February, 08 2011, 11:09am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Jordan Libowitz,,jlibowitz@citizensforethics.org,.
CREW Releases Searchable Version of Issa Documents
Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
praised Congressman Darrell Issa's (R-CA) release of almost 2,000 pages
of information related to his letters to corporations, trade groups and
research organizations regarding government regulations. Rep. Issa
posted the information as one large PDF on the website of the House
Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which he chairs.
The massive document is not searchable and does not include several
letters sent to the committee.
WASHINGTON
Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
praised Congressman Darrell Issa's (R-CA) release of almost 2,000 pages
of information related to his letters to corporations, trade groups and
research organizations regarding government regulations. Rep. Issa
posted the information as one large PDF on the website of the House
Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which he chairs.
The massive document is not searchable and does not include several
letters sent to the committee. At least two of the replies-those from
the Industrial Minerals Association - North America and a coalition of housing and construction groups
are not part of the PDF, but were obtained by CREW. Also not included
were letters from Duke Energy and the Edison Electric Institute.
Representatives from both companies confirmed to CREW they had sent
letters to Chairman Issa, but refused to release them publicly.
In an effort to aid the chairman in reaching his stated transparency goals,
CREW has scanned the document with character recognition software. As a
result, it can now be searched for key words and phrases. The
searchable documents can be seen here.
In response, CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan released the following statement:
"It is encouraging to see that Chairman Issa has heeded CREW's calls
to release at least some of the letters he received. The chairman
frequently has said he desires a more transparent government and posting
some of these letters is an important step forward in that regard. In
the spirit of cooperation, CREW has placed a searchable version of this
PDF on our website. I encourage all Americans to read the letters, and
decide for themselves whether rolling back the regulations referred to
is a good idea or not. The Oversight Committee is more than welcome to
link to this document as well. Building a better Washington requires a
more open and honest government, and while Chairman Issa and I might not
always agree on every issue, I look forward to helping him in any way I
can in pursuit of that goal."
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting ethics and accountability in government and public life by targeting government officials -- regardless of party affiliation -- who sacrifice the common good to special interests. CREW advances its mission using a combination of research, litigation and media outreach.
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