July 02, 2009, 2:26 pm

TOBACCO: Black Markets, Mafias, and Terrorists

By The PaperTrail Staff

This week on the Center’s Public I podcast, Executive Director Bill Buzenberg talks to David Kaplan, the Center’s editorial director and head of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, about the global tobacco smuggling network and the billions of dollars in lost tax revenue that have resulted from the illicit industry.

The Center recently published a new batch of investigations into the underground tobacco trade, tracing its operations through Pakistan, Paraguay, Ukraine, and China, and highlighting its connections to terrorist groups worldwide.

Listen to the interview and check out the full stories.

You can view the rest of the Public I podcast series here or subscribe via iTunes.

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July 02, 2009, 2:20 pm

MEDIA: The New Investigative News Network

By Gordon Witkin

We came. We saw. We talked. We argued. But when this week’s meeting at New York’s Pocantico Conference Center wrapped up Wednesday, the groundwork had been laid — we hope — for an unprecedented new nonprofit Investigative News Network.

We’ll admit it, this feels pretty exciting. In fact, the word “historic” was mentioned way more than once. But the devil is in the details — and that was mentioned even more times. So, before the nearly 40 people representing a few dozen investigative news organizations pat ourselves on the back too heartily, there’s lots of work to be done.

The size and scope of our “to do” list is rooted in the multiple challenges we face — some shared, some not. This new journalistic collaborative represents a rather disparate group. At some level, we’re all journalists, entrepreneurs, even dreamers. But after that, things get a bit complicated. Some of the groups at Pocantico — the Center for Public Integrity, the Center for Investigative Reporting, National Public Radio, or the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University — are national in outlook. Others, like MinnPost and the Voice of San Diego, are more regional in scope and do many other things besides investigative reporting. Still others, like the Watchdog Institute or the Rocky Mountain Investigative News Network, are still getting their feet under them.

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July 02, 2009, 1:21 pm

As Membership Month Ends, a Quick Thanks to Our Supporters

By The PaperTrail Staff

By phone, online, even via Twitter, support poured in from across the country this June in response to the Center for Public Integrity’s Membership Drive. All told, we raised more than $60,000 to support the Center for Public Integrity’s unique brand of investigative journalism in the public interest.

As a result, we’ll be able to keep reporting on the private interests influencing public policy, and how they impact you. So before we take a short break for the holiday weekend, we just wanted to say thanks— not only to those of you who contributed, but to those of you who read, link to, blog about, Tweet, and otherwise share and support the work we do to make the world a more transparent and accountable place.

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July 01, 2009, 2:53 pm

ECONOMY: Mandatory One-Week Vacation Legislation Lacks Congressional Support

By Kat Aaron

As Congress leaves town for the July 4th recess, a timely bill is languishing in the House: the Paid Vacation Act.

Rep. Alan Grayson, a first-term Florida Democrat, recently introduced the act, which would require employers to provide a week of paid leave for all their workers. Specifically, the bill would require employers with 100 or more workers to give their staff one paid week off, after a year on the job; three years after its passage, the bill would expand to include employers with 50 workers and, at that time, companies with 100 employees would be required to provide two weeks of paid vacation.

Right now, the United States is the only industrialized country with no mandatory paid leave or holidays. Even with one paid week off, however, the United States would still lag far behind other industrialized nations, according to a 2007 report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Two weeks off would place the U.S. on par with Canada and Japan, but still far behind the European Union’s 20 days per year.

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July 01, 2009, 9:58 am

ENVIRONMENT: Southern Company Dominates the Climate Lobbying Scene

By Marianne Lavelle, David Donald

Southern Company, the nation’s largest electric power generator, also had the largest force of lobbyists among the hundreds of businesses and interest groups that were seeking to influence the landmark climate change legislation that just passed the House.

With 63 lobbyists, the Atlanta-based energy giant had nearly twice as many climate lobbyists as any other company or organization, according to registration statements filed with the Senate Office of Public Records for the first quarter of 2009. (The second quarter filings won’t be available for a few weeks.) Eleven of Southern’s climate representatives were in-house, while the rest came from a dozen different lobbying shops.

Southern’s interest in the bill is not surprising, since more than 80 percent of the 200 million megawatt hours of electricity its plants generate annually is fired by fossil fuel — the main source of greenhouse gases. (A database comparing electric companies and emissions, based on 2006 government data, can be found here.) For a comparison that illustrates just how huge Southern’s lobbying force is, look at the No. 2 power generator, American Electric Power, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, which actually has a more fossil fuel-intensive fleet and higher carbon dioxide emissions than Southern. AEP had only nine registered climate lobbyists as discussions on the bill began early this year.

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July 01, 2009, 7:00 am

The Daily Watchdog: July 1, 2009

By Peter Newbatt Smith

A daily roundup of just-released investigative reports, drawn from oversight agencies, congressional committees, and government offices across Washington.

SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS: “Payments to Individuals Whose Numident Record Contains a Death Entry” (Social Security Administration’s Inspector General). Estimates that, as of January 2008, the Social Security Administration was issuing payments to approximately 1,760 beneficiaries whose “Numident Master File” records accurately recorded them as deceased. “SSA made approximately $40.3 million in improper payments to the deceased beneficiaries after recording their date of death in SSA’s records.”

SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS: “Benefits Paid to Title II Beneficiaries with a Child-in-Care” (Social Security Administration’s Inspector General). Identified ineligible beneficiaries, estimating that “SSA will continue to incorrectly pay about $1.8 million over the next 12 months to individuals who are no longer entitled to child-in-care benefits if the Agency does not take action.”

