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Southwest Retort, Volume 53, Number 7, March 2001 (open access)

Southwest Retort, Volume 53, Number 7, March 2001

This publication of the Dallas-Fort Worth Section of the American Chemical Society includes information about research, prominent scientist, organizational business, and various other stories of interest to the community.
Date: March 2001
Creator: American Chemical Society. Dallas/Fort Worth Section.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The UNT Digital Library
Combating Terrorism: Comments on Counterterrorism Leadership and National Strategy (open access)

Combating Terrorism: Comments on Counterterrorism Leadership and National Strategy

A statement of record issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The federal government will spend approximately $11 billion to combat terrorism In fiscal year 2001. In the event of a domestic terrorist incident, state and local governments have the primary responsibility for managing the consequences of a terrorist attack. However, the federal government can assist state and local authorities if they lack the capability to respond adequately. On the basis of past and ongoing GAO work, two key issues emerge that the new President and Congress will face concerning programs to combat terrorism. First, the overall leadership and management of such programs are fragmented within the federal government. No single entity acts as the federal government's top official accountable to both the President and Congress. Fragmentation exists in both coordination of domestic preparedness programs and in efforts to develop a national strategy. The Department of Justice worked with other agencies to develop the Attorney General's Five-Year Interagency Counterterrorism and Technology Crime Plan. Although this plan is the current document that most resembles a national strategy, GAO believes that it still lacks some critical elements including measurable desired outcomes, linkage to resources, and a discussion of …
Date: March 27, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Planning: Opportunities to Improve Strategic Reviews (open access)

Defense Planning: Opportunities to Improve Strategic Reviews

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "For several years, GAO has reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) efforts to strategically plan for the nation's defense needs and prepare related budgets. In particular, GAO evaluated DOD's methodology for conducting the 1993 Bottom-Up Review and the 1997 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), and its preparation of several Future Years Defense Programs (FYDP). As DOD began a new effort to review its strategic priorities, GAO shared some observations on the importance of (1) using realistic assumptions and integrated analyses to reach force structure and modernization decisions, (2) preparing FYDPs that clearly link strategy and resources, and (3) ensuring DOD's review efforts carefully scrutinize opportunities to reduce support infrastructure and improve business processes."
Date: March 20, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Audit: American Battle Monuments Commission's Financial Statements for Fiscal Years 2000 and 1999 (open access)

Financial Audit: American Battle Monuments Commission's Financial Statements for Fiscal Years 2000 and 1999

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the financial statement audit reports for the American Battle Monuments Commission for fiscal years 2000 and 1999. GAO found that (1) the consolidating financial statements for fiscal year 2000 and comparative consolidated totals for fiscal year 1999 are presented fairly in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles; (2) although internal controls should be improved, the Commission had effective internal control over financial reporting and compliance with laws and regulations as of September 30, 2000; and (3) there are no reportable instances of noncompliance with selected provisions of laws and regulations GAO tested. However, GAO noticed three deficiencies in internal controls over information technology systems."
Date: March 1, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Agricultural Trade: Impacts of the Andean Trade Preference Act on Asparagus Producers and Consumers (open access)

Agricultural Trade: Impacts of the Andean Trade Preference Act on Asparagus Producers and Consumers

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "U.S. asparagus imports increased in the 1990s and now comprise nearly one-half of the asparagus consumed in the United States. Peru is the second largest source of imported asparagus and benefits from duty-free treatment under the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA). ATPA is estimated to have displaced between two and eight percent of the value of domestic production from what it would have been without the act. Although the supply of fresh asparagus from imports has increased since ATPA's enactment, consumer demand has been strong, and prices have risen. In addition, an apparent increase in consumer preference for fresh asparagus has contributed to a downward shift in the domestic demand for processed asparagus. Most of the decline in the domestic production of processed asparagus occurred in Michigan and Washington, the two states that produce most canned and frozen asparagus. If ATPA is reauthorized, domestic producers of asparagus and, in particular, asparagus for processing, will likely face continued displacement, but consumers can expect continued benefits from the year-round availability of fresh asparagus. However, some of this displacement will likely occur even if ATPA is not reauthorized and …
Date: March 15, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Serving the Congress and the Nation: Education, Workforce, and Income Security Information (open access)

