Elusive Energy Savings and Exposing Expense Reports

by Karen Weise
ProPublica, June 4, 2009, 10:17 a.m.

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Here are our editors’ picks from today’s roundup of investigative stories around the Web. Was there a story we missed? Please keep sending us your picks or include them in the comments section below.

As the Energy Department gears up to spend $256 million in stimulus funds promoting energy efficiency, its auditors released a report criticizing the department for not implementing basic energy-saving measures, like hibernating computers when they’re not being used, reports Government Executive. That move alone could have saved the department $1.6 million in 2008.

To find out how your House representative is spending money, soon you’ll no longer have to sift through thousands of paper pages; you’ll be able to hop online to scour the expense reports. The Wall Street Journal recently dug through the reports and found more than just rent and travel—they uncovered expenses ranging from luxury sedans and big-screen TVs to fresh flowers and cameras.

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