Investigation of rampant fraud at NOAA stonewalled, calls for Obama NOAA chief Lubchenco to step down, Obama defends

• Jane Lubchenco receives Zayed Prize in UAE for
• 2005-2007 period

12/18/08, "Lubchenco will helm National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration," Washington Post, Juliet Eilperin

• 6/28/10, "Getting help from the press," Gloucester Times, Nancy Gaines, Lubchenco founded a group to train global warming scientists to use media to shape government policy.

7/13, "Lawyer cites ethics issues with NOAA Counsel funds," Gloucester Times, Richard Gaines

• (Following recent investigation of NOAA, the US Inspector General was met by a lack of cooperation from NOAA counsel Lois Schiffer, a Lubchenco hire).

7/13, Gloucester Times: "The letter also openly challenges Schiffer's written plan not to look back at any miscarriages of justice by NOAA lawyers and agents. Due to Internet transmission problems, Schiffer's office could not be presented with questions about today's story until nearly deadline, so no responses were available....

• "Congressional reaction to the (US Inspector General's) IG's report has been angry and varied.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the evidence points to the existence of a multi-million dollar "slush fund" that helped dispossess fishermen struggling with excessive regulations. Schumer called on NOAA to "hold people responsible,

• sell off the cars and boats and other unauthorized purchases and fund fishermen who were unjustly or excessively fined and whose fishing seasons have been shortened."

"The IG's report discredits the whole rotten operation," Congressman (Barney) Frank said in a telephone interview Tuesday.

Frank and Tierney, who represents Gloucester and much of the North Shore,

• last week sought the firing or resignation of Lubchenco, who was appointed to head NOAA by President Obama and who, in turn, named Schiffer to be chief counsel. " (Frank and Tierney have since called off their request at the urging of President Obama, following).

(continuing, Gloucester Times): "Lubchenco did not ask the IG to step in until after a congressional letter arrived last June together with pressure from up and down the coast by both Republicans and Democrats — and from state houses from Boston to Raleigh, N.C.

Frank late last week said

• the White House had promised him the changes he sought could be achieved

• without costing Lubchenco her job.

But North Carolina's Jones raised further questions Tuesday.

• "If (Lubchenco's) not going to step down, the administration needs to explain why, and somebody needs to answer not only to fishermen but to the taxpayers," said Jones, who represents the fleet along the Outer Banks. "There is something amiss here and it needs to be thoroughly vetted."

Jones and most East Coast federal lawmakers of both parties have announced agreement with Ouellette's position that past miscarriages of justice must be rectified....

• Ouellette wrote to Schiffer his "complete disagreement with your position that the abusive NOAA enforcement cases of the past
• should remain intact .."....

7/13, "Governor vows plan to pierce NOAA controls," Gloucester Times, Mass. Governor Deval Patrick has had no success talking to Lubchenco.

• Abuses of NOAA have gone on for many years. Today's reality is NOAA is more influential than ever but headed by an entrenched bureaucrat who has stonewalled clean-up of sickening and massive fraud. People should be in jail, not rewarded with a cushy government job for life:

7/1, Gloucester Times: "NOAA Chief Counsel Lois Schiffer and Eric Schwaab, who heads NOAA Fisheries for chief administrator Jane Lubchenco, announced after the IG's preliminary report of police abuses that

• there would be no looking back or effort to rectify past miscarriages of justice.

NOAA has also fought against Freedom of Information Act requests by the Times seeking official clarification of whether Jones (who shredded documents) remains on the federal payroll.

• Lubchenco did not respond to an invitation to comment Thursday, but NOAA released a statement saying the agency "expected this review, appreciates the level of detail it provides and is evaluating the data and results carefully."...

'Why aren't they in jail'?"..."Audit cites wide fund abuse," by Richard Gaines

• This person also has extensive input regarding government actions in the oil spill according to reports.
• NOAA has stonewalled collection of key oil spill data, and what it has it withholds from the public but turns over immediately to BP:

7/13/10: "Rick Steiner, a marine conservationist who studied the effect of the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, sees NOAA's behavior as part of a larger trend. "It's my sense that all federal agencies are withholding information at this point on this spill, and this includes Coast Guard, EPA, Department of Interior, and certainly NOAA," he told the Huffington Post."

• 7/13, "NOAA hoarding key data on oil spill damage," by Dan Froomkin, Huffington Post

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