POGO and Allies Warn Secretary of Energy of Dangerous Plutonium Plan

The Department of Energy's proposal to transport plutonium bomb cores from New Mexico to California is unnecessarily dangerous and potentially unlawful. Forty-six groups, including the Project On Government Oversight, believe safer alternatives exist and must be examined.

Groups Urge Congress to Cut MOX Plutonium Fuel Program

Costs for the Department of Energy’s MOX program are increasing at an alarming rate. The estimated cost of MOX plant construction at the Savannah River Site has increased from $1.6 billion in FY2004 to the current $4.9 billion. The DOE’s FY2013 overall request for MOX and associated plutonium disposition programs is $887 million and the budget indicates a funding request of $3.6 billion from FY2014 to FY2017.

Natural Resource Transparency Must Include Local Governments

Groups that represent the interests of citizens, investors, unions, and others are championing greater openness from local governments as the United States implements the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

Nuke Agency Wasted Millions on Inappropriate Reimbursements

A contractor for the National Nuclear Security Administration overbilled the agency by about $3.7 million in order to reimburse its subcontractors for living expenses they were not eligible to receive, according to the Inspector General at the Department of Energy.

Transparency on Oil, Gas, Coal Revenues Moving Forward

The U.S. Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative decided that it will include oil, gas, and coal royalties on federal lands in it scope. Other revenues, resources, and lands are still up for discussion among members of industry, government, and civil society.

VA Medical Construction Over Budget, Behind Schedule

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ largest construction projects are, on average, $366 million over budget and almost three years behind schedule, the Government Accountability Office told Congress.

Risk of IRS Audit Declines for Many Businesses

The likelihood of companies that fall into the highest tax bracket being audited by the Internal Revenue Service is on the decline, according to a new report by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

SEC Stands Firm as Industry Tries to Un-Do Transparency Law

As natural resources companies wage a legal battle against a new regulation that calls for more revenue reporting, the Securities and Exchange Commission has stood its ground, firmly rejecting industry’s anti-transparency arguments.

VA Healthcare System Failing Veterans, Study Says

Military veterans experience “excessive wait time” for medical care, leading to higher incidences of preventable hospitalizations and death, according to the Institute of Medicine.

House Report Highlights Need for Inspector General Nominations

The watchdog office overseeing the department that manages the nation’s public lands and natural resources has been rendered toothless for over 1,400 days.

Extractives Revenue Openness Initiative Holds First Meeting

Representatives from civil society, industry, and government came together last week to plan how to make the government’s collection of royalty payments from natural resources companies more transparent.

Former Oil Exec Says Industry Should Embrace Transparency

A former oil executive wrote in The Guardian that the EU should not back down in the face of industry attempts to water down proposed transparency laws.

POGO Joins Natural Resources Extraction Transparency Initiative

POGO Executive Director Danielle Brian will join a federal advisory committee that aims to ensure that the government and taxpayers are getting their fair share of revenues from natural resources that come from public lands.

Tell Congress: Oppose Proposal to Weaken Nuclear Oversight

Tell your members of Congress that cutting corners on nuclear safety and security is simply unacceptable.

President Opposes Nuke Facility, Threatens to Veto Defense Bill

The President said he will veto the National Defense Authorization Act as it is currently written because it includes, among other things, funding for a costly nuclear weapons facility.

Oil and Gas Industry Loses Latest Round in Battle with SEC

In an attempt to combat corruption in resource-rich developing countries, two years ago Congress ordered U.S. corporations to disclose payments they make to foreign governments for the extraction of oil, gas and minerals. This week, the Securities and Exchange Commission stood its ground and refused to put the rule on hold while industry groups challenge the agency in court.

Energy Dept. IG Finds Conflicts of Interest in Nuke Clean-Up

Government investigators have uncovered conflicts of interest among the contractors working on a multi-billion dollar effort to decontaminate and decommission two of the nation’s nuclear weapons sites.

Senate Investigation Found DHS Intelligence Centers Wasted Money and Violated Civil Liberties

A Department of Homeland Security effort to improve the sharing of terrorism-related intelligence among state and local governments and with officials in Washington has yielded “shoddy” information and civil liberties violations, according to a Senate investigation.

Inspector General Report Warns of Budget Overruns in Nuke Refurbishment

The NNSA's effort to extend the shelf-life of nuclear warheads designed for submarine launch is on track for "large cost overruns" of about $221 million if things don't change, according to an inspector general audit.

'Extensive' Oversight of Nuclear Weapons Facilities Not Such a Bad Idea, After All, Official Says

A top Department of Energy official has changed his tune on the oversight of security contractors at nuclear weapons facilities after an 82-year-old nun broke into the "Fort Knox of uranium."

Break-In Reveals "Ineptitude" at Nuke Facility, Probe Finds

A government investigation into the recent break-in at the Y-12 nuclear weapons facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn., blamed longstanding security weaknesses and “troubling displays of ineptitude” by facility personnel.

Some Senators Want to Waste Big Bucks on Unnecessary Nuke Facility

Some senators want to waste billions of dollars on a nuclear facility that experts, including those in the nuclear industry, say is unneeded.

Mission Impossible? Not for 82-year-old Anti-Nuclear Weapons Activist

When a nuclear weapons facility can't stop infiltration by an octogenarian nun, it's time to reassess its security standards. The 82-year-old nun, accompanied by two other anti-nuclear activists, broke into Tennessee's Y-12 National Security Complex early Saturday morning.

Key NDAA Reforms: Nuclear Weapons Complex Edition

This week, the House rejected key amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would have prevented rollbacks of oversight at our nation's nuclear weapons labs and would have maintained zero funding for an unnecessary $6 billion plutonium facility.