Press Release

POGO’s Danielle Brian Named U.S. EITI Advisory Committee Civil Society Co-Chair

WASHINGTON — A federal advisory committee seeking to implement international extractive industry reporting standards, has approved the selection of open government advocate Danielle Brian for a co-chair position.

Brian, Executive Director at the D.C.-based nonprofit, Project On Government Oversight (POGO), was approved this month as civil society organizations’ co-chair on the Federal Advisory Committee tasked with implementing the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in the United States.

“I am honored to represent the civil society sector in this important open government effort,” Brian said. “The opportunity to advance transparency and enhance revenue collection from our natural resources in the U. S. while setting new international standards, is an irresistible challenge.”

In September 2011, President Barack Obama committed the United States to implementing the EITI, as part of the U.S. National Action Plan for the Open Government Partnership. The EITI is an international initiative that requires governments to publicly disclose their revenues from oil, gas, and mining assets, and for companies to make parallel disclosures regarding payments. By signing onto the global standard that EITI sets, the U.S. government can help ensure that American taxpayers are receiving every dollar due for the extraction of these valuable public resources.

In order to achieve EITI candidate status, countries must meet certain sign-up requirements, including the formation of a multi-stakeholder group (MSG) comprised of representatives from government, industry, and civil society to oversee the implementation of EITI and develop a fully-costed work plan. Each sector selects a co-chair to assist with agenda development, help the committee keep on track with its work plan, help move discussions forward in meetings, and to collaborate to resolve impasses, tensions, and conflicts among members or sectors.

On Feb. 13, the U.S. Department of the Interior held the first meeting of the U.S. EITI Advisory Committee, which Secretary Ken Salazar established on July 27, 2012, under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to serve as the initial U.S. EITI MSG. The committee provides collaborative and consensus-based oversight of U.S. EITI implementation and act as a forum for consultation among U.S. EITI stakeholders.

Its next MSG meeting will be from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. May 1-2 at the Interior Department in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. EITI Advisory Committee approved Brian as the civil society co-chair during its second MSG meeting on April 11. As Executive Director of POGO since 1993, Brian has directed numerous investigations that have resulted in major public policy reforms, including exposing oil and gas industry fraud on public lands, cutting wasteful spending, and increasing nuclear security. Under her leadership, POGO has also worked to strengthen the government oversight infrastructure through such programs as POGO’s Congressional Oversight Training Series, strengthening the federal Inspectors General system, and creating a public government database that tracks contractor performance.

Brian was inducted into the Freedom of Information Act Hall of Fame, was twice ranked by Ethisphere magazine as one of the top 100 most influential people in business ethics, and received the Smith College Medal. Brian serves on the board of Taxpayers for Common Sense, and is the chair of the Steering Committee for Openthegovernment.org. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Government from Smith College, and her masters degree in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

This statement was a joint release from POGO, Publish What You Pay and Revenue Watch Institute.

About POGO

POGO is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that champions good government reforms. POGO’s investigations into corruption, misconduct, and conflicts of interest achieve a more effective, accountable, open, and ethical federal government. For more information about POGO, including the organization’s financial disclosures, visit http://www.pogo.org/about/.

About Publish What You Pay

POGO is a member of the U.S. Chapter of Publish What You Pay, a global coalition of over 650 organizations working from nearly 70 countries that advocate for oil and mining revenue transparency as a necessary ingredient for accountability. For more information, visit http://www.publishwhatyoupay.org/.

About Revenue Watch Institute

Revenue Watch Institute is a non-profit policy institute and grant-making organization that promotes the responsible management of oil, gas and mineral resources for the public good. Revenue Watch helped found the international EITI in 2002, engages closely with EITI at the international level, and administers EITI training programs and capacity development workshops in over a dozen countries. For more information, visit http://www.revenuewatch.org/.