WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Daniel L. Shields III, Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam, Department of State
Joseph M. Torsella,  United States Representative to the United Nations for U.N. Management and Reform
Andrew Traver, Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives at the Department of Justice

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel as a Member of the American Battle Monuments Commission.

President Obama said, “These outstanding men and women are welcomed and valued additions to this Administration.  I am confident that they will greatly serve the American people in their new roles and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Daniel L. Shields III, Nominee for Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam, Department of State
Daniel L. Shields III is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. He is currently the Director of the Office of Mainland Southeast Asia. Previously Mr. Shields served as the Deputy Chief of Mission to U.S. Embassy Singapore. Other overseas assignments include Beijing, Tokyo, Nagoya and Manila. In Washington, Mr. Shields served as Economic Deputy in the Office of China and Mongolia, Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs and Cambodia Desk Officer. Mr. Shields received an M.S. from the National War College and a B.S. from Georgetown University.

Joseph M. Torsella, Nominee for United States Representative to the United Nations for U.N. Management and Reform
Joseph M. Torsella currently serves as Chairman of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education.  He was the founding President and CEO of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, a non-profit museum and education center dedicated to explaining and celebrating American ideas and ideals. He has also been a small business owner and served as Deputy Mayor for Policy and Planning in Philadelphia.  Mr. Torsella is a former Rhodes Scholar and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate with a B.A. in History and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.  

Andrew Traver, Nominee for Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Department of Justice
Andrew Traver is currently the Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATFE) in the U.S. Department of Justice.  Since 2004, Mr. Traver has overseen all investigations of the illicit use and trafficking of firearms and explosives and the commission of arson, and directed all ATF law enforcement programs within the state of Illinois.  From 2001 to 2004, he served as an Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the San Francisco Field Division of ATFE, where he supervised criminal enforcement offices in the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, California.  From 2000 to 2001, Mr. Traver served as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the New Orleans Field Division of ATFE, where he coordinated all criminal enforcement efforts throughout the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas.  From 1998 to 2000, he was a criminal investigator in the Office of Inspection in ATF Headquarters in Washington, DC.  From 1993 to 1998, Mr. Traver served as a Group Supervisor in the Philadelphia Field Division of ATF.  In 1987, he joined ATF and began his career as a special agent in the Chicago Field Division.  Mr. Traver served as a board member of the Illinois Drug Enforcement Officers Association and the Great Lakes Law Enforcement Executives Advisory Committee.  He was also a member of the Returning Combat Veterans Research Project.  Mr. Traver holds a B.A. degree from Northern Illinois University, where he graduated summa cum laude.  He is also a Naval Officer Candidate School graduate and served aboard the USS Benjamin Stoddert in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individual to a key Administration post:

Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, Appointee as Member, American Battle Monuments Commission
Dr. Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel is the Vice Chair of the New York State Council on the Arts and has served as Chair of the Historic Landmarks Preservation Center since 1995.  Dr. Diamonstein-Spielvogel was the first Director of Cultural Affairs for New York City and was also the longest-serving Landmarks Commissioner in the city's history, spanning four mayoral administrations from 1972 to 1987.  In addition, she is a former chair of the NYC Landmarks Preservation Foundation, and a former member of the New York City Art Commission and the New York City Cultural Commission. Dr. Diamonstein-Spielvogel was appointed by President Reagan to the board of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council and by President Clinton to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, where she was the first woman vice chair in its 100-year history. She is the author of 19 books, producer of nine television series, and curator of seven international museum exhibitions—one of which traveled to 82 countries under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State.  In addition, Dr. Diamonstein-Spielvogel sits on a broad array of boards, including the boards of The Trust for the National Mall, the Fresh Air Fund, and the New York State Board for Travel and Tourism.

Source: Lee White at the National Coalition for History (10-22-10)

National Park Service (NPS) Director Jon Jarvis and Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) Chairman Wayne Donaldson, recently announced $1.3 million in Preserve America grants to 22 projects in 16 states.

Among the projects funded are: King County Heritage Barn Guide, Seattle, WA; a Heritage Design Plan for Baltimore’s Carroll Park, Baltimore, MD; Austin Historical Survey Web Tool, Austin, TX; Edmonds Downtown Cultural Heritage Tour, Edmonds, WA; Montana Community Revitalization Project: Heritage Planning for the New Decade, Helena, MT; Rural Heritage Survey Phase III, Development of Farmstead Heritage Websites, Frankfort, KY; and Preserve Little Italy, San Diego, CA.

More information on Preserve America, including the complete list of grant recipients, criteria, and application forms can be found at the program’s website.

The Preserve America grant program is administered by the Department of the Interior’s National Park Service in partnership with the ACHP. The competitive matching grants fund Preserve America communities, state historic preservation offices, and tribal historic preservation offices to support their preservation efforts through heritage tourism, education, and historic preservation planning.

This is the second round of Preserve America grants awarded in 2010; earlier this year the National Park Service awarded grants totaling $2.9 million to support 31 preservation projects in 17 states.

Since 2006, over $21 million in Preserve America Grants have been awarded to 280 projects in 49 states. In all, the National Park Service has received 721 applications requesting more than $56.5 million. Each project requires a 50/50 match leveraging over $44 million for heritage tourism and related work at the local level.

Winners of the 2010 GreenSummitXpo Global Renewable Energy Expo Networking Summit (GREENS) Awards have been selected. The awards, which will be presented with the 2011 awards at a joint ceremony on April 28 2011, honor innovative companies and individuals who have demonstrated leadership in the exploration of green goals and renewable energy. Among the victors are: Mayor Salvatore J. Panto - City of EASTON, PA City, Municipality and Mayor of the Year Easton is a full service city that constantly strives to provide the most effective and efficient municipal services to our residents and visitors. From a full-service professional fire department to a fully accredited police department, they work hard to offer our residents and visitors a "Clean and Safe" environment. James Hogarth, CEO and Founder, ERRA Incorporated Renewable Energy Innovator of the Year ERRA is a Clean Tech company committed to the commercialization of green, renewable energy products powered by its proprietary reversible hydride technologies. Jason Kliwinski, AIA LEED AP - Spiezle Architectural Group Inc Renewable Energy Pioneer of the Year Spiezle Architechtural Goup, Inc. is aimed to be a leading sustainable architechtural design firm with significant partnerships/clients. They develop architechtural solutions with community sensibilities and enviromental considerations in mind. To cite a few:

• Governor Rendall appoints Scott Spiezle, AIA, LEEDap to PA Climate Change Advisory Council
• Montessori Children's House of Valley Forge, PA recieves Historic Preservation Award
• Greenwood House contracts with Spiezle for renovation of skilled care facility in Ewing, NJ.

