A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Spent nuclear fuel--the used fuel periodically removed from reactors in nuclear power plants--is too inefficient to power a nuclear reaction, but is intensely radioactive and continues to generate heat for thousands of years. Potential health and safety implications make the control of spent nuclear fuel of great importance. The discovery, in 2004, that spent fuel rods were missing at the Vermont Yankee plant in Vermont generated public concern and questions about the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) regulation and oversight of this material. GAO reviewed (1) plants' performance in controlling and accounting for their spent nuclear fuel, (2) the effectiveness of NRC's regulations and oversight of the plants' performance, and (3) NRC's actions to respond to plants' problems controlling their spent fuel."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Section 202 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Authorization Act of 2000, Pub. L. No. 106-391, 202, 114 Stat. 1577, 1587 (Oct. 30, 2000) requires that GAO verify NASA's accounting for amounts obligated against established limits for the space station and related space shuttle support. Under the act, obligations are limited to $25 billion for the International Space Station's (ISS) development and $17.7 billion for shuttle launches in connection with the space station's assembly. In the past, we have advised Congressional committees that NASA was unable to provide detailed support for the amounts obligated against the limits. Thus, we could not verify the amounts that NASA reported in its budget requests to Congress."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal agencies that administer means-tested programs are responsible for both ensuring that people have appropriate access to assistance and ensuring the integrity of the programs they oversee. To balance these two priorities appropriately, it is important for agencies to have information on program integrity and program access. Knowing the proportion of the population that qualifies for these programs relative to the numbers who actually participate can help ensure that agencies can monitor and communicate key information on program access. To better understand participation in low-income programs, this report provides information on: (1) the proportion of those eligible who are participating in 12 selected low-income programs; (2) factors that influence participation in those programs; and (3) strategies used by federal, state, and local administrators to improve both access and integrity, and whether agencies monitor access by measuring participation rates."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "CAFs have been discussed as a new mechanism for financing federal capital assets. As envisioned, CAFs would have two goals. First, CAFs would potentially improve decision making by reflecting the annual cost for the use of capital in program budgets. Second, they would help ameliorate at the subunit level the effect of large increases in budget authority for capital projects (i.e., spikes), without forfeiting congressional controls requiring the full cost of capital assets to be provided up-front. Through discussions with budget experts and by working with two case studies, the Departments of Agriculture and of the Interior, we are able to describe in this report (1) how CAFs would likely operate, (2) the potential benefits and difficulties of CAFs, including alternative mechanisms for obtaining the benefits, and (3) several issues to weigh when considering implementation of CAFs."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "With declining mail volumes, increasing compensation costs, and a more competitive marketplace, the need for the U.S. Postal Service (Service) to increase efficiency and reduce expenses is a matter of increasing importance and concern. According to the Service, one area where it can become more efficient is in its mail processing and distribution infrastructure. The objectives of this report are to (1) describe major business and demographic changes and their effect on the Service's mail processing and distribution infrastructure; (2) describe what actions the Service is taking in response to these changes, and what challenges exist; and (3) discuss the Service's strategy for realigning its infrastructure."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO has identified spare parts supply as a long-standing Department of Defense (DOD) management problem. In December 2003, GAO reported on problems with Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) logistics support including shortages of spare parts and supplies in Iraq. This report expands on that effort by assessing (1) what supply shortages were experienced by U.S. forces in Iraq between October 2002 and September 2004 and what impact the shortages had on their operations, (2) what primary deficiencies in the supply system contributed to any identified supply shortages, and (3) what actions DOD has taken to improve the timely availability of supplies for current and future operations. To address these objectives, GAO judgmentally selected nine items based on lessons learned and after-action reports that represented possible shortages with operational impacts."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Provisions in the Senate's proposed postal reform legislation, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, seek to address longstanding concerns about the Department of Transportation's (DOT) role in setting transportation rates for certain segments of the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) international mail. Specifically, these rates are what air carriers charge USPS for transporting letter-class and military mail to international destinations. The methodology DOT uses to set these rates was established by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) in a rate proceeding that concluded in the late 1970s. The transportation of this mail is subject to various statutory requirements, such as having DOT set the rates that USPS is to pay to U.S. air carriers for transporting international mail and a duty to carry provision that requires the air carriers to provide facilities and services for transporting this mail. DOT, USPS, and U.S. air carriers have raised concerns about the current rate process, particularly because the rate-setting methodology has not been comprehensively updated since the late 1970s. Some stakeholders view the current rate-setting process as an anachronism in today's increasingly deregulated international mail and transportation marketplace. USPS has stated that this …

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.

