American Association of Law Libraries · American Civil Liberties Union
American Immigration Lawyers Association · American Library Association
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee · Americans for Democratic Action
Arab American Institute · Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Association of Research Libraries
· Center for Democracy and Technology
Children’s Environmental Health
Network · Clean
Production Network
Common Cause · Communications Workers of
America
Cook Inlet Keeper · Council on
American-Islamic Relations
Council on Professional
Association of Federal Statistics · Electronic Frontier Foundation Electronic Privacy
Information Center · Environmental Defense
Federation of American Scientists
· Freedom of Information
Center · Friends
of the Earth Fund for Constitutional Government · Government Accountability Project · Greenpeace
Maryland Pesticide Network · National Environmental Trust
Natural Resources Defense Council
· New Jersey Public Interest Research Group
New Jersey Work Environment
Council · Ohio Citizen Action
Ohio Valley Environmental
Coalition · OMB Watch · People for the American Way
Pesticide Action Network, North
America · Powder
River Basin Resource Council
Privacy Activism · Privacy Times · Project on Government
Oversight
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press · Sierra Club · Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition Society of
Professional Journalists · Strategic
Counsel on Corporate Accountability
U.S. Public Interest Research Group · University of Missouri School of Journalism
West Harlem Environmental Action · Working Group on Community Right-to-Know
FIX
THE CRITICIAL INFRASTRUCUTRE INFORMATION SUBTITLE IN THE HOMELAND SECURITY ACT
OF 2002
The undersigned organizations are concerned about the current language for Critical Infrastructure Information in the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which contains ambiguous definitions that could unintentionally allow companies to keep broad categories of information secret and provisions that restrict the government’s ability to use the information. In order to better serve the goal of improving public safety and security, we support efforts to fix the Homeland Security Act by clarifying the scope of the information protected and removing provisions that overly restrict the government’s ability to use the information.
Senators Leahy (D-VT), Levin (D-MI), Jeffords (I-VT), Lieberman (D-CT), and Byrd (D-WV) will soon introduce legislation entitled the Restoration of Freedom of Information Act of 2003 (“Restore FOIA”) addressing these concerns, using bipartisan language developed last year by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. The Restore FOIA solution would:
The information provisions currently within the Homeland Security Act of 2002 do not accomplish the goal of the law -- empowering the government to protect citizens using private-sector information which is “voluntarily” shared and identifies potential vulnerabilities to terrorist attacks. The current language could have devastating effects on the work of the government to protect public health, safety and security, as well as government accountability. It is essential that these problems in the Homeland Security Act be fixed immediately before they become too firmly entrenched in the law.
Jean
AbiNader
Managing
Director
Arab
American Institute
Prudence
S. Adler
Associate
Executive Director
Association
of Research Libraries
Steven
Aftergood
Project
Director
Federation
of American Scientists
Gary
Bass
Executive
Director
OMB
Watch
Jeremiah
Baumann
Director,
Toxics Right to Know Campaign
U.S.
Public Interest Research Group
Ruth
Berlin
Executive
Director
MD
Pesticide Network
Lynne
Bradley
Director,
Government Relations
American
Library Association
Danielle
Brian
Executive
Director
Project
on Government Oversight
Sandy Buchanan
Executive Director
Ohio Citizen Action
Jeanne Butterfield
Executive Director
American
Immigration Lawyers Association
Alyssondra Campaigne
Legislative
Director
Natural
Resources Defense Council
Kevin S. Curtis
Vice President - Government
Affairs
National Environmental Trust
Lucy Dalglish
Executive Director
Reporters Committee for
Freedom of the Press
Charles
N. Davis
Executive
Director
Freedom
of
University
of
Tom
Devine
Legal
Director
Government
Accountability Project
Rick
Engler
Director
Jason
Erb
Director,
Governmental Relations
Council
on American-Islamic Relations
Darryl
Fagin
Legislative
Director
Americans
for Democratic Action
Margaret
Fung
Executive
Director
Asian
American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Vickie
Goodwin
Organizer
Evan
Hendricks
Editor/Publisher
Privacy
Times
Rick
Hind
Legislative
Director
Greenpeace
Khalil Jahshan
Director
of Government Affairs
American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee
Susan
E. Kegley
Staff
Scientist/Program Coordinator
Pesticide
Action Network,
Robert
Leger
President
Society
of Professional Journalists
Dave
LeGrande
Director,
Occupational Safety & Health
CWA/AFL-CIO
Director
Strategic
Counsel on Corporate Accountability
Conrad
Martin
Executive
Director
Fund
for Constitutional Government
Alexandra
McPherson
Director
Clean
Production Action
Dena
Mottola
Acting
Director
New
Jersey Public Interest Research Group
Laura
W. Murphy
Director,
American
Civil Liberties
Ralph
G. Neas
President
People
for the
Robert
Oakley
American
Association of Law Libraries
Paul
Orum
Director
Working
Group on Community Right-to-Know
Deborah
Pierce
Executive
Director
Privacy
Activism
Chellie Pingree
President
and CEO
Common
Cause
Ari
Schwartz
Associate
Director
Center
for Democracy and Technology
Debbie
Sease
Legislative
Director
Sierra
Club
Bob
Shavelson
Executive
Director
Peggy
M. Shepard
Executive
Director
Ted
Smith
Executive
Director
David
Sobel
General
Counsel
Electronic
Ed
Spar
Executive
Director
Council
on Professional Association of Federal Statistics
Vivian
Stockman
Communications
Coordinator
Daniel
Swartz
Executive
Director
Children’s
Environmental Health Network
Lee
Tien
Senior
Staff Attorney
Electronic
Frontier Foundation
Elizabeth
Thompson
Legislative
Director
Environmental
Defense
Sara
Zdeb
Legislative
Director
Friends
of the Earth