Two Agencies Hide Neglect of Coal-Dam Safety with Secrecy

June 17, 2009–US EPA and Army Corps of Engineers say they "cannot make the list of 'high hazard' coal ash impoundment sites public," even though risk to communities exists -- like the December 2008 pond failure at the Kingston Fossil Plant in Tennessee.

Projects in 12 States Share Wildfire Funding

June 10, 2009–$15 million of Stimulus funding for 55 projects, designed to help reduce wildfire hazards and reclaim burned lands, could be of substantial interest in the receiving communities.

FDA Mulls Putting Public's Health Above Companies' Trade Secrets

June 3, 2009–NYT: "The goal is to open up a system in which the agency failed to inform the public that a widely prescribed heartburn drug was especially toxic to babies; that a diabetes medicine and a painkiller increased heart attack risks; and that antidepressants increased suicidal thoughts and behavior in children and teenagers."

List of Nuclear Sites Released in Flub

June 3, 2009–The Government Printing Office web site apparently took down the publication after discovery of the mistake -- but the entire report is still available on the site of the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy.

New EPA Procedure Improves Transparency on Air Standards

June 3, 2009–The Obama EPA partially reverses a Bush-era procedure for setting health-based standards under the Clean Air Act.

New Jersey DEP Proposes Gag Order on Science Info

June 3, 2009–The Newark Star-Ledger reports a move by a top New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection official to prevent public disclosure of scientific information that should be public until political appointees without science credentials and press officers have approved it.

Obama Openness Promise Still Unfulfilled at MSHA

June 3, 2009–The Mine Safety and Health Administration still denies FOIA requests, including one filed in Oct. 2008 by mine safety attorney Tony Oppegard for some witness statements.

Feds Boost Lead-Reduction Effort in Houses

May 27, 2009–About $100 million in funding is earmarked for 53 projects in 20 states and the District of Columbia by the US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development.

Analysis: Obama Openness Has Yet To Fulfill Promise

May 20, 2009–Watchdog groups and the Associated Press report on federal agency foot-dragging in making a reality of Obama administration declarations that it would foster government transparency.

Canadian Court Takes up Shield Issue

May 20, 2009–The Supreme Court of Canada will consider this week a request by the National Post, civil liberties and media groups to overturn an Appeal ruling that police investigations override the Charter guarantee of free expression.