Posted on 05/12/2002 2:04:52 PM PDT by michigander
EPA GETS CLASSIFICATION AUTHORITY
President Bush this week granted "original classification authority," i.e. the authority to designate information as classified national security information, to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).EPA officials have previously been authorized to receive, handle and store classified information but the Agency has never before had the authority to generate new classified information.
Under the President's Order, dated May 6 and published in the Federal Register on May 9, the EPA Administrator (and whichever other EPA employees she may designate) may now classify information up to the Secret level.
The Bush order follows on a similar order of December 10, 2001, that granted original classification authority to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
The expansion of the national security classification system into new agencies, especially purely civilian domestic agencies, is cause for concern to the extent that it heralds an increase in official secrecy.
On the other hand, expanded use of the classification system, with its clear boundaries and procedures, is preferable to recent steps in some quarters to impose poorly defined security controls on unclassified information.
Federal Register: May 9, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 90)
Presidential Documents
Page 31109
Order of May 6, 2002Designation Under Executive Order 12958
In accordance with the provisions of section 1.4 of Executive Order 12958 of April 17, 1995, entitled "Classified National Security Information," I hereby designate the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to classify information originally as "Secret."
Any delegation of this authority shall be in accordance with section 1.4(c) of Executive Order 12958.
This order shall be published in the Federal Register.
[signed:] George W. BushTHE WHITE HOUSE,May 6, 2002.
Secrecy News was too quick to report yesterday that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had never had "original classification authority" until it was granted this week by President Bush. That was incorrect.
It turns out that EPA did have original classification authority (OCA) for a period of time in the 1980s.
But that classification authority "was used so infrequently that the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) recommended its exclusion, and, with no real fight from EPA at the time, it was removed from the list" of authorized classifiers, according to Steven Garfinkel, former ISOO Director.
One official observer viewed the new grant of classification authority to EPA skeptically.
"As soon as Health and Human Services summarily received such authority [last December]," that observer said, "the door was opened for all the other domestic, non-national security agencies to seek entrance. Now it's like an unnecessary security clearance -- it gives you status."
Wasn't that the same cloak the Jacobins wore 210 years ago?
Hey Michigander, I grew up in Lansing. Good handle.
Excellent. I'm west of there on the coast and everyone has a good handle, except Laz. :-)
Let the land grab begin!!
Bingo!! These people are going to do what they want to do anyway - now they can do it under the cloak of secrecy.
YOUR GOVERNMENT AT WORK!!
Freedom Is Worth Fighting For !!
Molon Labe !!
The Case for Public Access to Federally Funded Research Data
No doubt it could also be abused to keep the public from knowing about local contaminations and pollution of any sort, and to prevent disclosure of embarassing matters. Boston L. might know more about this.
Interesting angle. According to this (not sure of the up-to-datedness of the report), it appears to be a conglomeration (read clusterf...) of the DOE, NRC and EPA.
Put aside the (entirely correct) concerns about the environazis classifying their misdeeds. Too many clearances--especially in a culture that has not historically dealt with classified material--is a recipe for disaster.
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At the large aerospace contractor for which I work, a clearance is actually something to be avoided. I hold a clearance, and I can be willy-nilly grabbed and placed on any project involving classified data. There are so few left with clearances (they cost $$$ to maintain) that those of us who still have it are jerked around by every program manager with an "urgent problem".
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(I had a perfect record for 26 years--not a single security violation--then had three, in rapid succession. Carelessness and haste. Nothing serious--I got "counseled" and these events went into my personnel folder. Could have been much worse--the "violations" resulted in no external leaks or disclosure--but made me feel like s**t.)
--Boris
Crikey, Mr Bush.
The EPA wants their own swat team, the FAA wants their own and so it goes.
I don't think the NOAA SWAT team will be knocking on your door anytime soon.
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