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04/11/2013

Cause of Action Statement on Senate’s confirmation of Sally Jewell for Secretary of the Interior

Cause of Action on the Senate’s Confirmation of Sally Jewell for Secretary of the Interior

Yesterday, the Senate voted to confirm the nomination of Sally Jewell for Secretary of the Interior.

Executive Director Dan Epstein:

“As the new Secretary of the Interior, we expect Sally Jewell to bring the accountability, transparency and oversight the Department of Interior desperately needs. We have seen the overreaching effects from Secretary Salazar’s decision to shut down the Drakes Bay Oyster Company and we ask that Secretary Jewell re-evaluate the future of this sustainable, family-run business. The Department of Interior cannot continue a pattern of corruption and abuse of power and we hope Secretary Jewell can hold this agency accountable going forward.”

For more information on Drakes Bay Oyster Company and their lawsuit against Secretary Salazar, the National Parks Service, and the Department of the Interior, click here.

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04/2/2013

Cause of Action Commends House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Oversight Agenda

Cause of Action Commends House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Oversight Agenda

WASHINGTON – On April 2, Gibson Dunn released their assessment  of the submitted oversight agendas of the 113th Congress.  Gibson Dunn outlined key areas of oversight that they considered noteworthy in these submissions, including the Department of Energy.

Cause of Action has repeatedly drawn into question the accountability at the Department of Energy, particularly with the Loan Guarantee Program which has awarded more than $9 billion in grants.

Dan Epstein, executive director:

“Under the Department of Energy, millions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted on grants and loans to companies that failed to produce the promised results, were not innovative in technology, and in some cases ultimately declared bankruptcy. We believe that the DOE engaged in arbitrary and capricious methods when awarding loan guarantees through the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program and that certain qualified candidates—like XP Vehicles—were not evaluated on their merits, and were essentially overlooked for less qualified and politically-connected candidates.  As Cause of Action continues our investigation into how these loans were awarded, we look to OGR to continue their oversight of the DOE Loan Guarantee Program, and look forward to helping them fulfill their mission to work, ‘in partnership with citizen-watchdogs, to deliver the facts to the American people and bring genuine reform to the federal bureaucracy.’”

To learn more about Cause of Action, and their lawsuit against the Department of Energy, click here.

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03/21/2013

Cause of Action Statement on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee Nomination of Sally Jewell

 

Cause of Action on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Nomination of Sally Jewell

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources voted to move the nomination of Sally Jewell for Secretary of the Interior forward to a full Senate vote.

Dan Epstein, Cause of Action’s executive director expressed concerns with Mrs. Jewell’s past alliances:

“As a former board member of the National Parks Conservation Association, we have serious concerns about Mrs. Jewell’s plans for the Department of the Interior. We saw Secretary Salazar’s overreach and abuse of power concerning Drakes Bay Oyster Company and we want the Senate to find out what Mrs. Jewell’s plans are for the future of this sustainable farm. The culture of corruption, and disregard for scientific integrity at the Department of the Interior needs to end. Will the Senate hold Mrs. Jewell accountable for her political connections and how they may impact her decisions as Secretary?

For more information on Drakes Bay Oyster Company and their lawsuit against Secretary Salazar, the National Parks Service, and the Department of the interior, click here.

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03/18/2013

Senator David Vitter questions DOI Nominee on plans for the direction of the department

Senator David Vitter questions DOI Nominee on plans for the direction of the department

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03/13/2013

Cause of Action releases “Grading the Government” report

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03/8/2013

Cause of Action Pledges to Fight Court’s Denial of Transparency of FCIC Records

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                CONTACT:      

MARCH 5, 2013                                                                                     Mary Beth Hutchins, 202-400-2721

Jamie Morris, 202-499-2425

Cause of Action Pledges to Fight Court’s Denial of Transparency of FCIC Records

 

Judge Grants National Archives’ Request for Dismissal, Denies Access to Records About the 2008 Financial Crisis

 

 

WASHINGTON – Cause of Action (CoA), a government accountability group, pledged today to appeal the March 1, 2013 decision from Judge Jeb Boasberg of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia dismissing the lawsuit CoA brought against the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) seeking release of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC) records.

 

The FCIC was established by Congress to assess the causes of the 2008 financial crisis.  However, this Commission was mired in controversy and the President has signed into law regulations, like Dodd-Frank, without the American people fully understanding what caused our economic meltdown or what went into the creation of the FCIC’s report.

 

Cause of Action’s Executive Director Dan Epstein offered this comment:

 

“We remain committed to transparency for American taxpayers and demand that NARA reveal what went into the report that shaped the nation’s response to the 2008 financial crisis. Cause of Action is appealing this case because we believe the public has a right to know whether the taxpayer-funded FCIC fully investigated the causes of the financial crisis.  Judge Boasberg’s decision – which holds that the FCIC records are not subject to FOIA – is a misapplication of the law and CoA will continue to fight to shed light on the workings of our government.”