Serving the Congress and the Nation: Education, Workforce, and Income Security Information

Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This is an insert to GAO's publication, Serving the Congress and the Nation, describing the role, functions, and responsibilities of GAO's Education, Workforce, and Income Security team."
Date: March 1, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Welfare Reform: Moving Hard-to-Employ Recipients Into the Workforce (open access)

Welfare Reform: Moving Hard-to-Employ Recipients Into the Workforce

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Although some welfare recipients who might seem hard to employ are able to successfully enter the workforce, others have needed considerable time and support to become work-ready. As a result, some states have begun to implement or are considering strategies to help hard-to-employ recipients join the workforce. To be successful in moving hard-to-employ Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients into the workforce within their 60-month time limit for federal benefits, states must develop programs and provide work and work-preparation activities tailored to the needs of their hard-to-employ recipients and they must ensure that recipients with characteristics that impede employment have access to programs and activities that meet their needs. Some states believe that they would be better able to accomplish this if they (1) had caseload data on the number and characteristics of hard-to-employ TANF recipients, particularly those who will reach their 60-month limit before they are able to work and (2) used a range of work and work-preparation activities that meet the needs of hard-to-employ recipients, including activities that extend beyond those that meet federal work participation requirements."
Date: March 15, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Free Trade Area of the Americas: Negotiations at Key Juncture on Eve of April Meetings (open access)

Free Trade Area of the Americas: Negotiations at Key Juncture on Eve of April Meetings

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The negotiations to establish a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), which would eliminate tariffs and create common trade and investment rules within the 34 democratic nations of the Western Hemisphere, are among the most significant ongoing multilateral trade negotiations for the United States. Two meetings held in April 2001 offer opportunities to inject momentum and set an ambitious pace for the next, more difficult phase of the negotiations. Because of the significance of the FTAA initiative, this report (1) discusses the progress that has been made in the free trade negotiations so far, (2) identifies the challenges that must be overcome to complete a free trade agreement, and (3) discusses the importance of the April meetings of trade ministers and national leaders of participating countries. GAO found that the FTAA negotiations have met the goals and deadlines set by trade ministers. Significant challenges remain, including market access concessions and doubts that key Western Hemisphere leaders will have the political will to embrace the agreement. The April meetings of trade ministers will serve as a transition from the initial proposal phase to the substantive negotiations …
Date: March 30, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Guaranteed Loan System Requirements: Checklist for Reviewing Systems Under the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act (Supersedes AIMD-21.2.7) (open access)

Guaranteed Loan System Requirements: Checklist for Reviewing Systems Under the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act (Supersedes AIMD-21.2.7)

Guidance issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This publication supersedes AIMD-21.2.7, Guaranteed Loan System Requirements: Checklist for Reviewing Systems Under the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act (Exposure Draft), August 2000. The Federal Financial Management Improvement Act requires agencies to implement and maintain financial management systems that substantially comply with federal financial management system requirements. These requirements are detailed in the guidance issued by the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program and the Office of Management and Budget. GAO issued a checklist that reflects the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program's Revised Guaranteed Loan System Requirements to help (1) agencies implement and monitor their guaranteed loan systems and (2) managers and auditors review agency guaranteed loan systems to determine if they substantially comply with act. This checklist is not required to be used to assess guaranteed loan systems. Rather, it is provided as a tool for use by experienced staff and is one in a series of documents GAO has issued to help agencies improve or maintain effective operations."
Date: March 1, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Abstracts of Reports and Testimony: Fiscal Year 2000 (open access)

