All Things Whistleblower: A GAP Blog

Global Warming an Issue Now, not Later

Global warming is not just a phenomenon for the next generation – it is something that is leaving heavy marks on the environment now.

These increased temperatures have been mostly caused by burning fossil fuels, destroying forests and disrupting agriculture, according to the Obama administration’s newly released climate change report, detailed in this Daily Climate article. Longtime critics of the Bush administration’s approach to global warming are welcoming the report with open arms for its candidness. From the DC article:

“I have not seen the administration talking much about climate change impacts. I see them messaging the climate change legislation in terms of green jobs and green energy and the need to reduce emissions. But why? Why is it so urgent?” asked Rick Piltz, director of Climate Science Watch, a nonpartisan, nonprofit policy watchdog. “This makes the case.”

Piltz and CSW are, of course, part of GAP. The report details how climate change impacts are being seen across the country – from an increase in the number of heat deaths in Chicago to increased downpours and rain in the Southwest.

Our country will have to not only realize that this phenomenon is real – but needs to understand that our aging infrastructure will need to be repaired and modernized to deal with an increased demand for water and air conditioning in the future.  A similar article can be seen here in the Associated Press.

GAP Files Suit to Stop Burning of Dangerous Mustard Gas

GAP has filed a lawsuit in an Oregon Circuit Court to stop the dangerous incineration of mustard gas at the Umatilla Chemical Depot in the northeast corner of that state. GAP believes the burning process releases toxic mercury into the surrounding environment, harming countless people and wildlife in both Oregon and Washington.

This controversy has been going on for over two years. GAP has fought against this dangerous process on behalf of local environmental and residential groups.

Oregon law requires that the “best available technology” is selected to dispose of such dangerous and hazardous wastes – which is clearly not being done!

Alternatives include “controlled detonation” technology (which other Army facilities are inquiring about) and a chemical “neutralization” method, which has been praised by the surrounding communities.

Incineration is not the “best available technology” if there are so many health and environmental risks associated with this process.

Wyeth Wrongdoing; Global Warming Denied

Drug behemoth Wyeth Pharmaceuticals is being accused by the federal government of cheating the Medicaid system of hundreds of millions of dollars. The case was initially brought by whistleblowers. From the AP:

The court papers claim that between 2000 and 2006, Wyeth offered steep discounts to thousands of hospitals for two versions of Protonix, a drug that suppresses stomach acid.

By law, manufacturers of brand-name drugs are required to offer the same rebates to state Medicaid programs that they provide to other customers.

The government claims the maneuver helped the company avoid paying hundreds of millions of dollars in rebates to Medicaid, a health care program for the poor that is funded by state and federal money.

"By offering massive discounts to hospitals, but then hiding that information from the Medicaid program, we believe Wyeth caused Medicaid programs throughout the country to pay much more for these drugs than they should have," Assistant Attorney General Tony West said in a statement.

Also, in perhaps a last gasp of hot air, this Wash Post article details how prominent Republican leaders have actively spoken out recently in a unified voice to deny that human induced-global warming is occurring. These leaders include GOP Chairman Michael Steele and House Minority Leader John Boehner. From the Post:

"We're cooling. We're not warming," Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele said on a radio show in March.

"The idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen that is harmful to our environment is almost comical," said House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) -- although nobody is on record as saying carbon dioxide causes cancer.

-- Dylan Blaylock

News Roundup: Water Pollution, DoJ Prosecutions; Smear Attacks on a Whistleblower; State Food Safety Agencies

There was a fantastic piece from Frontline, the renown PBS television series, airing last night that chronicled the problems of water pollution and contamination (both wild and drinking), with a focus on Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay, Washington state’s Puget Sound, and the Washington D.C. area’s drinking water. The piece analyzes several problems and sources of water pollution, including the massive waste attributable to factory farms, excessive buildup of household chemicals being washed down drains at residential houses, and urban sprawl. You can watch the episode online at the link above.  

Of course, the big news from yesterday was that in a reversing of course, President Obama indicated that he would not be opposed to creating a bipartisan commission that would investigate the Bush administration’s use of torture, nor did he rule out prosecution against the torture memos’ drafters. The statements by Obama are in stark contrast to previously ones indicating his desire to “move forward,” and directly contrast statements made on Sunday by Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

A recent episode of GAP’s television program Whistle Where You Work focused on the issues surrounding the release of the key “torture memos” drafted by the DoJ Office of Legal Counsel, and the future of the DoJ (under Obama) in general. You can view that episode by clicking here.