 

On October 3, 2011, Cause of Action requested via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) from NARA “all documents, including e-mail communications, memoranda, draft reports, and other relevant information and/or data contained in the records transfer of Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission documents stored at NARA to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform at the U.S. House of Representatives.” After exhausting administrative appeals to NARA’s denial of the documents, CoA filed suit in the US District Court against NARA on August 14, 2012. NARA filed a request for a dismissal of the case and Judge Boasberg granted NARA’s request for dismissal on March 1, 2013. CoA will be filing an appeal to this decision.

 

 

About Cause of Action:

Cause of Action is a nonprofit, nonpartisan government accountability organization that investigates, exposes, and fights job-killing federal government regulations, waste, fraud, and cronyism. Cause of Action, uses investigative, legal, and communications tools to educate the public on how transparency and accountability protects taxpayer interests and economic opportunity. For more information, visit www.causeofaction.org.

 

To schedule an interview with Cause of Action’s Executive Director Dan Epstein, contact Mary Beth Hutchins, mary.beth@causeofaction.org or Jamie Morris, Jamie.morris@causeofaction.org.

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03/4/2013

Report Reveals Scientific Misconduct at Department of the Interior

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                 CONTACT:      

MARCH 4, 2013                                                                                     Mary Beth Hutchins, 202-400-2721

Jamie Morris, 202-499-2425

 

Cause of Action Report Reveals Scientific Misconduct at

Department of the Interior

How the Department of the Interior Use Flawed Science to Foreclose the American Dream

 

WASHINGTON – Cause of Action (CoA), a government accountability organization, today released  “Keeping Entrepreneurship at Bay: How the Department of the Interior Uses Flawed Science to Foreclose the American Dream,” an investigative report on the systemic manipulation of scientific data within the Marine Mammal Commission (MMC), the National Park Service (NPS), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Department of the Interior (DOI).  The misrepresentation of data influenced a Cabinet member’s decisions, was quoted in a Department of Justice filing in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and is negatively affecting multiple businesses in the United States.

 

Cause of Action’s Executive Director Dan Epstein explained the consequences of the scientific misconduct:

Cause of Action has exposed a culture of corruption and disregard for scientific integrity perpetrated by the government on the taxpayers’ dime. The Interior Department’s opaque reliance on misrepresented data demands immediate reform of the Agency, its departments, and its Office of Inspector General as well as a complete revision of NPS environmental impact statements. 

 

Secretary of the Interior Kenneth Salazar’s November 29, 2012 decision to deny a Special Use Permit (SUP) for land belonging to NPS to Drakes Bay Oyster Company (DBOC), a small, family-run, environmentally sustainable farm located inside the Point Reyes National Seashore, was largely affected by misrepresented data, a perpetuation of false information, a disregard for the law by multiple federal government offices, and political taint. This business is now embroiled in a legal battle that has produced temporary relief from the Ninth Circuit that will allow DBOC to remain open until another hearing in May 2013, but does not guarantee that the business will escape a full shut down.

 

“How the Department of the Interior Uses Flawed Science to Foreclose the American Dream,” reveals that the data used by multiple agencies within the federal government were out of date, inapplicable, and brazenly false in their representation of the impact of DBOC on the environment:

  • The Department of Interior (DOI) Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) February 2013 Report Ignored Data and Used a Flawed Methodology.
  • The Investigation by DOI Solicitor Gavin Frost Lacked Objectivity and Independence. It Improperly Dismissed Scientific Misconduct by Labeling It “Administrative Misconduct.”
  • Federal Agencies Misrepresented Scientific Findings to Support a False Narrative.
  • The National Park Service (NPS) Prioritizes Politics Over Scientific Integrity by Refusing to Withdraw and Correct Flawed Science, Impacting Businesses Both Nationally and Worldwide.
  • DOI OIG Misled the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (Energy Committee) During the Confirmation of NPS Director Jonathan Jarvis.
  • The Marine Mammal Commission (MMC) Cannot Effectively Function Without an Independent Inspector General (IG).

 

Click here to read a copy of the full report.

 

Click here to ready a copy of Cause of Action’s Data Quality Act complaint against NPS.

 

About Cause of Action:

Cause of Action is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that uses investigative, legal, and communications tools to educate the public on how government accountability and transparency protects taxpayer interests and economic opportunity. For more information, visit www.causeofaction.org.

 

To schedule an interview with Cause of Action’s Executive Director Dan Epstein, contact Mary Beth Hutchins,  202-400-2721 or Jamie Morris, jamie.morris@causeofaction.org.

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