Benjamin Lapidus, Melissa Lee and Mikhail Nirmov Renewable Energy Global People of the Year The Global Renewable Energy Education Network (GREEN), created by three Rutgers University students, recognized a need to give students an opportunity to gain hands-on experiences with renewable energy systems. GREEN LLC provides top of the line educational services focused on renewable energy, while giving students the opportunity to participate in exciting adventure excursions, cultural experiences, and community service projects around the world. Joan Fitzgerald, Author Emerald Cities: Urban Sustainability and Economic Development Renewable Energy Literary Works of the Year The book, written by Joan Fitzgerald, director of the Law, Policy and Society Program at Northeastern University, is an eminently readable primer on the diversity of policies and programs American cities have implemented to create local economic development as they transition to clean energy. EcoGreenHotel Renewable Energy Hospitality Team of the Year EcoGreenHotel is a hospitality services company that is dedicated to supporting hospitality sustainability. They do this through consulting services, web-based marketing and publications and online purchasing channels. From their online resource that are specifically geared to the hotel and resort industry, to delivering sustainable solutions to clients, our extensive expertise in the hospitality sector enables us to understand our clients' needs to provide personalized support. The Suites At Hershey, Hershey PA Renewable Energy Fast Tract Awards (Companies who are aspiring Renewable Energy Goals) The Suites at Hershey offer spacious and modern two-bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens, indoor/outdoor heated pools and hot tubs, plus scenic views of the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. The chocolate-charmed town of Hershey is a flavorful family attraction, and The Suites at Hershey provide all the ingredients for wholesome family fun. I Imagine Studio Renewable Energy Fast Track Award The company defines the science of marketing as art that empowers innovation, educates and informs people about choices that can improve their quality of life. That's why it dedicates its creative energy to the well being of individuals and society at large. This choice allows it to focus on CSR companies that are making a positive impact on how we live and treat the environment. "The 2010 GreenSummitXpo will open exciting opportunities for renewable energy consumers, buyers, and suppliers," stated Elton R. Brewington, Publisher and Managing Editor, Brightside Global Trade Journal (BMSI), "The summit will inspire the creation of next generation jobs that will promote healthier business environments, and deploy the right technology engines globally." A full report will be featured in the fall 2010 issue of Brightside Global Trade Journal. Awards will be presented at the 2010-2011 awards ceremony April 27-29, 2011. For more information and updates on the GreenSummitXpo Awards, please visit www.greensummitxpo.com. About Brightside Global Trade Journal: Brightside Global Trade Journal is a quarterly publication established in 2006 and headquartered in New York. In 2010 the magazine will debut a new look with print/online/email editions. Brightside Global Trade Journal is committed to global issues such as renewable energy, healthcare, food and hospitality, consumer goods, information technology, and entertainment. Brightside Global Trade Journal is published by BMSI. BMSI produces events such as the Global Renewable Energy Expo Networking Summit and publishes periodicals including Brightside Global Trade Journal, Brightside Review, and Westchester Conversations. BMSI has a combined online viewership of over 50,000 and works in coalition with other organizations dedicated to promoting clean energy, a healthy environment, and a strong global economy that is sustainable. About VanguardComm: VanguardComm is a co-sponsor of the 2010 Global Renewable Energy Expo Networking Summit. We provide unrivaled hands-on, senior management involvement with client programs. Our principals pioneered successful marketing to Hispanic, African American and Asian audiences. Our rising stars bring fresh approaches with new energy, perspective and passion. VanguardComm concludes that Hispanic and African-American consumers rate the importance of a company’s presence in the community, through corporate social responsibility (CSR) and cause related marketing (CRM) programs, as more significant in their buying decisions than do Non-Hispanic Whites.

Gov. Linda Lingle released the following statement about a rally by various organizations to encourage her to sign the final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed Honolulu rail transit project: “While I understand the desire of rail supporters to want to see the project start, and recognize that some candidates may have a vested political interest in giving the public a false impression that I am somehow delaying approval of the final EIS, I have a legal responsibility to ensure that the environmental impact statement complies with Hawaii’s environmental law. Moreover, I have a fiduciary responsibility to do an objective, common sense financial analysis of what this project—the most expensive public works project in our state’s history—will cost Hawaii taxpayers over the long-term.  “The fact is, the final EIS is not on my desk as some have incorrectly stated. The EIS is currently being reviewed by the Office of Environmental Quality Control (OEQC), which is analyzing the EIS section by section to make certain that it meets the requirements of the state’s environmental law, Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 343. “As part of the OEQC’s extensive review process, determined by its administrative rules, the OEQC must determine whether the comments submitted during the public comment period have been satisfactorily addressed in the final EIS. There were over 13,000 public comments submitted, and the OEQC is required to verify that all have been addressed. “While the OEQC is continuing its legally required review of the EIS, my Administration is also performing the financial due diligence to make certain Hawaii taxpayers can afford this multi-billion project—including the cost to operate, maintain, and sustain the system well into the future. “To this end, the State Department of Transportation at the beginning of this month awarded a contract to Infrastructure Management Group (IMG), Inc., in association with CB Richard Ellis, Inc., to conduct an independent economic analysis, financial assessment, and evaluation of the proposed rail transit project. “The scope of work includes an analysis and evaluation of the capital costs to build the project as well as the operating and maintenance cost projections prepared by the City and County of Honolulu. The work will include a determination of the reasonableness and accuracy of the City’s plans and revenue sources to fund the single largest, most expensive public works project that has ever been undertaken in Hawaii. “I have informed the Federal Transportation Authority (FTA) that we are conducting an independent financial analysis and will share the findings with them.  I have also requested updated financial information that the City provided to the FTA, since the last financial report issued for the project was published in August 2009. “Another issue that still has not been resolved is the programmatic agreement, which lays out a plan on how to treat Native Hawaiian remains and other cultural resources that might be in the route of the rail. This programmatic agreement must be reached and signed off by the Federal Transit Administration, federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, State Historic Preservation Division, and the City before the EIS can be accepted.  These discussions are still ongoing and no agreement has been reached. “To ask me to sign the EIS at this point in time is inappropriate and premature.”

There is only three more days to give your input on the U.S. review of UNDRIP. If you have not signed, "UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous "UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples," now is the time, before this Thursday, July 15th.

Cross Posted at Daily Kos

Welcome to News from Native American Netroots, a Monday evening series focused on indigenous tribes primarily in the United States and Canada but inclusive of international peoples also.

A special thanks to our team for contributing the links that have been compiled here. Please provide your news links in the comments below.

UPDATED: Flooded Rocky Boy's Reservation seeks disaster status. IHS sends $1 million in aid. Yankton Reservation also suffering.

Both the Chippewa Cree Tribe in northern Montana and Sioux on the Yankton Reservation in South Dakota were hit hard by floods late last month. Apparently the state of Montana won't be able to provide help to the Rocky Boy's Reservation, so now they're hoping for a federal disaster declaration. Here are stories from the Associated Press on the situation at both reservations, as well as word of help to Rocky Boy's from the from the Indian Health Service:

Federal program credited with cutting diabetes among Indians

A government program aimed at curbing the disproportionately high rate of diabetes among Native Americans has only one year left, and supporters are urging its renewal.

"The rate of those suffering from diabetes is alarming, and we need to continue to build on our efforts to combat it," said Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D. "We made some strides in improving health in Indian Country earlier this year with the passage of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act as part of comprehensive health care reform, but there is still a lot of work to do."

US Rule Could Keep Iroquois From Lacrosse Tourney

The teams participating in the World Lacrosse Championships in England represent 30 nations, from Argentina to Latvia to South Korea to Iroquois.

The Iroquois helped invent lacrosse and, in a rare example of international recognition of American Indian sovereignty, they participate at every tournament as a separate nation. But they might not be at this year's world championship tournament because of a dispute over the validity of their passports.

The 23 players have passports issued by the Iroquois Confederacy, a group of six Indian nations overseeing land that stretches from upstate New York into Ontario, Canada.

Mark Trahant: Indian health caught in middle of budget debate

"Democrats are leaving Washington for the July 4 recess without passing key parts of their health care agenda," writes Andrew Villegas for Kaiser Health News. "...with states hit hard by the recession, an extension of extra Medicaid funds also seemed likely." But because of a "contentious debate, with conservative Democrats and Republicans opposing programs that could add to the deficit." The result, Villegas writes, is "the Medicaid and COBRA subsidies are still in limbo."