Abstracts of Reports and Testimony: Fiscal Year 2000

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency in the legislative branch. GAO provides Congress with the best information available to help members make informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. GAO meets Congress' information needs by (1) evaluating how government programs and policies are working, (2) auditing agency operations to determine whether federal funds are being spent efficiently and effectively, (3) investigating allegations of illegal and improper activities, and (4) issuing legal decisions and opinions. Most GAO work is done at the request of committees or members, but some reports are self-initiated or done in response to congressional mandates included in public laws or committee reports. GAO's annual index is a two-volume set. The first volume--Abstracts of Reports and Testimony: Fiscal Year 2000--contains summaries of 878 publicly released reports and testimony listed alphabetically by division or staff office. Classified reports, correspondence, and legal publications are not included. The second volume--Indexes for Reports and Testimony: Fiscal Year 2000--contains several indexes to help you locate reports and testimony by issue category, subject matter, title, or GAO witness. The annual index is also available in electronic …
Date: March 1, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.N. Peacekeeping: GAO's Access to Records on Executive Branch Decision-making (open access)

U.N. Peacekeeping: GAO's Access to Records on Executive Branch Decision-making

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This correspondence provides information on GAO's efforts to obtain access to executive branch records needed to complete its study of United Nations (U.N.) peacekeeping operations. GAO's experience in trying to obtain these records has impaired its ability to conduct meaningful oversight work for Congress that is timely, independent, objective, fact-based, accurate, and complete. Specifically (1) unreasonable delays in obtaining access to the executive branch records have prevented GAO from sending a timely report to Congress, (2) GAO does not have reasonable assurance that it has had independent access to all executive branch records that may have a material bearing on its study, and (3) denying GAO access to records has impaired its ability to conduct a complete and accurate assessment of U.N peacekeeping operations."
Date: March 6, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Best Practices: Better Matching of Needs and Resources Will Lead to Better Weapon System Outcomes (open access)

Best Practices: Better Matching of Needs and Resources Will Lead to Better Weapon System Outcomes

A chapter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report examines how best practices offer improvements to the way the Department of Defense defines and matches weapon system requirements to available resources such as cost, schedule, and mature technologies. GAO identified three factors that were key to matching needs and resources before product development began. First, developers employed the technique of systems engineering to identify gaps between resources and customer needs before committing to a new product development. Second, customers and developers were flexible. Leeway existed to reduce or defer customer needs to future programs or for the developer to make an investment to increase knowledge about a technology or design feature before beginning product development. Third, the roles and responsibilities of the customer and the product developer were matched, with the product developer being able to determine or significantly influence product requirements. In cases where these factors were not present at program launch, product development began without a match between requirements and resources. Invariably, this imbalance favored meeting customer needs by adding resources, which resulted in increased costs and later deliveries."
Date: March 8, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Restructuring of the District of Columbia Department of Public Works' Division of Transportation (open access)

Restructuring of the District of Columbia Department of Public Works' Division of Transportation

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "To handle staffing shortages and rising workloads, states and other engineering and construction organizations have been relying more on contractors do work that was previously done in-house. This trend is reflected in two state highway departments that GAO visited. Both Arizona and South Carolina were relying extensively on consulting engineers to handle large parts of their workloads. Two recent studies also identified ways in which organizations acquiring design and construction services have dealt with staffing shortages and increased workloads. These include team building, partnering, and involving all stakeholders in the early stages of a project's development and in design review activities throughout the project. The acting Director of the District of Columbia's Department of Public Works, Division of Transportation (DDOT) has started to reorganize the Department to improve performance. Specifically, he plans to increase the use of contractors to supplement DDOT's staff and has established cooperative relationships with other governmental agencies by adopting strategies and best practices that others have found to be effective. The Director also plans to reorganize staff into four project teams that will have all the disciplines necessary to be responsible and accountable for …
Date: March 16, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
District of Columbia: National Museum of American Music (open access)

District of Columbia: National Museum of American Music

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed the non-profit and non-partisan Federal City Council's (FCC) proposal to use the current site of the Washington Convention Center for the National Museum of American Music (NMAM). The FCC proposal which is now in the conceptual stage anticipates that NMAM will be located at the existing Convention Center site and that it will be part of a major mixed-use complex that includes retail, entertainment, and performance venues. The total estimated cost for FCC's mixed-use proposal is $1.1 billion, with $172.5 million attributed to the music museum. The proposal estimates that the District would receive annual land rent of $13 million, equivalent to a seven-percent return on the estimated land value of $183 million. FCC spent $300,000 in federal appropriations on the project management services provided by the Smithsonian Institution. The District of Columbia has not yet considered any proposals for the use of the Convention Center site. The Mayor has established a task force to study the possible uses for the site, and it is developing a process to both solicit and evaluate independently generated proposals for the site."
Date: March 23, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
EPA's Expenditures to Clean Up the Bunker Hill Superfund Site (open access)

