Elusive Energy Savings and Exposing Expense Reports

June 4, 2009, 10:17 a.m. EDT

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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