George W Bush

Italian Prosecution Highlights Inaction of US Justice Department

November 3, 2009 -- (Milan) - The verdict expected Wednesday in a landmark case may present a historic legal challenge to the US Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) rendition program, Human Rights Watch said today.

The trial in Milan of 26 Americans in absentia and seven Italians for the 2003 abduction of an Egyptian imam began in 2007.    » read more »

October 16, 2009 -- Former General Services Administration (GSA) Chief of Staff David H. Safavian was sentenced today to one year in prison on charges of obstruction of justice and making false statements in connection with the investigation into the activities of former Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

In addition to the prison term, Safavian was sentenced today to two years of supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman of the District of Columbia.    » read more »

Survey finds 36% believe Obama administration policies are directly responsible for rising unemployment numbers

UTICA, New York - Nearly half of likely voters (47%) blame the policies of the Bush administration for continued job losses in the U.S., while 36% believe the policies of President Barack Obama's administration are directly responsible, a new Zogby-Scoop 44 interactive poll shows.    » read more »

September 30, 2009 -- As he announced earlier this week, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) introduced the Retroactive Immunity Repeal Act, legislation that eliminates retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies that allegedly participated in President Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program.    » read more »

July 1, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – A retired U.S. military official pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy charges relating to Department of Defense (DOD) contracts in Afghanistan, the Department of Justice announced today.    » read more »

Pledges U.S. will start process this week at meeting in Spain to re-list Everglades

June 23, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – After two years of pushing and with a change in U.S. administrations, Florida Democrat Bill Nelson has won the support of the nation’s lands czar for putting the Everglades back on a United Nation’s list of the world’s most treasured and endangered sites.    » read more »

Experts Find Progress, but Room for Improvement, in Putting Science Before Politics at EPA; Whitehouse Chairs Oversight Hearing Focusing on Reform

June 9, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - President Obama's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made progress towards ensuring that environmental policy is based in science, not politics - but there's still room for improvement, experts testified before a Senate oversight hearing today.    » read more »

Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee Holds Hearing To Examine ‘Prolonged Detention’

WASHINGTON -- June 9, 2009 – A Senate Judiciary Committee panel Tuesday morning will consider the consequences of ‘prolonged detention’ of detainees held in U.S. custody. The Subcommittee on the Constitution, chaired by Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), will hear testimony from a panel of six witnesses. Member statements, witness testimony, and a live webcast of the hearing are available online.

Full Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) issued the following statement at the hearing.

Statement Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),

Chairman, Committee On The Judiciary,

Hearing On “The Legal, Moral, and National Security    » read more »

American Public Deserves to Know Chemicals Used Near Their Water Sources

June 9, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC– U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) joined U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Jared Polis (D-CO) today to introduce companion Senate and House bills, the FRAC Act -- Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act, amending the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The legislation would repeal a Bush administration exemption provided for the oil and gas industry and would require them to disclose the chemicals they use in their hydraulic fracturing processes. Currently, the oil and gas industry is the only industry granted an exemption from complying with the Safe Drinking Water Act.    » read more »

June 9, 2009 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) and Chairman of its Water and Wildlife Subcommittee, participated in a hearing today with Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Scientific Integrity and Transparency Reforms at the EPA.    » read more »

June 8, 2009 -- On Tuesday, Francesca Grifo, program director of the Scientific Integrity Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), will urge Congress to take steps to protect federal scientists and their work from political interference.

Over the past eight years, Grifo and her staff played a lead role in blowing the whistle on the Bush administration's manipulation and suppression of federal science. More than 15,000 scientists signed a UCS petition denouncing the administration's actions.

The joint hearing, held by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and its Subcommittee on Oversight, will examine "Scientific Integrity and Transparency Reforms at the Environmental Protection Agency." EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson will testify earlier in the day.    » read more »

May 29, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Change to Win executive director Chris Chafe issued the following statement regarding U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis’ decision yesterday to suspend the midnight Bush Administration changes to weaken labor protections in the H-2A guestworker program.

“Change to Win applauds Labor Secretary Hilda Solis for her decision to suspend and reconsider anti-worker regulations that were issued by the Bush Administration as a gift to growers on its way out the door. We are extremely grateful to Secretary Solis for standing up for workers and insisting that these unlawful, anti-worker rules be reviewed and reconsidered.    » read more »

New rule will protect more than 50 million acres, including the Tongass National Forest

San Francisco (May 28, 2009) – The Obama administration today announced it is issuing a one-year moratorium on road building and development on about 50 million acres of remote national forests, including the Tongass National Forest in Alaska.

Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued a directive reinstating most of a Clinton-era ban against new road construction and development in national forests. The 2001 rule banned road building and logging in more than 50 million acres of remote national forests, mostly in the West.

Following is a statement by Niel Lawrence, senior attorney and forest project director for the Natural Resources Defense Council:    » read more »

May 28th, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- The Sierra Club issues the following statement in support of today's expected announcement by Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issuing a directive requiring Secretarial level approval of any U.S. Forest Service projects that might be inconsistent with the Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

Statement of Athan Manuel, Director of Sierra Club Public Lands Protection Program

We applaud Secretary Vilsack and the Obama administration for this announcement. Secretary Vilsack's directive is a critical interim measure to ensure that we safeguard the diverse values of our national forests as the Obama administration considers more permanent protections.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 05/28/2009 - Jane Danowitz, director of the Pew Environment Group's U.S. public lands program, today issued the following statement on the Obama administration’s expected announcement of a “time out” on new activity in undeveloped national forests protected by the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, including Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.

Currently, the policy’s legal status is uncertain due to legal challenges and efforts by the Bush administration to replace it with a discretionary state petition process.

“This action by the Obama administration recognizes the science on which the landmark roadless rule is based, the public who supported it in record numbers and future generations who will benefit from its protections.    » read more »