EPA's Expenditures to Clean Up the Bunker Hill Superfund Site

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In 1995, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state of Idaho signed an agreement to clean up a mining area known as Bunker Hill. The agreement estimated that the total cost of the cleanup would be $126 million, with the state's share capped at $12.6 million. This correspondence focuses on (1) EPA's actual expenditures for cleanup activities and how these expenditures differ from the estimate set forth in the agreement and (2) the reasons for any major differences between actual and estimated cleanup expenditures. As of September 30, 2000, EPA had spent about $212 million on various cleanup and management support activities within the Bunker Hill Superfund site. About $101 million of the expenditures was for cleanup-related activities not covered by the EPA/state agreement and therefore not included in the 1995 cost estimate. These activities included the study and design of cleanup activities, emergency removals of contaminated materials, enforcement of responsible party cleanup activities, and indirect management support. The remaining $111 million was used for cleanup work covered by this agreement. EPA and the state of Idaho expect that the cleanup work covered by the agreement will …
Date: March 28, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Information Management: Progress in Implementing the 1996 Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments (open access)

Information Management: Progress in Implementing the 1996 Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments, known as e-FOIA, require federal agencies to make certain types of information available for public inspection. GAO reviewed 25 federal agencies and found that they have implemented many of the e-FOIA provisions. However, agencies have not made all required documents electronically available. Furthermore, the Department of Justice and other federal agencies have implemented reporting provisions required by e-FOIA, including annual workload reports. Although these reports provide a good overview of FOIA activities across the government, data quality issues limit their usefulness."
Date: March 16, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Military Readiness: Updated Readiness Status of U.S. Air Transport Capability (open access)

Military Readiness: Updated Readiness Status of U.S. Air Transport Capability

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The National Military Strategy states that the U.S. military should be able to fight and win two nearly simultaneous wars. Recently, concerns have been raised about whether the U.S. mobility capabilities may be inadequate to quickly transport the military forces and supplies necessary to execute strategy. This correspondence provides updated information on the readiness status of U.S. airlift and aerial refueling aircraft. Specifically, GAO provides (1) mission capable data for various military aircraft, (2) fiscal year 2000 average mission capable rates, and (3) data on aircraft that are not mission capable for supply and cannibalization rates for fiscal years 1997-2000."
Date: March 16, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Business Systems Modernization: IRS Has Satisfied Congressional Direction on the Custodial Accounting Project (open access)

Business Systems Modernization: IRS Has Satisfied Congressional Direction on the Custodial Accounting Project

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "As part of its business systems modernization program, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is acquiring a system known as the Custodial Accounting Project (CAP). In September 2000, Congress directed that IRS limit its spending on CAP until IRS provided a compelling business case for investing in this project and started managing CAP as an integrated part of the business systems modernization program. GAO found that IRS has satisfied both of these directives. However, its business case guidance does not explicitly specify cost-effectiveness analyses as a way to economically justify proposed investments and define when and how these analyses should be prepared. As a result, IRS runs the risk of spending time and money developing future business cases for proposed system solutions that, like CAP, cannot be adequately justified on the basis of costs and benefits alone."
Date: March 16, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Comparison of Voting Age Population to Registered Voters in the 40 Largest U.S. Counties (open access)

Comparison of Voting Age Population to Registered Voters in the 40 Largest U.S. Counties

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report compares data on the number of registered voters for the 40 largest counties in the United States with estimates of voting age populations for those jurisdictions. GAO found that none of the counties have voter registration numbers that exceed the number of eligible voting age residents."
Date: March 23, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Audit: Senate Restaurants Revolving Fund for Fiscal Years 2000 and 1999 (open access)

