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Mission: The Government Accountability Project (GAP) is a 30-year-old nonprofit public interest group that promotes government and corporate accountability by advancing occupational free speech, defending whistleblowers, and empowering citizen activists. We pursue this mission through our Nuclear Safety, International Reform, Corporate Accountability, Food & Drug Safety, and Federal Employee/National Security programs. GAP is the nation's leading whistleblower protection organization.

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Current Program Highlights

7/18/2008

Emergency Action Alert! Help Protect America's Families!

GAP is sending out a call to all people and organizations concerned with protecting American families from unsafe products! We need your help!

Click here to find out how you can make a difference!  

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7/17/2008

EPA Quietly Releases Climate Change Health Effects Report

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a major study by the US Climate Change Science Program synthesizing current scientific knowledge of climate change-induced threats to human health. This information should be critical to the EPA’s previous “endangerment finding” for carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. However, the EPA Office of Air and Radiation, the branch assigned rulemaking responsibility, evidently did not rely on and did not cite the CCSP report.

Click here to read GAP's press release!

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7/9/2008

FISA Vote Today

GAP is opposed to the FISA bill that grants retroactive immunity to the telecommunications companies that cooperated with the Bush administration to illegally spy on Americans. The bill comes before a vote today in the Senate, you still have time to contact your Senator and urge them to vote for any of the amendments that deny or qualify telecom immunity. See GAP's recent Action Alert for how to do this.

Click here to read GAP's Action Alert! 
Click here to read telecom whistleblower (and GAP client) Babak Pasdar's op-ed about the legislation (Co-authored by AT&T whistleblower Mark Klein) 

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7/3/2008

GAP Commends UN Ethics Director and Secretary-General for Defending UNDP Whistleblower

GAP applauds United Nations Ethics Office Director Robert Benson and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for defending a whistleblower who was denied due process by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Click here for GAP's press release

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6/18/2008

Commission to Decide On Chemical Incineration Issues Tomorrow

Tomorrow morning, June 19, in Medford, Oregon, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission (EQC) will meet to discuss and decide critical issues regarding the operation of the Army’s chemical warfare agent incineration operation at the Umatilla Chemical Depot (UCD). The Commission will vote on whether to approve the “post-trial burn risk assessment,” a report commissioned by the DEQ showing that cancer and other health risks to humans posed by chemical agent incineration are significant and exceed Oregon risk standards. Another key issue to be covered is the determination of the “best available technology” to dispose of secondary wastes (e.g., carbon filter material, protective suits, etc.) that are produced during the incineration of chemical agents at UCD.

Click here to read GAP's full press release.     

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6/16/2008

GAP Remembers Stewart Mott

Today the staff and board members of the Government Accountability Project mourn the passing of Steward R. Mott, a well-known philanthropist who died Thursday night. Throughout his life, Stewart gave generously to progressive causes, including non-profit organizations advocating governmental reform. His daily commitment to fulfilling his family’s motto, “let us be known by our deeds”, that made him a figure worth remembering, honoring and emulating.

Click here to read GAP's full tribute to Stewart Mott. 

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6/12/2008

World Bank Whistleblower Policy Lacks Protections

GAP greeted the new ‘whistleblower’ protection policy at the World Bank with both applause and disappointment. On the one hand, the numerous advances in the policy represent an important symbolic commitment to accountability. On the other, the policy violates two of four policy criteria in U.S. law for credible whistleblower protection at International Financial Institutions. After two years of consultations with the Bank’s working group, GAP found that the policy denies those staff members who disclose misconduct, corruption and fraud:
* Access to an impartial forum that will hear their claims of retaliation;
* A guarantee of employment/reinstatement when they successfully contest retaliatory dismissal.

Click here to read GAP's press release.
Click here for Administrative Tribunal data on termination and reinstatement.   

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6/6/2008

GAP Analysis of the UN Secretariat’s Administration of Justice Proposal

The UN Secretariat has released a report regarding the establishment of a new internal justice system for the United Nations. While many aspects of this proposal represent advances relative to the existing system, GAP believes that these reforms could be strengthened by amending specific aspects of the Secretariat’s plan. The Secretary-General should adhere closely to the recommendations outlined by the Redesign Panel on the United Nations system of administration of justice in its original report and address concerns raised by the UN Staff Union in resolution EGM/42/4 and its accompanying proposal.

Click here to read GAP’s endorsement of the UN Staff Union resolution and analysis of the Secretariat’s proposal.        