From Georgia (and the AP), in what is being labeled (and looks like) a smear campaign, lawyers for the sugar company whose plant exploded last year, killing 14 workers, are attacking a whistleblower who claims he sent a report of hazardous plant conditions to managers just weeks before the explosion.

Lastly, an excellent New York Times story from Monday really should be mentioned. It exquisitely details how most state food safety agencies are simply sub-par, and are grossly inadequate at protecting public health. From the article, regarding the recent peanut outbreak:

Forty-two Minnesotans were reported sick compared with three Kentuckians. Jalapeño peppers last year? Thirty-one in Minnesota and two in Kentucky became ill. The different numbers arise because health officials in Kentucky and many other states fail to investigate many complaints of food-related sickness while those in Minnesota do so diligently, safeguarding not only Minnesotans but much of the rest of the country, as well.  

A recent episode of GAP’s television program Whistle Where You Work focused on the problems of the federal food safety system. You can view that episode by clicking here.

-- Dylan Blaylock

WWYW Episode 12 - The Future of American Energy; Blowing the Whistle on "Club Fed"

This is the page to leave comments about Episode 12 of Whistle Where You Work, GAP’s television program. To view the show online, visit www.whistleblowertv.org. Here’s a description of the program:

First, we lead off with a panel discussion on the future of American energy. President Obama has laid out three priorities for his stimulus plans - health care, education and energy. His focus on alternative energy as a way of combating climate change, ending our reliance on oil, and creating a tremendous amount of renewable energy jobs represents a clear break from the past eight years. But how sharp a break is it really? And what role does the Obama administration see nuclear power and clean coal playing in our energy mix? Guests include Robert Alvarez of the Institute for Policy Studies, and Joseph Romm or the Center for American Progress and ClimateProgress.org.

Then, we sit down with Randy Taylor, who gained prominence as a whistleblower in 1991, when his disclosure sparked the closing of a Bermuda Naval Air Station - a “Club Fed” for naval brass and a few prominent politicians. This segment was filmed during the annual National Whistleblower Assembly, held in Washington D.C. in March 2009.

This episode was filmed in early March 2009

More on Signing Statements; Pistachios; George Will and Sea Ice

The Washington Independent has more coverage of GAP’s letter sent (as part of a coalition) to President Obama last week, urging for a clarification of his stance on whistleblower protections. This issue was brought into question from a signing statement Obama signed last month regarding the rights of whistleblowers to communicate with Congress. From the article:

The coalition, which includes such groups as the ACLU, American Federation of Government Employees, and Government Accountability Project, asked Obama to endorse legislation that would protect from retaliation federal employees who expose waste, fraud, abuse, suppression of federal research, and threats to public health and safety, and give them the right to a jury trial. 

Also, and predictably, the size of the pistachio recall has significantly expanded. The pistachio industry, looking to avoid the scope of the peanut debacle, yesterday proactively launched a Web site dedicated to communicating which products are not affected by the recall. From the Washington Post:

Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based health advocacy group, said the industry Web site is a great idea. "In these really large ingredient recalls, consumers really need to know which products are not affected," she said.

CSPI is a coalition member of GAP, and Smith-DeWaal really knows her stuff.

Also from the Post, and in sad news to George Will, new evidence shows that Arctic sea ice is melting more quickly than scientists had originally anticipated.

-- Dylan Blaylock

 

WWYW Episode 10 - Consumer Product Safety; Whistleblowing at the EPA

This is the page to leave comments about Episode 10 of Whistle Where You Work, GAP’s television program. To view the show online, visit www.whistleblowertv.org. Here’s a description of the program:

In our first segment, we discuss the recently passed Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, signed into law last August. While this bill was prompted by the Chinese “killer toys” scandal, the legislation does much, much more, such as implement novel whistleblower protection provisions. Joining us for this panel are David Arkush, director of Public Citizen’s Congress Watch program, and Ed Mierzwinski, federal consumer protection director of the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups (U.S. PIRG).

Then in our interview segment, we chat with EPA union representative Dr. William Hirzy about the EPA’s response to fluoride concerns, and what it tells us about the treatment of science and scientists at the EPA during the Bush years.

This episode was filmed on February 6, 2009.