Many American Indian and Alaska Native patients in the Indian health system are in a precarious spot because of this battle. Some of the increased spending for Indian Health Service depends on increasing Medicaid rolls. This is important because Medicaid, unlike the IHS budget, is an entitlement. Once a person is eligible, the money is supposed to be there (in contrast to a straight budget line that runs out of money once its spent). This problem should be simple: States don't have to pay for patients in the Indian health system because the federal government eventually picks up the cost. But the problem is each state will define eligibility and a tightening of state rules will mean that patients that should be eligible for Medicaid, won't qualify.

It would be easy to dismiss states as uncaring. But the problem is there are fewer dollars available from tax collections during the recession. State budgets are wrecked by too many promises, ranging from pension obligations to constitutional promises to always balance the budget.

8th Circuit backs Meskwaki jurisdiction over non-Indian business

The Meskwaki Nation of Iowa can assert jurisdiction over a non-Indian business, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday.

Generally, tribes lack jurisdiction over non-Indians. But the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Montana v. US sets out two exceptions to the rule.

In a unanimous decision, the 8th Circuit said the tribe satisfied one of the exceptions. The court said the conduct of Attorney's Process and Investigation Services, a security company, directly "threatened" the health, welfare and economic security of the tribe.

API was hired by Alex Walker, a former tribal chairman, to take control of the tribal headquarters and the casino from a group of challengers, the court said. "Its apparent purpose in raiding the tribe's facilities was to seize control of the tribal government and economy by force," the 8th Circuit said.

Conn. land dug up for items from Indian war

Artifacts of a battle between a Native American tribe and English settlers, a confrontation that helped shape early American history, have sat for years below manicured lawns and children's swing sets in a Connecticut neighborhood.

A project to map the battlefields of the Pequot War is bringing those musket balls, gunflints and arrowheads into the sunlight for the first time in centuries. It's also giving researchers insight into the combatants and the land on which they fought, particularly the Mystic hilltop where at least 400 Pequot Indians died in a 1637 massacre by English settlers.

Historians say the attack was a turning point in English warfare with native tribes. It nearly wiped out the powerful Pequots and showed other tribes that the colonists wouldn't hesitate to use methods that some consider genocide.

Navajo potter continues her art, shows at 95

Navajo potter Rose Williams continues her art at age 95, and will appear in Santa Fe at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian to provide pottery demonstrations.

Williams was to attend the museum's annual show of pueblo and Navajo folk art, which ran July 9 through 11th. She was doing onsite demonstrations of her art each day at the Case Trading Post.

Another sentenced in Four Corners artifacts case

Nicholas K. Laws has maintained he never collected ancient American Indian artifacts for sale, but when he was offered money by a federal informant the father of three desperately needed it.

"For my client, this was not a living," Laws' attorney, Randy S. Ludlow, said in federal court Monday. "He was never doing it to make a fast buck."

U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart sentenced Laws to two years of probation for the sale of a ceremonial twin effigy doll, waiving guidelines that called for six months to a year in prison.

American Indian culture celebrated at Ruscombmanor festival

Nearly 1,000 people spent Saturday learning more about the culture of American Indians at the ninth annual Native American Festival.

Held at Hobby Horse Ranch, 428 Hartz Road, Ruscombmanor Township, the three-day event has something for people of all ages, festival President Jim Convry said.

Cherokee, Mohicans, Osage, Lenape, Seneca and others come from all over the country to participate, he said.

Patricia Whitefoot named to National Advisory Council on Indian Education

Patricia L. Whitefoot, Yakama/Din?, has been appointed by President Barack Obama to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education.

The 15-member council advises and makes recommendations to the U.S. Secretary of Education, and submits a yearly report to Congress on issues pertaining to Indian education.

"Patricia has been a committed and effective leader over the course of 40 years of Indian education experience," Sen. Patty Murray said. "She has demonstrated vast knowledge of the issues through her management of Indian education programs ranging from early childhood to higher education, as well as through her role as a tribal leader on the Yakama Tribal Council. ... I am confident that she will be a powerful voice for Indian education in Washington state and across the country."

Bartlesville Indian Summer announces 'Elder of the Year'

Oklahoma Indian Summer and Executive Director Dee Ketchum are proud to honor Dolores "Dee" Theis, longtime community and Oklahoma Indian Summer volunteer, as OIS's 2010 Elder of the Year.
"l was very humbled and honored," Dee said of the decision which will be in celebration of the 23rd season of the Native American festival.
While, Dee accepts the honor with deep pride she says she is most thankful she was able to be present for the first planning meeting for Oklahoma Indian Summer in 1988.
"I was at the very first meeting," she says.
"Just to be a part of such a thing is humbling, but for Bartlesville to have this and to have it grow has been quite an experience."

Navajo Partnership for Housing still bringing mortgages to Navajos

The Navajo Partnership for Housing continues to bring mortgage financing to members of the Navajo Nation on or near its reservation, which sprawls across New Mexico, Arizona and Utah, despite the housing depression.

And, according to executive director Lanalle Smith, the Native CDFI (community development financial institution) has ambitious plans to branch out into housing project development on or near the reservation to go along with its scattered-site financings.

To date, NPH has arranged or provided 435 loans and grants to 334 families to help tribal members buy, build or rehabilitate a home. Total financing comes to $36.3 million to date.

President's Recovery Act Announcement

Today, President Obama announced investment in sixty-six new Recovery Act broadband projects nationwide that, according to the grantees, will not only directly create approximately 5,000 jobs up front, but will also help spur economic development in some of the nation's hardest-hit communities, helping create jobs for years to come.  In total, tens of millions of Americans and over 685,000 businesses, 900 health care facilities and 2,400 schools in all fifty states stand to benefit from the awards.  The $795 million in grants and loans through the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture have been matched by over $200million in outside investment, for a total public-private investment of more than $1 billion in bringing broadband service to these communities,most of which currently have little or no access, to help them better compete and do business in the global marketplace.

The grants and loans are part of an overall $7.2 billion investment the Recovery Act makes in expanding broadband access nationwide - $4.7billion through the Commerce Department and $2.5 billion funded through the Department of Agriculture.  With the awards being announced tomorrow, more than $2.7 billion in Recovery Act broadband grants and loans will have been awarded to more than 260 projects across the country since December 2009.  Overall, the Recovery Act is making a $100billion investment in science, innovation and technology that is no tonly creating jobs today, but laying a foundation for economic growth for years to come.

A cornerstone for better child support services

When Sarah Colleen Sotomish was a student at University of Washington, her brother and sister had already served on the Quinault Nation Business Council, continuing a tradition of service as descendants of treaty signers and members of one of Quinault's traditional leadership families.

Sotomish visited her grandmother - the wise family matriarch, well past 100 in years - and asked her what she thought her role was going to be.

"My grandmother told me, 'You're not going to live in one culture or the other. You are going to have your feet in both cultures. You are going to be a bridge, you are going to learn both cultures and bring the two together.'"

Her grandmother was prophetic.

Healing, sharing and competition at Fort Washakie powwow

It was between him and the drums.

He didn't think about the men around him, dancing, swaying, moving with chants. He didn't think about what he would do later, or the precision of his movements.

