News published on Federal Newswire in August 2011

News Release: WEST GLACIER, MT. Public comments are encouraged for a proposal to modify and improve the Quartz Creek fish barrier structure located in the North Fork area of the park.

Civil War Weekend Returns to Governors Island

News Release: New York, NY - On Saturday and Sunday, hundreds of weekend visitors to Governors Island National Monument will step back in time when they disembark the ferry from lower Manhattan. They won't just see a beckoning expanse of green grass and waterfront, they'll also see living historians, dressed in Civil War uniforms and acting out scenes from a typical day in the life for soldiers of the garrison stationed on the island in August of 1863.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE WORKS WITH GROUND WORK GARY TEENS FOR SUMMER JOBS AND GREEN CAREERS

News Release: Porter, IN. Not every teen is taking the summer off to hang out at the beach. Members of the Gary Green Team are working hard to improve the potential of their neighborhood including Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

Hatch to Geithner: Americans Deserve to Know Status of Nation’s Financial Resources

News Release: Dear Secretary Geithner: You wrote, on August 1st, a belated and incomplete response to my July 27th inquiry to Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) members concerning Treasury’s short-term cash and liquid asset positions, near-term projections of those positions, and contingency plans for events...

Yosemite National Park Announces Release of the Finding of No Significant Impact for the Badger Pass Ski Lodge Rehabilitation

News Release: Yosemite National Park announces the signing of the Badger Pass Ski Lodge Rehabilitation Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). This document records the decision of the National Park Service (NPS) to adopt a plan for the rehabilitation of Badger Pass Ski Lodge as described under the Selected Action...

Reclamation Announces Five Rural Water Supply Program Appraisal Reports

News Release: Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Michael L. Connor today released five appraisal reports for projects in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska and South Dakota under the Rural Water Supply Program. These appraisal reports are the first to reach this step in the program and indicate that there are potentially viable water supply options in rural communities that warrant a more detailed investigation through a feasibility study.

NIST Seeks Comments on National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education Draft Strategic Plan

News Release: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today* issued for public comment a draft strategic plan for the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) program. The plan, "Building a Digital Nation," outlines NICE's mission, vision, goals and objectives. NIST and its interagency NICE partners seek comments from all interested citizens and organizations concerned with cybersecurity awareness, training and education.

Oversight Committee Expands Investigation into Secret CAFE Standards Rulemaking

News Release: (WASHINGTON)-The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has expanded its investigation into a new regulatory framework supported by auto manufacturers and the Obama Administration, saying the structure was agreed to in secret, without legal authority, and with serious consequences for American...

BLM oil and gas lease sale nets $3,018

News Release: Today the Bureau of Land Management Colorado State Office sold one parcel totaling 820 acres for $3,018 including rentals and fees at its quarterly oil and gas lease sale. The per-acre price for the parcel in Rio Blanco County was $2, and sold to Retamco Operating Inc., in Red Lodge, Mont.

Yosemite National Park Announces the Scenic Vista Management Plan Finding of No Significant Impact to be Released for Public Review

News Release: Yosemite National Park Superintendent Don Neubacher announces the Scenic Vista Management Plan Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is available for public review. This document records the decision of the National Park Service to restore and protect scenic resources as described in the Selected...

Peterson, Simpson Work Together in Support of Dairy Reform

By USDA Newswire | Aug 11, 2011

News Release: Media Contacts: Liz Friedlander, Peterson. 202-225-1564, Nikki Watts, Simpson. 208-863-0674, U.S. House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin C. Peterson, D-Minn., today announced that Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, has joined efforts to reform dairy programs. Simpson is the lead Republican proponent...

Markey Asks Homeland Security About Border Safety When Republicans Refuse to Listen

News Release: WASHINGTON - House Republicans held a legislative hearing July 8, 2011 on the National Security and Federal Lands Act (H.R. 1505) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the agency charged with national security, was noticeably absent from the room. This legislation expands DHS's authority by rescinding...

The Flight of the Bumble Bee: Why Are They Disappearing?

By USDA Newswire | Aug 11, 2011

News Release: A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist is trying to learn what is causing the decline in bumble bee populations and also is searching for a species that can serve as the next generation of greenhouse pollinators.

Brooklyn Man Pleads Guilty to Online Identity Theft Involving More Than $700,000 in Reported Fraud

News Release: WASHINGTON – A Brooklyn, N.Y., man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., for his role in managing a credit card fraud operation that operated throughout the East Coast of the United States, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride of the Eastern District of Virginia.

Los Angeles Jury Convicts Two Church Pastors and Their Employee of $14.2 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

News Release: WASHINGTON – Two pastors of a now defunct Los Angeles church and a woman they employed at their fraudulent durable medical equipment (DME) supply companies were convicted late yesterday of conspiracy and health care fraud charges in connection with a $14.2 million Medicare fraud scheme, announced the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS).

Former TSA Employee Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime for Assaulting Elderly Somali Man

News Release: WASHINGTON – George Thompson, 64, a former employee of the Transportation Security Administration in Minneapolis, pleaded guilty today in federal court to violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act by assaulting an 83-year-old Somali man on May 4, 2010, the Department of Justice announced today.

U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant from South Carolina Pleads Guilty for Role in Scheme to Steal Military Equipment in Iraq

News Release: WASHINGTON – A U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) gunnery sergeant pleaded guilty today to conspiring to steal more than 70 electrical generators from two USMC bases in Iraq in 2008, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles for the District of South Carolina.

Justice Department Settles Allegations of Immigration-Related Employment Discrimination Against Summit Steel Fabricators in Houston