DISABILITY BENEFITS: “Electronic File Assembly” (Social Security Administration’s Inspector General). Reports deficiencies in the “ePulling” pilot project, designed to electronically assemble case files for hearings.

HEALTH CARE: “Medicare Part B Chemotherapy Administration: Payment and Policy” (Health and Human Services Department’s Inspector General).

MILITARY PROCUREMENT: “Defense Travel System: Implementation Challenges Remain” (Government Accountability Office).

“RECOVERY ACT: The Department of Transportation Followed Key Federal Requirements in Developing Selection Criteria for Its Supplemental Discretionary Grants Program” (Government Accountability Office).

VETERANS BENEFITS: “Review of Veterans Benefit Administration Large Retroactive Payments” (Veterans Affairs Department’s Inspector General).

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June 30, 2009, 10:48 am

ENVIRONMENT: By Releasing Coal Ash Sites, EPA Raises More Questions

By Kristen Lombardi

Units 1 to 4 of the Colstrip Steam Electric Station rise behind a coal-ash disposal pond in Colstrip, Montana. Bob Zellar/Reprinted with permission from the Billings Gazette. Last February, in a four-month investigation into the dangers of coal ash, the Center covered the notorious, ash-laden water in Colstrip, Montana, home to a behemoth coal-fired power plant known by the same name. Now, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has revealed that the Colstrip plant’s ash ponds — the ones responsible for all that toxic water — are on its much-anticipated list of 44 potentially highly dangerous coal-ash dumpsites nationwide.

Yesterday, the EPA disclosed the ash ponds identified as “high hazard” on its website, reversing its prior position of keeping their locations secret. The list of 44 reveals that 26 power companies, including PPL Montana, maintain ash ponds that, were they to burst like that disastrous coal-ash spill in Tennessee last December, would cause property damage and loss of life.

Coal ash is the toxic byproduct of burning coal to generate electricity. For lack of a safer disposal method, at least 70 millions tons of coal ash is dumped annually into ponds or landfills in states across the country.

“By compiling a list of these facilities,” EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said in a press statement. “EPA will be better able to identify and reduce potential risks.”

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June 30, 2009, 7:00 am

The Daily Watchdog: June 30, 2009

By Peter Newbatt Smith

A daily roundup of just-released investigative reports, drawn from oversight agencies, congressional committees, and government offices across Washington.

FEDERAL PROCUREMENT: “Guidance on Award Fees Has Led to Better Practices but Is Not Consistently Applied” (Government Accountability Office). In December 2007 the Office of Management and Budget issued guidance applicable government-wide on performance bonuses payable to contractors. This report finds that the revised policies have saved hundreds of millions of dollars but have not been consistently applied within many agencies.

HEALTH CARE: “Review of Defects in VA’s Computerized Patient Record System Version 27 and Associated Quality of Care Issues” (Veterans Affairs Department’s Inspector General).

ENVIRONMENT: “Clean Water Infrastructure: A Variety of Issues Need to Be Considered When Designing a Clean Water Trust Fund” (Government Accountability Office).

FINANCIAL REGULATION: “Reverse Mortgages: Product Complexity and Consumer Protection Issues Underscore Need for Improved Controls over Counseling for Borrowers” (Government Accountability Office).

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June 29, 2009, 1:57 pm

STATES: Discussing Financial Disclosure Laws

By The PaperTrail Staff

This week on the Center’s Public I podcast, Executive Director Bill Buzenberg talks to reporter Caitlin Ginley about the Center's latest state-by-state survey of financial disclosure laws, which found that 20 out of the 50 states received a failing grade and three of those states have no disclosure requirements at all.

It was a minor improvement over the 24 states that failed our last survey in 2006. Louisiana turned out to be the most improved state, due to a sweeping ethics reform enacted by Governor Bobby Jindal. Mississippi was this year’s second-most improved state, having jumped 10 spots on the list from number 34 to 24.

Listen to the interview and check out the full story.

You can view the rest of the Public I podcast series here or subscribe via iTunes.

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June 29, 2009, 10:00 am

MEDIA: Brainstorming the Future of Investigative Reporting

By Gordon Witkin

It is, admittedly, just a modest first step. But the Center for Public Integrity is co-hosting a meeting this week that we hope might eventually help change the landscape of investigative journalism.

It’s no secret investigative reporting, and journalism generally, are imperiled. The old business models aren’t working, and barely a day goes by when layoffs aren’t announced by major newspaper and magazines. As reporting staffs shrink further and further, fewer outlets have the luxury of doing any deep-dive enterprise work.

Against this backdrop, we’d like to think that the Center for Public Integrity and our friendly cohorts — and some-time partner organizations — represent a beacon of hope. More to the point, we believe our donation-supported, not-for-profit status might provide a model for how investigative reporting can survive, or even thrive, in the near-term future.

On this front, there are actually a few silver linings emerging amidst the dark clouds hanging over journalism. For one thing, besides the Center for Public Integrity and the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), there are many new players in the field using the same sort of model — ProPublica in New York and the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University in Washington, to name just two. And over the past year or so, a host of entrepreneurial new initiatives have sprung up nationwide focusing on local or regional investigative reporting — initiatives like the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism in Madison and the New England Center for Investigative Reporting in Boston, to name just a couple more.

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