Weekly newspaper from Clifton, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Daily newspaper from Baytown, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

A man is holding a large white sign and other protesters are holding American flags of various sizes. Around 500 people congregated on the outskirts of Dallas to protest against amnesty for undocumented immigrants. Led by the group, Citizens for Immigrant Reform (CFIR), the protesters carried banners and signs alluding to the lack of legislation which would punish undocumented immigrants who live in this country.

Four protesters carrying American and Texas flags are riding in a red, white, and blue Volkswagen Beetle, and other protesters are standing by the side of the road, also holding flags. Around 500 people congregated on the outskirts of Dallas to protest against amnesty for undocumented immigrants. Led by the group, Citizens for Immigrant Reform (CFIR), the protesters carried banners and signs alluding to the lack of legislation which would punish undocumented immigrants who live in this country.

A man and woman holding small American flags are standing in front of a group of protesters. A car is driving down the street with a large American flag hanging out the window, and a tall building is visible in the background. Around 500 people congregated on the outskirts of Dallas to protest against amnesty for undocumented immigrants. Led by the group, Citizens for Immigrant Reform (CFIR), the protesters carried banners and signs alluding to the lack of legislation which would punish undocumented immigrants who live in this country.

Several protesters holding American flags are riding in a blue and white Volkswagen Beetle, and other protesters are visible in the background. Around 500 people congregated on the outskirts of Dallas to protest against amnesty for undocumented immigrants. Led by the group, Citizens for Immigrant Reform (CFIR), the protesters carried banners and signs alluding to the lack of legislation which would punish undocumented immigrants who live in this country.

Protesters with American flags of various sizes are riding in a blue and white Volkswagen Beetle. Around 500 people congregated on the outskirts of Dallas to protest against amnesty for undocumented immigrants. Led by the group, Citizens for Immigrant Reform (CFIR), the protesters carried banners and signs alluding to the lack of legislation which would punish undocumented immigrants who live in this country.

Photo of a man holding a bright pink sign and a large American flag stands in front of the group of protesters. Around 500 people congregated on the outskirts of Dallas to protest against amnesty for undocumented immigrants. Led by the group, Citizens for Immigrant Reform (CFIR), the protesters carried banners and signs alluding to the lack of legislation which would punish undocumented immigrants who live in this country.

A group of protesters is standing with large signs in English and Spanish and holding American flags. Around 500 people congregated on the outskirts of Dallas to protest against amnesty for undocumented immigrants. Led by the group, Citizens for Immigrant Reform (CFIR), the protesters carried banners and signs alluding to the lack of legislation which would punish undocumented immigrants who live in this country.

A man in a blue jacket stands behind a large white sign, holding a large American flag. Around 500 people congregated on the outskirts of Dallas to protest against amnesty for undocumented immigrants. Led by the group, Citizens for Immigrant Reform (CFIR), the protesters carried banners and signs alluding to the lack of legislation which would punish undocumented immigrants who live in this country.

A female protester holding a large placard is talking to a police officer with another woman standing nearby. Around 500 people congregated on the outskirts of Dallas to protest against amnesty for undocumented immigrants. Led by the group, Citizens for Immigrant Reform (CFIR), the protesters carried banners and signs alluding to the lack of legislation which would punish undocumented immigrants who live in this country.

A group of protesters are holding signs while traffic is passing by on the street. Around 500 people congregated on the outskirts of Dallas to protest against amnesty for undocumented immigrants. Led by the group, Citizens for Immigrant Reform (CFIR), the protesters carried banners and signs alluding to the lack of legislation which would punish undocumented immigrants who live in this country.

A woman holding a sign reading "No Amnesty for Lawbreakers" in the midst of a group of protesters. Around 500 people congregated on the outskirts of Dallas to protest against amnesty for undocumented immigrants. Led by the group, Citizens for Immigrant Reform (CFIR), the protesters carried banners and signs alluding to the lack of legislation which would punish undocumented immigrants who live in this country.

A photo of an an adult holding a sign and an American flag standing next to a child, surrounded by other protesters. They are gathered on a street corner, with a stoplight visible on the left of the photo. The signs the protesters hold demand border security.