He entered the arena, paused, waited for the drum group to begin. He ignored the chaos of a festival around him.

Singing started. It was slow and traditional, his favorite.

He started moving, arms waved up, down, his feet stomped and tapped back and forth to the beat. He swung his fan of eagle feathers. He bent down, swayed to the side, back up again.

Red Cloud Indian School receives largest grant in organization's history

The students of Red Cloud Indian School will be the beneficiaries of a five-year, $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education that will go toward funding the reservation school's comprehensive after-school and summer program. The 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant is the largest award to be given to Red Cloud in the institution's 120-year history.

The federal grant award was announced by M. Michael Rounds, governor of South Dakota, in May. Funds will be distributed over a five-year period as Red Cloud realizes program goals and successes.

"We are very grateful to the Department of Education for recognizing in our students, teachers and families the important work that after-school and summer programs offer the Lakota students we educate each year," said Robert Brave Heart Sr., superintendent of schools. "The co-curricular programs at Red Cloud play an instrumental role in ensuring that each student who leaves our doors at graduation is poised for a successful, meaningful life."

A Choctaw Indian finds himself on the Emerald Isle

Gary White Deer has spent a lifetime wrestling with his identity, his history, his sense of belonging.

Artist, teacher, medicine man, he has roamed the country - visiting elders, soaking up old stories and songs. He married a Kiowa woman whose family practiced traditional ways. He formed a native dance troupe, prayed at the sacred mound of Nanih Waiya in Mississippi, immersed himself in historic preservation groups, taught tribal history. Still, he has always wondered: What does being a Choctaw mean in an age when it seems anyone with a drop of tribal blood could declare themselves Indian?

In the end, he found answers, but not on the reservations or anywhere he might have expected.

Navajo Department of Justice: Ranch program under investigation

An investigation into allegations of illegal and unethical behavior by Navajo Nation government employees has been expanded to include the tribal ranch program, a Navajo justice official said.

The Navajo Nation leases more than two dozen tribal ranches on about 1.5 million acres that are divided into range units, most of which lie in New Mexico. Henry Howe, assistant attorney general for the Navajo Nation Department of Justice, said the department petitioned a special panel of judges to add the tribal ranch program to the investigation after allegations of improprieties in awarding ranch leases surfaced. "We received sufficient credible evidence that convinced the attorney general that further investigation was warranted," he said.

A special investigator already is looking into the tribe's contractual relationship with a Utah-based satellite Internet company, a tribal loan guarantee to a Shiprock, N.M., manufacturing company and discretionary funding doled out by Tribal Council delegates.

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts:

Patrick S. Moon, Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Department of State Christopher W. Murray, Ambassador to the Republic of the Congo, Department of State

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint Milford Wayne Donaldson to serve as Chair of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. His bio is below.

President Obama said, “It gives me great confidence that such dedicated and capable individuals have agreed to join my administration and serve the American people. I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts:

Patrick S. Moon, Nominee for Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Department of State
Patrick S. Moon is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. He currently serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. He previously served as the Coordinator for Afghanistan while concurrently serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Afghanistan. Moon was also the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Croatia. His other overseas assignments include Beirut, Zaire, and Geneva. Other Washington assignments include the European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau’s Director of the Office of Austrian, German and Swiss Affairs, Deputy Director of the Office of UN Political Affairs, and Director of the Afghanistan Office in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. Moon earned an M.A. degree in International Relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Christopher W. Murray, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of the Congo, Department of State
Christopher W. Murray is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service.  He currently serves as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels.  He previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassies in Lebanon and in Algeria.   His other overseas assignments include Syria, a prior posting in Brussels, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Jamaica.  At the State Department in Washington he has served in the Bureaus of Nonproliferation, European Affairs, International Organizations, and African Affairs.   Murray received a B.A in Government from Lawrence University and a J.D. from Cornell Law School.

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint the following individual to a key administration post:

Milford Wayne Donaldson, Appointee for Chair, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Milford Wayne Donaldson currently serves as the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) for the state of California. The SHPO serves as chief administrative officer of the Office of Historic Preservation in Sacramento and as Executive Secretary of the State Historical Resources Commission. Prior to his appointment as SHPO, Mr. Donaldson served as president of the award winning firm ‘Architect Milford Wayne Donaldson, FAIA’ since 1978, specializing in historic preservation services.  He is licensed to practice architecture in California, Nevada and Arizona and holds a certified license from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.  Mr. Donaldson is affiliated with several historical and preservation organizations and is a past president of the California Preservation Foundation and past chair of the State Historical Building Safety Board, the State Historical Resources Commission, and the Historic State Capitol Commission. He holds a B.A. and a B.S. in Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Mr. Donaldson received a Master of Science in Architecture from University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, and a Master of Arts in Public History and Teaching from University of San Diego.

Following a series of articles and columns critical of over-landmarking, as well as pushback in an attempt to landmark a Presbyterian church on the Upper West Side, preservationists apparently aren't happy to be slapped around.

Per an advisory to supporters just sent out by Historic Districts Council executive director Simeon Bankoff, preservation groups are planning a 10 a.m. rally Wednesday at City Hall, which just so happens to be the same day that the Presbyterian...

It's official: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar gave the go-ahead to America's first offshore wind farm. The decision was long-awaited by supporters, who hope that this project will finally spur other offshore wind farms. The 130-turbine, 400-MW power plant will be located in the Nantucket Sound about five miles off the Massachusetts coast. Because it's visible low on the horizon from Cape Cod, the project has aptly come to be known as Cape Wind.

Anyone who's followed renewable energy news in recent years has no doubt heard mention of Cape Wind, for it has stirred up a decade-long controversy, despite its ability to create enough wind energy to power 400,000 homes. Supporters call it a major breakthrough for the US wind industry and our collective drive toward cleaner electricity, but powerful detractors have persisted, including late Senator Ted Kennedy, who didn't like the idea of gazing at wind turbines from his Hyannis Port home, which overlooks Nantucket Sound.

Two Wampanoag Indian tribes delayed a ruling last year by claiming the turbines would disrupt spiritual sun ceremonies and potentially even artifacts on the seabed. Other reasons for controversy have included possible damage to historic sites, birds, fishing, aviation and those who simply see the turbines as an eyesore.

So there's no doubt that Secretary Salazar's decision is a big one. One that even he admits will likely have further legal battles to fight, although he is confident that Cape Wind will go forward. It most certainly has the support of other governors on the eastern seaboard. Following a letter to Salazar in opposition by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, six regional governors replied with their own letter insisting the project move on, fearing that Cape Wind's failure would signal doom for other offshore projects up and down the east coast.

The turbines will stand 400 feet high and dot 24 square miles of ocean. For the wind industry, which grew by 27 percent last year without a single offshore project, this is a major victory. There is high potential for wind power out at sea. Several European countries have proven that, including Germany, Denmark, Spain and Portugal.

German company Siemens AG will supply the turbines for Cape Wind.

Via Reuters

Photo Credit: WindDose & SB Composites

Goldman Sachs has everyone's attention, but there is a lot of other news worth a look. Here is a wrapup of union and pension news of significance for the past week.

Judge sides with R.I. on retiree health benefits

The Rhode Island Providence Journal is reporting Judge sides with R.I. on retiree health benefits

U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith has upheld the state’s trimming of health-care benefits for state employees who retire early.

Governor Carcieri on Thursday proclaimed the decision “a victory for all taxpayers” that affirms state officials’ legal authority to better align employee benefits with what the government can afford.

