On October 3rd, Senator John Kerry will host a field hearing at the Massachusetts State House to explore the effects of of the catch share program and to interview Dr Jane Lubchenco, Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
We have some suggestions for the hearing and the interview of Dr Jane Lubchenco:
Call for the termination of any federal employee responsible for obstruction of justice, fraud, embezzlement, or any other felonious act.
Refer all pertinent documents to the Office of Special Counsel in the US Department of Justice for investigation and possible prosecution. NOAA has repeatedly produced documents that appear to absolve itself of any wrongdoing by employees. Repeatedly, documents have been produced to contradict NOAA findings. The Office of Special Counsel in the DOJ exists to investigate misconduct in the Executive Branch. NOAA has proved incapable of cleaning up its own house. Its time to invite in someone who can do so.
Publicly thank Richard Gaines of the Gloucester Times for his dogged pursuit of abuses by NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE).
Address the shredding of documents relevant to an ongoing Inspector General investigation and get an explanation as to why no one has been fired including Dale J. Jones Jr, former director of NOAA’s OLE. Commerce Department Inspector General Todd Zinser wrote to NOAA chief administrator, Jane Lubchenco, in an April 2, 2010 memo, that the document shredding of November 20, 2009 involved the destruction of “75-80 percent of the files in the office of Dale J. Jones Jr.”
Read the complete editorial from Americans for Forfeiture Reform.