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6/5/2008

112 Organizations Endorse Quick Action to Restore Comprehensive Federal Worker Whistleblower Rights

A coalition of 112 religious, scientific, consumer, civil liberties, civil rights, peace, small-business, labor, libertarian, journalism, environmental, and good-government organizations, representing millions of Americans, is urging key U.S. Senate and House negotiators to agree to the strongest possible federal employee whistleblower protections and to deliver a bill this year to President Bush.

Click here to read GAP's press release. 

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6/4/2008

Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Terrorist Detainee Policy

Today at 10 a.m., the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing entitled Improving Detainee Policy: Handling Terrorism Detainees within the American Justice System. GAP’s new Homeland Security Director, Jesselyn Radack, has been asked to submit written testimony to the committee.

Click here to read Radack’s testimony 
Click here to view the hearing at 10 a.m. 

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6/2/2008

GAP Applauds DeLauro Letter

Representative Rosa DeLauro (D.-CT) continues to be a champion for food safety. Below is a link to a recent letter she wrote to Ed Schafer, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, regarding the agency’s refusal to recall 16 million products of questionable product and denial to pursue further action into a GAP investigative report on this matter.

Click here to read the letter 

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5/29/2008

New Climate Report Counters Bush Administration Record

A report released today by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Scientific Assessment of the Effects of Global Change on the United States, summarizes evidence of global climate disruption, the harmful impacts it is already having on society and the environment, and future projections of potential damages. The report, years overdue under a requirement of law, was produced only in response to an August 2007 federal court order that an assessment be produced by May 31, 2008.

Click here to read GAP's press release 

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5/21/2008

UN Secretary-General Proposes More Coordinated Investigations and Ethics Offices

In a statement circulated internally, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced his support for a common “investigative capacity” across the UN system.

Click here to read his full statement

By creating a single, accountable and impartial investigative body to address wrongdoing, the UN could maximize efficiency, encourage integrity and promote the notion of “One UN”. GAP, which represents three whistleblowers in the United Nations system, believes the Secretary General and the Executive Heads should act quickly to realize this important reform and address increasing dissatisfaction with internal controls.

Click here to read GAP’s full analysis of the situation and response to Ban Ki-moon’s statement

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5/14/2008

UNDP Whistleblower Details Comprehensive Wrongdoing in Somalia Projects

A whistleblower represented by the Government Accountability Project (GAP) is alleging that actions taken by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) have allowed continued wrongdoing in the Somalia Office, which threatens to jeopardize the ability of remittance companies to comply with international anti-terrorism regulations.

Click here for the full press release
Click here for a letter detailing OAI’s conflicts of interest in this case, and the reasons that OIOS should take jurisdiction

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5/12/2008

GAP Whistleblower Week Events Start Today

This week marks the second year of annual events and conferences aimed at raising awareness of whistleblower issues in Washington, D.C. Two separate coalitions will host conferences. The Government Accountability Project (GAP) will sponsor six forums and/or panels at these conferences.

Click here for a full list of GAP-sponsored events

Kicking things off today will be an expert panel focusing on the federal government’s secret domestic surveillance scandal.

Click here to read about the Domestic Surveillance panel 

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5/12/2008

OSC Filing Challenges Aviation Security

Today, GAP) filed a whistleblowing disclosure on behalf of Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employee and aviation security expert Bodgan Dzakovic, with the United States Office of Special Counsel. Dzakovic charges that TSA has reneged on its reform commitments to correct confirmed security breakdowns from his last whistleblowing disclosure, and that further mismanagement has left aviation security weaker than prior to the 9/11 attacks.

Click here to read the full press release

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5/6/2008

FBI Agents Raid Office of Special Counsel

The Wall Street Journal has reported that “more than a dozen” FBI agents served grand jury subpoenas this morning while searching the U.S. Office of Special Counsel and the home of Special Counsel Scott Bloch. According to the Journal, OSC employees say the raid is in connection with allegations of obstruction of justice by Bloch, who in 2006 used a computer service, Geeks on Call, to completely erase his work computer's hard drive. Bloch asked the company to eradicate his computer’s files as he was being investigated by the Office of Personnel Management Inspector General in connection with a complaint submitted by a group of anonymous OSC employees, GAP, the Project On Government Oversight, and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.

Last week, attorney Debra Katz, who represents the groups and the anonymous OSC employees, sent a comprehensive summary of Bloch’s abuses during his tenure to President Bush, and called on the President to use his authority to remove the Special Counsel “for cause.”

Click here to read Katz’ letter 

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Government Accountability Project • www.whistleblower.org