“It was a huge cost-saver to the state,” said Carcieri spokeswoman Amy Kempe. A savings estimate was not immediately available.

But Kenneth DeLorenzo, executive director of the employees labor union, Rhode Island Council 94 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, denounced the decision as a historic repudiation of the state’s obligations to its employees.

Council 94 had sued to block implementation of the law on state-subsidized health-care benefits — a law that Judge Smith described as an attempt by the state amid a fiscal crisis in 2008 “to tighten its belt” by reducing the amount it spends on those benefits.

In a decision entered Tuesday, Smith rejected claims by the union that the reduction in benefits violated employee rights under the contract clauses of the Rhode Island and U.S. Constitutions. Contrary to the union claims, he said, no enforceable contract exists for retiree health benefits under the state’s past practice regarding retirees, the negotiated collective-bargaining agreement between Council 94 and the state, state statute and common law.

Score a rare victory for common sense.

Unions Seek More Power In California

The Sacramento Bee is reporting Unions seeking more power over local governments

Los Angeles' financial woes are emblematic of a widening crisis in California's 5,000 units of local government as they deal with flattening or even declining property and sales tax revenues, reduced and/or delayed payments from a deficit-wracked state budget, and burgeoning costs. And if their pinch continues, which seems highly likely, some probably will wind up in bankruptcy court.

One city, Vallejo, is already there, having foolishly squandered windfalls of property and sales taxes on unsustainable contracts for its police and firefighters. And the prospect that more public entity bankruptcies could follow is unsettling to public employee unions, who fear their salary contracts and/or pension benefits could be abrogated.

Last year, the unions' allies in the Legislature's Democratic majority pushed legislation that would indirectly give unions a veto power on local government bankruptcies, or at least the power to extract concessions from local officials.

It would do so by requiring insolvent local governments to get permission from the otherwise obscure, nine-member California Debt and Investment Advisory Committee – a committee dominated by union-friendly Democrats – before seeking bankruptcy protection.

We need to get rid of unions, not give them still more power. They have already wrecked many cities and want still more. Please email your state representatives and the Governor and tell them no on Assembly Bill 155. See the article for more details on the bill.

Executive Order 13502 Yet Another Obama Favor For Unions

The Washington Examiner is reporting Another Obama favor for unions

Barely 15 percent of all construction-industry workers in the United States are union members, while the remaining 85 percent are nonunion, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. So why has President Obama signed Executive Order 13502 directing federal agencies taking bids for government construction projects to accept only those from contractors who agree in advance to a project labor agreement that requires a union work force? Obama's new order applies to all federal construction projects with price tags of $25 million or more, and it means all such contracts will only be awarded to companies with unionized work forces.

By eliminating the vast majority of potential bidders on federal construction projects, Obama guarantees two things. First, the projects will cost taxpayers more because union labor is always more expensive. And with mandated PLAs, the cost premium for union contractors will be even greater because fewer bidders always means less competition and higher prices. Second, by guaranteeing unions a bigger stream of federal contracts, Obama is making sure that Big Labor, already among the Democrats' biggest sources of campaign cash, will have even more money to hand out for the 2010 and 2012 elections. You scratch our back with taxpayers dollars gleaned through PLA-based federal construction jobs, and we'll scratch your back with campaign contributions. That's the way it works in Obama's business-as-usual Washington. It's also known in some quarters as "the Chicago Way."

"The Obama administration's policy is a slap in the face to the vast majority of construction workers who have chosen not to unionize," said Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation."Qualified nonunion contractors whose workers have opted against unionization will be locked out from large-scale construction projects. The true purpose of so-called project labor agreements is simple: To impose unwanted union boss control on workers from the top down."

Executive Order 13502 is absolutely asinine. Now more than ever, cash strapped states need more for their money. This executive order ensures states will git the absolute minimum for their money. Unfortunately we have come to expect nothing but asininity from President Obama.

Going for broke in L.A.?

Citing former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan, the Los Angeles Times is asking Going for broke in L.A.?

Former mayor Richard Riordan has been roiling the civic waters by arguing that the surest -- and perhaps the only -- way out of Los Angeles' fiscal crisis is a declaration of municipal bankruptcy, which he believes ought to come sooner rather than later.

In a conversation with The Times over the weekend, Riordan argued that bankruptcy may be the only way to attack the structural problem gnawing the heart out of the city budget: unsustainable public employee pension costs. Currently, Riordan says, the city is struggling to meet its pension obligations, and that's assuming it will receive 8% annually on the money invested on retirees' behalf. In fact, the average return over the past decade has been just 4%. Over the next few years, L.A. may be looking at $1.5 billion in pension obligations it can't meet. "We need some adults to come alive in the city and to talk through how to meet that liability," he said. "If that doesn't happen, we shouldn't rule out bankruptcy."

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's chief of staff, Jeff Carr, says categorically that "this mayor has made it clear that we are not going to declare bankruptcy." Moreover, while federal law lets bankruptcy judges reduce negotiated pension and health benefits in the private sector, it forbids changes in public employees' agreements.

Wherever you come down on the bankruptcy question, it's clear that anything approaching a genuine resolution of the civic financial troubles will have to involve a thorough overhaul of the pension system. Traditionally, public employment offered generous benefits because wages and salaries were lower than in the private sector for comparable work. More recently, public sector salaries have increased -- in part because the governmental workforce is the most significantly unionized in the American economy -- at the same time compensation in most of the private sector has been falling. When you narrow the focus of this national trend to labor-friendly L.A., the picture that emerges is fairly stunning.

L.A. is headed for bankruptcy because of union contracts and pension promises that cannot be met. This is what happens when mayors like Antonio Villaraigosa buy union votes to get elected.

Unions being unions will suck the life out of every city, and bitch, whine, and moan about being underpaid every step of the way.

The way to deal with unions, and the only way to deal with unions is to exterminate them before this happens. For many cities it is far too late. Nonetheless, the best action is to declare bankruptcy sooner rather than later, before more taxpayer money is thrown down a union rathole of untenable promises.

Union Scare Tactics In Nevada - Firefighter Ad Attacks City of North Las Vegas

CBS News is reporting Firefighter Ad Attacks City of North Las Vegas

The North Las Vegas Firefighter's Union took out a full page ad in Wednesday's paper show the public what concessions they've offered to help with the city budget.

The battle between the union and the city is loud and clear. In the ad, the union says they offered to take more than $3 million in wage and benefit cuts to help the city.

They use words like "stubborn" and "refusal" to describe the actions of some members of the city council.

"They walked away from fiscal responsibility. They walked away from staffing this engine. They walked away from response times and we felt the citizens needed to know what was going on," said Jeff Hurley with the union.

Councilman Richard Cherchio calls the ad nothing more than a scare tactic, saying the whole story isn't being told to the public.

"This is the type of fear factor and media hype that gets results, or have gotten results in the past. It's not going to get results this time with me," he said.

He says the union is offering only to defer cost of living adjustments, not forfeit them.

The ad is coming out on the same day 16 firefighters were given pink slips, many of them from one station.

See how insane this is? Taxpayer dollars go to unions for scaremongering to get voters to approve more tax hikes for overpaid union members. North Las Vegas should fire them all, and outsource the whole shebang to the lowest bidder.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

I WELCOMED Beth Daley’s article on the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and its recommendation to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to oppose the Cape Wind project on Nantucket Sound on the grounds that its effects would be “pervasive, destructive, and . . .permanent.’’ That the council seemed to go beyond its mission is a testament to its firm and incontrovertible ...

