Dirt Diggers Digest No. 55
September 3, 2004
Editor: Philip Mattera
1. Terms of access to federal contracts database announced
2. Court orders OSHA to release full data on most dangerous workplaces
3. Reports document industry influence on Bush Administration agencies
4. Hospital quality data soon to be available on the web
5. HighBeam shines light on executive info
6. Tips on researching financial disclosure by federal judges
7. "Fooling Investors and Fooling Themselves" looks at accounting fraud
8. Outsourcing CEOs rewarded with higher compensation
9. Antitrust Modernization Commission asks for suggestions
10. Wanted: research director for Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch [omitted from web archive]
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1. Terms of access to federal contracts database announced
The U.S. General Services Administration recently announced what it
will cost to access the Federal Procurement Data System, now that the
database of federal contracts has been upgraded by a private contractor.
Despite previous reports that the cost of obtaining a complete set of the
raw data would be raised to a prohibitive level, GSA said the price will be
set at $2,500--about the same as under the old system. Those who wish
to simply search the database will be able to do so for free via the web
starting about October 1. The August 25 GSA press release can be found
at www.gsa.gov (click on news releases). Information on the Federal
Procurement Data System is at http://www.fpdc.gov/fpdc/fpdc_home.htm.
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2. Court orders OSHA to release full data on most dangerous workplaces
A federal judge in New York has ordered the U.S. Occupational Safety and
Health Administration to disclose for the first time both the names and the
injury rates of the workplaces with the worst safety records. The ruling (in case
03 Civ. 8334 SDNY) was made in response to a suit brought by the New York
Times, which had filed a FOIA request for the actual injury rates after OSHA
released a list of the 13,000 workplaces that it said had the worst records.
That list can be found at http://www.osha.gov/as/opa/foia/archive-foia.html
Note that the list does not include workplaces in the 21 states that operate
their own workplace safety agencies.
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3. Reports document industry influence on Bush Administration agencies
A series of reports in recent months have documented the extraordinary
influence that big business has over regulatory agencies in the Bush
Administration. The Agribusiness Accountability Initiative released
USDA INC.: HOW AGRIBUSINESS HAS HIJACKED REGULATORY POLICY
AT THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Written by Dirt Diggers
editor Phil Mattera in collaboration with various family farm and environmental
groups, it shows how agribusiness has undermined USDA enforcement of
food safety and fair competition laws. The report can be found at:
www.agribusinessaccountability.org/page/325/1.
Earlier, the Center for American Progress and OMB Watch released
SPECIAL INTEREST TAKEOVER: THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION AND THE
DISMANTLING OF PUBLIC SAFEGUARDS. It covers a "record of rollbacks"
in regulations covering mining, media ownership and numerous other areas. It
can be found at www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=82002
More on the revolving door between industry and the Bush Administration can
be found in THE POLITICS OF CONTRACTING, a report issued by the Project on
Government Oversight (www.pogo.org/p/contracts/c/co-040101-contractor.html).
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4. Hospital quality data soon to be available on the web
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced that nearly all
U.S. hospitals have responded to financial incentives contained in the Medicare
Modernization Act of 2003 by agreeing to provide data on their quality of care (see
the press release at www.cms.hhs.gov/media/press/release.asp?Counter=1188).
The Dept. of Health and Human Services will make the data available to the
public beginning early next year at www.medicare.gov, the site that already
contains the Nursing Home Compare database.
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5. HighBeam shines light on executive info
HighBeam Research, the new incarnation of a service that used to be
known as eLibrary, has introduced a database called HighBeam Executives
for gathering information on individual businesspeople. Using sources such
as websites, SEC filings, newspaper articles and press releases, it creates
basic profiles that contain links to the source material. Free registration is
required. See www.highbeam.com.
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6. Tips on researching financial disclosure by federal judges
Rick Rehberg submitted the following:
The Washington Post highlighted the problems in obtaining personal
financial disclosure information for federal judges in the following article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40982-2004Aug4.html
Here is a quick review on obtaining personal financial forms (officially known
as Public Financial Disclosure Report, SF 278) for federal officials:
The forms for the President and Members of Congress are, of course, easily
available at http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/ and other websites. You can also
obtain Form 278s for nominees and unsuccessful candidates for federal office
from the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate. These forms are
available going back six years.
Presidential appointees who are confirmed by the Senate file Form 278s with the
Office of Government Ethics. This is a universe of well over 1,000 federal officials,
from the Ashcrofts and Rumsfelds to Deputy Undersecretaries and administrative
law judges. To obtain these forms, fax a request (use OGE Form 201, available here: www.usoge.gov/pages/forms_pubs_otherdocs/forms_pubs_other_pg3.html#Anchor-OG-13588)
to the attention of Denise Shelton, 202-482-9238. Turnaround time is usually a
couple of business days.
The Post article explains all of the frustrations on obtaining 278s for judges, and
there is no way around the long wait time (even if you request an appointment to
inspect forms, rather than requesting a copy). To obtain a judge's 278, use Form
AO 010A available here: http://www.uscourts.gov/forms/uscforms.cfm. Fax the form to
202-502-1899, then call 202-502-1850 for the next few months until your request is completed.
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7. "Fooling Investors and Fooling Themselves" looks at accounting fraud
"Fooling Investors and Fooling Themselves" is the title of a recently
released report by Sanford Lewis and Tim Little on the aggressive
accounting and asset management techniques used by companies to
hide liabilities relating to poor environmental practices. The report looks
at the way the deceptive practices have been employed by companies
such as Dow Chemical, Monsanto, Tosco and ConocoPhillips. For more
on the report, which was issued by the Rose Foundation, and a link for
downloading, see www.rosefdn.org/foolpr.html.
Several related reports have also come out recently. A study by the
United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative documents
the growing acceptance by investment banks that environmental and
social issues are relevant to the financial condition of corporations. See
http://www.unepfi.net/stocks/UNEP_AMWG_Report_LR_230604.pdf.
A report by the GAO (which now stands for Government Accountability
Office) addressed the question of whether the SEC is doing enough to
enforce corporate disclosure requirements regarding environmental matters.
Report GAO-04-808 can be found at www.gao.gov/new.items/d04808.pdf
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8. Outsourcing CEOs rewarded with higher compensation
The latest "Executive Excess" report by the Institute for Policy Studies
and United for a Fair Economy shows that CEO compensation has
increased most dramatically at U.S. corporations that send the most
service jobs overseas, suggesting that boards are rewarding top managers
for going along with the offshore outsourcing craze. The full report can be
found at /www.faireconomy.org/press/2004/EE2004_pr.html.
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9. Antitrust Modernization Commission asks for suggestions
Charlie Cray <ccray@essentialinformation.org> submitted the following:
The Antitrust Modernization Commission (established by Congress)
posted a Federal Register notice in late July to solicit comments
on what it should study. Comments are due on September 30.
http://www.amc.gov/pdf/meetings/fr_notice040723.pdf
For background see:
http://www.corporatepolicy.org/issues/concentration.htm
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A cumulative list of resources featured in the
Dirt Diggers Digest can be found on the web at:
http://www.corp-research.org/dirt_diggers_index.htm
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Philip Mattera
Research Director & Director of the Corporate Research Project
Good Jobs First
pmattera@goodjobsfirst.org
www.goodjobsfirst.org
www.corp-research.org