Financial Audit: Senate Restaurants Revolving Fund for Fiscal Years 2000 and 1999

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO contracted with KPMG Peat Marwick LLP to audit the financial statements of the Senate Restaurants Revolving Fund for fiscal years 2000 and 1999. KPMG found that the statements were fairly presented in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Management fairly stated that internal controls safely guarded assets against loss from unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition; ensured material compliance with laws and regulations; and ensured that there were no material misstatements in the financial statements. KPMG found no reportable noncompliance with selected provisions of the laws and regulations it tested."
Date: March 23, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Department of the Treasury: Information on the Office of Enforcement's Operations (open access)

Department of the Treasury: Information on the Office of Enforcement's Operations

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report discusses GAO's review of the Department of the Treasury's Office of Enforcement. The office was created to provide oversight, policy guidance, and support to Treasury's enforcement bureaus. GAO found that no comprehensive source provided guidance to either the office staff or to the bureaus on the circumstances under which bureaus are required to interact with the office. In addition, established documentation did not exist for 12 of the 29 circumstances under which the bureaus are required to interact with the office, and when it did exist, the documentation was generally broad in nature and did not provide explicit information on one-half of the expected interaction. About one-half of the bureau officials that GAO interviewed said that they were not aware of written requirements for their bureaus' interactions with the office or that they knew when to interact through such factors as their professional responsibility, experience, judgment, or common sense. An agency's internal control needs to be clearly documented and that documentation should be readily available for examination. Without a clearly defined and documented set of policies and procedures covering operational and communications activities, the …
Date: March 2, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
GAO Performance and Accountability Report, 2000 (open access)

GAO Performance and Accountability Report, 2000

Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report provides GAO's assessment of what it has been able to accomplish in fiscal year 2000 and presents its plans for continued progress through fiscal year 2002."
Date: March 30, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Intercollegiate Athletics: Four-Year Colleges' Experiences Adding and Discontinuing Teams (open access)

Intercollegiate Athletics: Four-Year Colleges' Experiences Adding and Discontinuing Teams

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The number of women participating in intercollegiate athletics at four-year colleges and universities increased substantially between school years 1981-82 and 1998-99, while the number of men participating increased more modestly. The total number of women's teams increased by 3,784 teams, compared to an increase of 36 men's teams. In all, 963 schools added teams and 307 discontinued teams since 1992-93. The two factors cited most often as greatly influencing the decision to add or discontinue teams were the need to address student interest in particular sports and the need to meet gender equity goals and requirements. Schools that discontinued men's teams also found the need to reallocate the athletic budget to other sports. Colleges and universities that discontinued a team typically took three months or less between originating the proposal and making the final decision. Most schools informed members of the campus community of the possibility that the team would be discontinued, and most held meetings with campus groups before making the final decision. Most schools offered to help affected athletes transfer to other schools, and students receiving athletics-related financial aid continued to receive financial aid …
Date: March 8, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
National Park Service: Federal Taxpayers Could Have Benefited More From Potomac Yard Land Exchange (open access)

National Park Service: Federal Taxpayers Could Have Benefited More From Potomac Yard Land Exchange

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Settling 30 years of sometimes acrimonious dispute, the National Park Service completed an exchange of land interests on two vacant parcels of land in Potomac Yard in March 2000. However, the Park Service could have received more than $15 million from the private developer--rather than owing the developer $14 million--if the exchanged interests had been appropriately valued. As a federal agency, the Park Service has a responsibility to protect federal taxpayers' interests when it acquires or conveys land interests. Yet, the Park Service did not do so when it instructed the appraiser to derive a value for development on the Alexandria parcel that was not shown to be reasonably probable, or when it used an appraised value on the Arlington parcel that understated the worth of the Park Service's interests. Consequently, the Park Service gave the developer credit for losses that might not have realistically occurred and did not receive enough credit for allowing the developer to develop the Arlington parcel. However, the transaction is now fully executed--as in similar situations when a government agency pays too much for an item under a contract--it is unlikely …
Date: March 15, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library