I WELCOMED Beth Daley’s article on the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and its recommendation to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to oppose the Cape Wind project on Nantucket Sound on the grounds that its effects would be “pervasive, destructive, and . . .permanent.’’ That the council seemed to go beyond its mission is a testament to its firm and incontrovertible ...

I WELCOMED Beth Daley’s article on the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and its recommendation to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to oppose the Cape Wind project on Nantucket Sound on the grounds that its effects would be “pervasive, destructive, and . . .permanent.’’ That the council seemed to go beyond its mission is a testament to its firm and incontrovertible ...

12 projects in development, but the first offshore turbine has yet to spin. From SolveClimate, part of the Guardian Environment Network

The American Wind Energy Association released its annual report on the industry Thursday, highlighting impressive growth of wind installations and manufacturing in 2009 despite the economic slowdown.

More than 10,000 megawatts of wind power was installed across the United States last year, raising the total installed capacity to over 35,000 MW — about 1.8 percent of all electricity generated in the country. Manufacturing of wind turbines is also picking up steam, with the industry now supporting about 85,000 U.S. jobs in more than 200 facilities. China is gaining ground quickly, but for now, the U.S. remains the biggest user of wind power in the world.

One subsector of the wind industry is still trying to power up, though, and that is offshore wind. The AWEA report lists 12 proposed offshore projects around the United States, and while the industry seems optimistic about their potential, there are clear obstacles.

"There is a lot of activity with new projects, [developers] are actually getting commitments with utilities for power purchase agreements, so it is beginning to ripen," said Elizabeth Salerno, the director of industry data for AWEA. "But I think there has to be a breakthrough."

As Usual … Cape Wind

The most heavily anticipated breakthrough is the impending decision on the fate of the Cape Wind project off Massachusetts.

The project, touted for more than a decade as the first offshore wind farm in the country, is expected to feature 130 turbines in Nantucket Sound that would produce 420 megawatts of energy. However, Cape Wind has been held up by a parade of objections, starting with wealthy area residents, such as the Kennedy family, who fear their water views would be obstructed, and more recently from groups including the Mashpee Wampanoag Nation who argue it would interfere with their sacred rituals and ancient burial sites.

The most recent of those objections, which calls for Nantucket Sound to be designated for Historic Preservation and thereby unavailable for wind power development, is currently in the hands of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation came out against the wind farm last week. Salazar expects to make his decision soon.

Although Cape Wind stood alone for years in terms of proposed U.S. offshore wind plans, as Europe and China built their own massive offshore wind farms, there are now a number of other U.S. proposals that are progressing relatively scandal-free.

In Rhode Island, two offshore farms are planned, and a small project called the Block Island Wind Farm could actually lay claim to "nation's first" status. It is designed to have eight turbines and be sited three miles from the coast. The wind farm's developer, Deepwater Wind, is also working on a larger project located 15 to 20 miles offshore; together, the two sites could supply as much as 15 percent of the state's power.

Fishermen's Energy is working on two offshore projects near New Jersey. Its phase II wind farm would house 66 turbines providing 330 MW of power and would take up 20,000 acres about seven miles off the coast near Atlantic City. Other projects on the East Coast are planned in Delaware and North Carolina, along with others in Massachusetts and New Jersey.

The move toward offshore wind has also spread beyond the Northeast states. In Texas, Wind Energy Systems Technology is working toward a wind farm off the coast near Galveston, and the Lake Erie Development Corporation wants to build a pilot project of at most eight turbines in Cleveland Bay.

"There are a lot of discussions from the Carolinas all the way up to Maine in terms of doing offshore development," said Denise Bode, CEO of AWEA. "Clearly, just as offshore drilling is more expensive than onshore drilling, offshore wind is more expensive than onshore wind. We're the Saudi Arabia of wind, and you develop the thing that's least expensive first."

Huge Offshore Need
All of the proposed projects hope to provide the breakthrough needed, but as of yet, the final push toward construction has not happened. If the U.S. is to meet the renewable energy goals recommended by the Department of Energy, it needs to happen soon.

A 2008 DOE report on wind power recommended that 20 percent of all electricity in the country to come from wind, which Salerno said means about 300,000 total megawatts of capacity.

"Fifty thousand megawatts of that 300,000 was offshore based on that scenario," she said. "So, offshore has a huge role to play in moving us forward and being a larger part of the power mix."

The U.S. need only look across to Europe for a role model. The EU recently surpassed 2,000 MW installed offshore capacity, and according to Steve Sawyer, secretary general of the Global Wind Energy Council, another 1,000 MW are expected to come online in 2010.

The EU mandate of achieving 20 percent of final electricity demand from renewable sources by 2020 is fueling the push toward offshore development, he said.

"That is a very powerful stick," Sawyer said. "Space is also an issue. I live in Holland, and there is a fair amount of onshore wind, but there is not a lot of space. Nor is there in Belgium, nor in Denmark, nor in the south of Sweden."

Recently, collaborative projects have been planned that will involve construction of "supernodes" in the North Sea and Baltic Sea; these will allow transmission of the wind-generated electricity to shore as well as providing interconnectivity between various member nations of the EU.

Wind industry officials and companies hope to see a similar centralized mandate in the United States. Twenty-nine states currently have renewable energy portfolio standards, but without a federal standard requiring utilities to bring in more power from the wind and the sun, that impending breakthrough in offshore wind might not be enough to truly jumpstart the industry.

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation is asking the U.S. Interior Department to block the $1-billion wind project off Cape Cod in Massachusetts because it would impact 34 historic properties including those of local Indian tribes, reports Reuters. Cape Wind Associates has been battling local businesses, politicians and environmentalists for several years to build its proposed [...]

Over 30 historic properties will be permanently adversely affected by the project. Photo: Versageek via flickr. Another twist in the long, ongoing saga of Cape Wind , the proposed 130-turbine wind power project planned for Nantucket Sound: The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation has advised that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar not approve the project on the grounds that the project's indirect and direct effects on historic properties in the area would be "pervasive, de... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Tyler Suiters anchors this morning's Clean Skies News Energy Report from Washington, DC. On the program: - Governor Bob McDonnell signs a series of bills to promote green energy, including a new agency to promote off-shore wind. - Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli wants the courts to stop the EPA from issuing new standards for auto fuel efficiency. - The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation is recommending that the Cape Wind project on Nantucket Sound be rejected because of "destructive" effects on dozens of nearby historic properties. - More than 100 workers have been rescued after being trapped a week in a flooded Chinese coal mine. - Five dead after an explosion at the Tesoro refinery in Washington. www.cleanskies.com

Treehugger

Final Decision Expected Soon on Building Major Wind Farm Off Cape Cod CNSNews.com Environmentalists, Native American tribes, fishermen and historic preservationists are among those fighting the plan, which has the support of Mass. Gov. ... Historic advisory council says no to Cape WindRecharge Will Obama's interior secretary Ken Salazar OK Cape Wind?Examiner.com Federal Advisory Council for Historic Preservation Recommends that Secretary ...PR Newswire (press release) Boston Herald all 256 news articles »

The federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation recommended yesterday that US Interior Secretary Ken Salazar reject the proposed wind farm off Cape Cod.

The federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation recommended yesterday that US Interior Secretary Ken Salazar reject the proposed wind farm off Cape Cod.

The federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation recommended yesterday that US Interior Secretary Ken Salazar reject the proposed wind farm off Cape Cod.

