Federal Daily - February 2, 2009

Interior Secretary Salazar Announces MMS Ethics Initiative

Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar Jan. 29 announced a new initiative aimed at preventing any repeat of the pattern of ethics problems that came to light last year among Minerals Management Service (MMS) employees—a pattern that included department staff engaging in sexual relationships and using illegal drugs with persons working for oil and gas companies.  The reform will include reexamination of the poor and potentially criminal conduct of the employees, a restructuring of how DOI manages oil and gas royalties, as well as a review of agency ethics procedures and policies. Salazar said that DOI will look specifically at what personnel actions were meted out and whether additional sanctions may be necessary, as well as reexamine reports by the Government Accountability Office, the Office of Inspector General, and an outside commission. In addition, Salazar heralded the issuance of a new departmental Code of Conduct, and said officials were considering revising the MMS and its current system for awarding mineral royalties to private companies. Salazar noted that the scandal was “the product of a few individuals and a set of special interests who capitalized on an outdated and flawed royalty collection system.” “The Department of the Interior will raise the bar for ethics, and we will set the standard for reform,” Salazar said. For more go to: www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/012909.html

Groups Applaud Whistleblower Protection Enhancements In Stimulus Bill

Whistleblower advocacy groups applauded a bipartisan amendment included in the House economic stimulus bill that they say would improve protection for federal employees who report waste and abuse they find in the course of their work. Reps. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Todd R. Platts, R-Pa., introduced the measure, which was added to the final House version of H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The House on Jan. 28 approved the $819 billion economic stimulus plan on a 244-188 party-line vote. The bill now goes to the Senate. “We urge the Senate to ensure that its stimulus package, and the final stimulus law sent to the president, contains these strong whistleblower protections,” a coalition of whistleblower advocacy groups said in a joint statement posted Jan. 29 on the Government Accountability Project Web site. “Protecting federal whistleblowers is the best way to protect taxpayers and American families.” The amendment is largely drawn from the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, H.R. 985, which passed by a bipartisan vote of 331-94 in the last session of Congress. The measure would roll back a series of judicial rulings that have weakened existing whistleblower rights by explicitly giving whistleblowers new rights to fight reprisals, and it would expand protection to employees not covered by current statute. To see more, go to: www.whistleblower.org/template/page.cfm?page_id=227

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APWU Leader Criticizes Postmaster General’s Testimony

American Postal Workers Union (APWU) President William Burrus on Jan. 29, in an open letter, criticized Postmaster General John Potter’s most recent testimony before Congress on the Postal Service’s worsening financial situation. On Jan. 28, Potter told a Senate subcommittee that the agency’s increasing losses had forced him to consider two dramatic steps—reduce the USPS payments for retiree health benefits as well as, at least temporarily, cease regular Saturday mail delivery. The Postal Service cannot take either action without congressional approval. Burrus emphasized that, due to the severe economic downturn, he supported Potter’s request to reduce retirement fund payments. But the union leader also stated in his headline that Potter’s testimony “offers little insight” into what was causing the red ink at the agency. Specifically, Burrus wrote that the postmaster general is wrong to blame any of the precipitous drop in demand for USPS services on the growing popularity of email. “Let the record show that [postal] mail volume has not declined primarily because of electronic communication,” Burrus said. “In the 235-year history of the Postal Service, the years with the highest volume were 2005, 2006, and 2007, with 2006 being the highest. Didn’t the Internet and e-mail communication exist during those years?” Instead, Burrus wrote of the falloff’s cause, riffing on a long-ago presidential campaign, “It’s the economy, stupid.” For more, go to: www.apwu.org/news/burrus/2009/update03-2009-090129.htm

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