, June 12.
    http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-858T
  • Digital Television Transition: Broadcasters' Transition Status, Low-Power Station Issues, and Information on Consumer Awareness of the DTV Transition, by Mark L. Goldstein, director, physical infrastructure issues, before the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, House Committee on Energy and Commerce. GAO-08-881T, June 10.
    http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-881T
    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08881thigh.pdf
  • Emergency Management: Observations on DHS's Preparedness for Catastrophic Disasters, by William O. Jenkins, Jr., director, homeland security and justice, before the Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight, House Committee on Homeland Security. GAO-08-868T, June 11.
    http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-868T
    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08868thigh.pdf
  • Employment Verification: Challenges Exist in Implementing a Mandatory Electronic Employment Verification System, statement for the record by Richard M. Stana, director, homeland security and justice issues, before the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, House Committee on the Judiciary. GAO-08-895T, June 10.
    http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-895T
    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08895thigh.pdf
  • Federal Aviation Administration: Efforts to Hire, Staff, and Train Air Traffic Controllers Are Generally on Track, but Challenges Remain, by Gerald L. Dillingham, director, physical infrastructure issues, before the Subcommittee on Aviation, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. GAO-08-908T, June 11.
    http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-908T
    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08908thigh.pdf
  • Federal Oversight of Food Safety: FDA Has Provided Few Details on the Resources and Strategies Needed to Implement its Food Protection Plan, by Lisa R. Shames, director, natural resources and environment, before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, House Committee on Energy and Commerce. GAO-08-909T, June 12.
    http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-909T
    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08909thigh.pdf
  • International Trade: The United States Needs an Integrated Approach to Trade Preference Programs, by Loren Yager, director, international affairs and trade, before the Senate Committee on Finance. GAO-08-907T, June 12.
    http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-907T
    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08907thigh.pdf
  • Supply Chain Security: Challenges to Scanning 100 Percent of U.S.-Bound Cargo Containers, by Stephen L. Caldwell, director, homeland security and justice, before the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. GAO-08-533T, June 12.
    http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-533T
    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08533thigh.pdf

Supreme Court Rules on Guantanamo

The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday, in Boumediene v. Bush, that the current administration rules on dealing with detainees in Guantanamo are not valid. Want some reaction? Check these out:
Want more information on the Supreme Court? Check out the library's guide.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

CRS reports, two weeks worth!

Due to a little vacationing last week I didn't bring you your standard dose of CRS reports, so this week I am making up with a double dose. Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress's request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week brings us CRS reports on the e-government, drugs, voting, and much more. While these reports are in the public domain there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report you can request it from your Senator or Representative. This list is compiled from CRS reports discovered by Secrecy News and OpenCRS:
Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports back to 1916.

Not on campus, but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.

Monday, June 09, 2008

Pelicans in the middle of the country!!!!

This weekend I was hiking out at the Boulder Walden Ponds and Sawhill Ponds, which despite the fact that one is in the county and another in the city sit right next to each other and have paths that intersect. While out there I discovered one of those things I never knew about Colorado, there are pelicans here. Yes, those birds with the big pouches on their beaks there is a variety that lives out here in the middle of the country far away from any big oceans.

The picture in this post is from the USGS's web site on the American White Pelican, which turns out to be the variety I saw this weekend. Apparently, they not only migrate through Colorado, there are actually populations here (see this map) and going north.

Want to learn more about identifying birds? Check out the USGS's Bird Population Studies page, with links all sorts of bird identification information.

Friday, June 06, 2008

GAO Releases this week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week they investigated a variety of issues, such as refund anticipation loans, alien detention standards, IRAs, and nuclear weapons. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports
Correspondence
Testimony

Misstatements in the Lead Up to the War in Iraq

The Senate Intelligence Committee released its second report on White House misstatements on prewar Iraq intelligence and inappropriate intelligence activities by a Pentagon policy office. Eventually the reports will make it into the Congressional Serial Set. Beneath the covers of this blandly titled series lurk fascinating documents that illustrate U.S. history and policy. Examples include evidence taken at an investigation into the Sand Creek Massacre (Serial Set Vol. No. 1277), Hayden's preliminary report on the exploration of Montana region, including Yellowstone (Serial Set Vol. No. 1520), and other historic treasures.

To explore the riches of the Serial Set, check out the guide to Congress where you'll find a variety of sources with digitized versions of the serial set. Some of free, others are restricted to the CU-Boulder community.

US Unemployment Rises

The U.S. Department of Labor announced that unemployment rose from 5% to 5.5% during the month of May. According to a press release, "employment continued to fall in construction, manufacturing, retail trade, and temporary help services, while health care continued to add jobs." About 7.7 million of the employed held more than one job, about the same rate as in previous months.

For additional information, check the guides pages for Labor Statistics and Labor and Employment.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Top Brass at the Air Force Resign

The Washington Post reported that Secretary of Defense Robert Gates had accepted the resignations of two of the Air Force's top leaders: Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and the service's chief of staff, Gen. Michael Moseley. Things haven't gone well at the Air Force lately. A bomber wing flew over the US with nuclear-tipped missiles and the Air Force mistakenly shipped secret nuclear missile fuses to Taiwan and didn't notice that they were missing for at least 18 months. Last but not least the service has had problems with corruption in at least one of its recent contracts.

Want to learn more about the U.S. military? Check the Government Publications Guide to Military Information. Among other things, you'll find a link to Air Force Fact Sheets on aircraft and weapons systems.

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Downwind from Rocky Flats

A federal judged ordered Dow Chemical and Rockwell International, former contractors at the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons facility, to pay 926 million dollars to current and former neighbors due east of the plant. The money was to compensate them for radioactive pollution of their land. The federal government is expected to pick up the tab on behalf of the contractors. The former Rocky Flats plant assembled plutonium "triggers"--small bombs that set off a much larger nuclear device.

Learn about the 1969 Mother's Day fire at the plant. The University of Colorado's Center for Environmental Journalism has an online exhibit with details including pictures, video, and copies of relevant documents. Although the fire was contained, it was a close call. If the roof had failed, significant amounts of radioactive material would have been blown towards Denver.

To learn more about Rocky Flats, check out Government Publications' Rocky Flats page.