A federal historic panel has recommended the government reject a proposed wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation says the

more images more images Council: Feds should dump Mass. wind farm project BOSTON ? A federal council recommended Friday that the secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior reject a proposed wind farm in Nantucket Sound, saying it would have “destructive” effects on dozens of nearby historic properties. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation said the Kennedy family .... Source article  : Federal historic council recommends US interior secretary reject Mass. coast wind farm project.

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation today told U.S. Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar to reject Cape...

Five Senate committees will meet today and the Assembly will hold a voting session with twenty nine bills on the agenda for consideration.

The Senate Judiciary will consider three nominations including Thomas Considine to be Commissioner of the Department of Banking and Insurance, Bob Martin to be Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection and Poonam Alaigh to be Commissioner of the Department of Health and Senior Services. The Martin nomination has raised concerns from environmental groups and the Alaigh nomination has had people on the right up in arms.

The Economic Growth committee will consider Senator Lesniak's legislation that would change the way affordable housing is done in New Jersey. The State Government Committee has invited Catherine Starghill, Esq., Executive Director of the NJ Government Records Council to discuss the Open Public Records Act (OPRA). The Environment Committee has seven bills up for consideration including bills dealing with the highlands and renewable energy.

Among the legislation up for consideration in the Assembly voting session is a bill that would convert property tax rebates to direct credits on the tax bill. Also on the agenda is a bill sponsored by Burzichelli to direct the State Commission of Investigation to look into the finances and operations of the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association. Still another bill would create a New Jersey Honor Guard Ribbon for the New Jersey National Guard. And then A-2420 eliminates the 10-day waiting period for certain shareholder actions not concerning mergers and acquisition activity governed by state law.

I'll put the full list of bills up for consideration below the fold. If you can't make it to Trenton, you can follow along live here.
*Senate Economic Growth Meeting 10:00 AM

S1 [Lesniak, Raymond J./Bateman, Christopher], Afford. housing-reforms procedures
S1794 [Lesniak, Raymond J./Scutari, Nicholas P.], Redevel. Auth. finan.
assistance-elig.
SR35 [Kean, Thomas H./Sarlo, Paul A.], Meadowlands Stadium-Super Bowl XLVIII

**Senate Environment and Energy Meeting 10:00 AM

S239 [Bateman, Christopher/Turner, Shirley K.], Pub. sch des.concerns cert guidelines
S411 [Haines, Philip E./Bucco, Anthony R.+1], Hunting/fishing free lic-auth, cert. mil
S1004 [Oroho, Steven V.], Highlands Region-concerns
ACR106 [Stender, Linda/Quijano, Annette], Earth Hour 2010-urges participation
SCR82 [Lesniak, Raymond J.], Earth Hour 2010-urges participation
For Discussion Only:
S463 [Smith, Bob/Buono, Barbara], Renewable energy-concerns net metering
S1411 [Smith, Bob/Beck, Jennifer], Fertilizer applications-estab. standards

**Senate Judiciary Meeting 12:30 PM

Please note the nomination of Harold J. Wirths to be Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development will be rescheduled.

Interviewed:

to be Commissioner of the Department of Banking and Insurance:

Thomas B. Considine, Esq. of Spring Lake Heights to replace Neil N. Jasey, for the term prescribed by law.

to be Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection:

Bob Martin of Princeton to replace Mark N. Mauriello, for the term prescribed by law.

to be Commissioner of the Department of Health and Senior Services:

Poonam Alaigh, M.D. of Warren to replace Heather Howard, for the term prescribed by law.

Senate Military and Veterans' Affairs Meeting 1:00 PM

A1943 [Conners, Jack/Tucker, Cleopatra G.+6], Handicap accessible veh-
DMVA fd raise
S1189 [Van Drew, Jeff], Vets' Hospital Task Force-estab.
S1493 [Connors, Christopher J./Girgenti, John A.], Vet. Svcs. Council-changes
memb. req.
S1629 [Beach, James/Norcross, Donald+1], Handicap accessible veh-DMVA fd raise
S1731 [Madden, Fred H./Beach, James], Vet. to Vet. Peer Support Prog.-estab.

Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Meeting 1:00 PM

Catherine Starghill, Esq., Executive Director of the NJ Government Records Council is invited to discuss the Open Public Records Act (OPRA).

S201 [Whelan, Jim+1], Gov. records-make available on internet
S562 [Cunningham, Sandra B./Beach, James], Electronic transactions by St.-concerns
S1217 [Weinberg, Loretta/Van Drew, Jeff], St. reports & publications-concerns
S1495 [Bucco, Anthony R.], St. veh.-display abuse hotline stickers
S1610 [Van Drew, Jeff], St. veh.-reduce number
SR48 [Sweeney, Stephen M./Kean, Thomas H.], Paperless Senate-suppl. Senate Rules

ASSEMBLY SESSION 1:00 PM Assembly Chambers

Voting Session:

A368 [Schaer, Gary S./Greenwald, Louis D.+1], Auto. Insur. Risk Exchange-concerns appt
A437 [Green, Jerry/McHose, Alison Littell+3], Devel. application-concern approval
A483 [Rodriguez, Caridad/Schaer, Gary S.+3], Interst. Insur Product Reg Compact-estab
A586 [Cryan, Joseph], Surplus lines producer fees-concerns
A912 [Chivukula, Upendra J.], Electric pub util costs-concern recovery
A917 [Chivukula, Upendra J.], Energy efficient outdoor lighting-St use
A974 [Johnson, Gordon M.], Domestic Security Task Force-expand memb
A1017 [Spencer, L. Grace/Schaer, Gary S.+4], Banking-concerns
A1081 [Gusciora, Reed/Prieto, Vincent], Home improvement contractors-concerns
A1392 [Carroll, Michael Patrick/Rodriguez, Caridad], Midwives-w/in definition of lic. person
A1590 [Scalera, Frederick/Johnson, Gordon M.], Birth cert, duplicate-req. 3 forms of id
A1600 [Scalera, Frederick/Wisniewski, John S.], Emerg. operations plans-concerns
A1650 [Greenwald, Louis D./Johnson, Gordon M.+2], Cosmetologist-operate mobile fac.
A1708 [Burzichelli, John J./Milam, Matthew W.+3], Prop. tax info.-concerns confidentiality
A1748 [Watson Coleman, Bonnie/Tucker, Cleopatra G.+2], Domestic viol.-concerns
A1945 [Conners, Jack/Tucker, Cleopatra G.+1], Honor Guard Ribbon-creates
A2219 [McKeon, John F.+1], Tax collectors-issue blanket bonds
A2294 [Diegnan, Patrick J./Caputo, Ralph R.+3], St. bd of ed. memb., cert.-prov. removal
A2297 [Prieto, Vincent+1], Consumer complaints, cert.-concerns
A2420 [Diegnan, Patrick J./Barnes, Peter J.+3], Shareholder actions-elim. advance notice
ACR116 [Burzichelli, John J./Vainieri Huttle, Valerie], St Intersch. Athletic Assoc-investigate
ACR118 [Oliver, Sheila Y.], Prof. Social Work Mo.-desig. March 2010
AJR23 [Evans, Elease/Vainieri Huttle, Valerie+4], Colorectal Cancer Awareness Mo.-March
AJR29 [Burzichelli, John J./Johnson, Gordon M.], Firearms Advisory Task Force-creates
AJR38 [Quijano, Annette/Riley, Celeste M.], Census Awareness Mo.-desig. March 2010
AR317 [Cryan, Joseph/Rible, David P.], Northern Ireland-unify w/Ireland Repub.
S82 [Rice, Ronald L./Van Drew, Jeff], Mun Land Use Law-mod application process
S895 [Gill, Nia H./Sarlo, Paul A.], Shareholder actions-elim. advance notice
S936 [Cardinale, Gerald/Sarlo, Paul A.], Consumer complaints, cert.-concerns
 

With negotiations on how best to handle the "Cape Wind" wind farm project proposed for Nantucket Sound apparently deadlocked, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has decided to make a decision on the project himself.

