Office of the Ombudsman at the Environmental Protection Agency: Hearing Before the Committee on Environment and Public Works, United States Senate, One Hundred Seventh Congress, Second Session on S. 606, a Bill to Provide Additional Authority to the Office of Ombudsman of the Environmental Protection Agency, June 25, 2002

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Page 56 - Office is established — (1) to provide policy direction for and to conduct, supervise, and coordinate audits and investigations relating to the programs and operations of such establishment...
Page 51 - Yet the pressures on agencies for favorable action one way or the other are enormous. The suggestion that Congress can stop action which is undesirable is true in theory; yet even Congress is too remote to give meaningful direction and its machinery is too ponderous to use very often. The federal agencies of which I speak are not venal or corrupt. But they are notoriously under the control of powerful interests who manipulate them through advisory committees, or friendly working relations, or who...
Page 65 - Chairman, this concludes my prepared statement. I would be pleased to respond to any questions that you or other Members of the Committee may have at this time.
Page 72 - Our organization investigates, exposes, and seeks to remedy systemic abuses of power, mismanagement, and subservience by the federal government to powerful special interests. Founded in...
Page 78 - Committtee on Environment and Public Works, US Senate, Washington, DC. DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: On behalf of the American Bar...
Page 56 - General offices in federal departments and agencies to create independent and objective units to: (1) conduct and supervise audits, inspections, and investigations relating to the programs and operations of the department; (2) provide leadership and coordination and recommend policies for activities designed to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness...
Page 70 - When Congress passes an Act empowering administrative agencies to carry on governmental activities, the power of those agencies is circumscribed by the authority granted. This permits the courts to participate in law enforcement entrusted to administrative bodies only to the extent necessary to protect justiciable individual rights against administrative action fairly beyond the granted powers. The...
Page 70 - ... protection of state rights. In my judgment the legislative power which the Supreme Court now wields in the exercise of its power of judicial review of legislation is far greater than can be soundly adjusted to the principles of democratic government. Our .. constitutional system rests on the principle that the legislative power of the United States is vested in the Congress. It is not vested in the Supreme Court. It seems to me one of the vicious paradoxes of our national democracy that so many...
Page 56 - Federal agencies; (5) to have direct and prompt access to the head of the establishment involved when necessary for any purpose pertaining to the performance of functions and responsibilities under this Act; (6) to select, appoint, and, employ such officers and employees as may be necessary...
Page 62 - Human Capital: The Role of Ombudsmen in Dispute Resolution, GAO-01^466 (Washington, DC; Apr.

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