Secretary Salazar on Monday notified the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation that the parties to the consultations did not reach agreement on mitigation actions for the proposed w

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts:

Stephen T. Ayers, Architect of the Capitol Eduardo M. Ochoa, Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education, Department of Education Deborah Loewenberg Ball, Member, National Board for Education Sciences, Department of Education Adam Gamoran, Member, National Board for Education Sciences, Department of Education Bridget Terry Long, Member, National Board for Education Sciences, Department of Education Margaret R. (Peggy) McLeod, Member, National Board for Education Sciences, Department of Education

President Obama said, “I am grateful that these impressive individuals have chosen to join my administration at this important time for our nation. I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administrations posts:

Stephen T. Ayers, Nominee for Architect of the Capitol
Stephen T. Ayers is Deputy Architect of the Capitol and Chief Operating Officer, a position he has held since 2005; he has served as the Acting Architect of the Capitol since February 2007.  He previously served as Superintendent of the Library Buildings and Grounds and Deputy Superintendent for the Senate Office Buildings.  Prior to joining the Architect of the Capitol in 1997, Mr. Ayers was a General Engineer with Voice of America, leading the organization’s construction efforts at several sites in Greece and Germany.  He also served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force.   Mr. Ayers is a licensed architect in California, a member of the American Institute of Architects, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and an Accredited Professional in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. He completed his Master's of Science degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture at the University of Maryland.

Eduardo M. Ochoa, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education, Department of Education
Dr. Eduardo M. Ochoa has served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Sonoma State University since 2003.   He is responsible for the University’s academic programs, strategic planning, and overall diversity initiative. He is also involved with the California State University Graduation Initiative. As a member of the CSU Academic Council, Dr. Ochoa contributes to CSU’s academic administration and plays a significant role in system-wide strategic planning and academic technology initiatives.   Prior to his position at Sonoma, he served for six years as Dean of the College of Business Administration at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona and for thirteen years as Professor of Economics at California State University-Los Angeles.  Dr. Ochoa is a graduate of Reed College (B.A., Physics, Philosophy), Columbia University (M.S., Nuclear Engineering), and the New School for Social Research (Ph.D., Economics).

Deborah Loewenberg Ball, Nominee for Member, National Board for Education Sciences, Department of Education
Deborah Loewenberg Ball is currently Dean of the School of Education and William H. Payne Collegiate Professor at the University of Michigan. She conducts research on mathematics instruction and on professional education to improve the quality and effectiveness of teaching. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Michigan, she was on the faculty at the College of Education at Michigan State University from 1988-1996, and an elementary classroom teacher in East Lansing, Michigan from 1976–1988. Dr. Ball has authored or co-authored over 150 publications and has lectured and made numerous major presentations around the world. Her research has been recognized with several awards and honors, and she has served on several national and international commissions and panels focused on policy initiatives and the improvement of education. She serves on the Board of the Spencer Foundation, is a trustee of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley, California, and was elected to membership in the National Academy of Education in 2007. Dr. Ball holds a B.A. in French and education from Michigan State University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in education, with specializations in teacher education, education policy, and mathematics education, also from Michigan State University.

Adam Gamoran, Nominee for Member, National Board for Education Sciences, Department of Education
Adam Gamoran is the John D. MacArthur Professor of Sociology and Educational Policy Studies and Director of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  He has been on the University faculty since 1984.  From 2001-2004, he served as chair of the department of sociology, and from 2008-2009 he served as interim dean of the School of Education.  Dr. Gamoran is an elected member of the National Academy of Education and has served on several committees of the National Research Council, including the Board on Science Education.  He also chairs the Independent Advisory Panel of the National Assessment of Career and Technical Education for the U.S. Department of Education.  Dr. Gamoran received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago.

Bridget Terry Long, Nominee for Member, National Board for Education Sciences, Department of Education
Bridget Terry Long is currently a Professor of Education and Economics at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.  Dr. Long is also a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and a Research Affiliate of the National Center for Postsecondary Research (NCPR). As an economist specializing in the study of education, Dr. Long examines the transition from high school to higher education and beyond.  Her work focuses on college access and choice, factors that influence student outcomes, and the behavior of postsecondary institutions.  Dr. Long received the National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship and has been awarded numerous research grants and awards, including the Robert P. Huff Golden Quill Award for excellence in research and published works on student financial assistance.  Dr. Long received her Ph.D. and M.A. from the Harvard University Department of Economics and her A.B. from Princeton University.

Margaret R. (Peggy) McLeod, Nominee for Member, National Board for Education Sciences, Department of Education
Dr. Margaret R. (Peggy) McLeod is currently Executive Director of Student Services and Special Education in the Alexandria City Public Schools.  She has also worked as a consultant to national advocacy and professional organizations, universities, states, and school districts. She served as Assistant Superintendent for Special Education in the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education. In D.C., she has also served as State Title III Director, Director of the Office of Bilingual Education, Title VII Coordinator, Bilingual Program Developer, and ESL teacher. From 2002 - 2003, she served as Deputy Director of the National Organization for Bilingual Education. She worked at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services from 1995 - 2001. In her native Puerto Rico, she taught in two Montessori schools and owned a center that provided after school services to students with disabilities.  Dr. McLeod holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Puerto Rico, an M.A. in Special Education from New York University, and an Ed.D. in Bilingual Special Education Leadership from the George Washington University.

American Scofflaw

Over 276,000 federal workers and retirees owed more than $3 billion in back income taxes in 2008 (up from $2.7 billion owed in 2007).

The cabinet departments with the largest percentages of employee/retiree tax deadbeats are:

1. Housing & Urban Development: 4.05%
2. Veterans Affairs: 3.91%
3. Health & Human Services: 3.86%
4. Army: 3.76%
5. Education: 3.60%
6. Air Force: 3.25%
7. Defense: 3.16%
8. State: 3.14%
9. Navy: 3.01%
10. Commerce: 3.00%

The agencies and commissions with the largest percentages of employee/retiree tax deadbeats are:

1. National Capital Planning Commission: 10.42%
2. Advisory Council on Historic preservation: 9.26%
3. U.S. Office of Special Counsel: 8.65%
4. U.S. Election Assistance Commission: 8.51%
5. Federal Labor Relations Authority: 7.20%
6. U.S. Commission on Civil Rights: 7.14%
7. Federal Mine Safety & Health Review Commission: 6.82%
8. Government Printing Office: 6.29%
9. Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board: 5.33%
10. Court Services & Offender Supervisors: 5.23%

Other departments and agencies:

• Federal Reserve Board: 4.32%
• U.S. House of Representatives: 4.17%
• U.S. Senate: 3.19%
• SEC: 2.56%
• U.S. Tax Court: 1.43%
• Treasury Department: 0.98% (the lowest delinquency rate among cabinet departments)