美国总会计办公室
华盛顿特区，20548

美国审计长

总审计长关于NEPDG诉讼的决定

2002年1月30日

如你们所知，美国总会计办公室(GAO)一直在努力从副总统切尼(副总统是国家能源政策发展小组(NEPDG)主席)那里获得有关国家能源政策提案发展的某些狭义的、真实的信息。重要的是，我们只寻求与《新发展目标》有关的有限信息。

行政当局利用新能源发展目标作为一种机制，除其他外，与选定的非政府党派进行接触，并制定一项拟议的综合能源政策。此外，与最近的断言相反，我们并不寻求这些会议记录或副总统的工作人员的相关笔记。这是在2001年8月17日以书面形式传达给白宫的。不幸的是，尽管我们多次试图就这一问题达成合理和合理的妥协，但迄今为止，我们还没有得到我们所要求的资料。

2001年，他8月2日写信给国会两院，副总统提出了不少人的反对，以提供我们要求的信息。Importantly, for both the Congress and GAO, the Vice President challenged GAO�s fundamental statutory authority to assist the Congress in connection with its constitutional, legislative and oversight authorities. These challenges went far beyond issues relating to his constitutional position as Vice President and White House staff related matters. As noted in our prior correspondence concerning this matter, the information we are seeking is clearly within our statutory audit and access authority. Accordingly, as provided in our statutory access authority, on July 18, 2001, we issued a formal request for the records. Unfortunately, the statutory 20-day response period passed without any meaningful action by the Office of the Vice President. In accordance with the prescribed statutory process, on August 17, 2001, we reported to the Congress, the President, the Vice President, and other officials that the NEPDG had not provided the requested records. (See enclosed August 17, 2001, report.) While the NEPDG did provide some cost-related documents to GAO, most of these documents were not useful or self-explanatory. Moreover, even though the Vice President and his counsel acknowledge our authority to access cost information, they have not provided us the remaining cost information and explanations requested. Apart from information concerning the Vice President�s meetings, they also have not provided us with factual information concerning who the NEPDG staff, including non-White House staff who were assigned to the NEPDG from various government departments and agencies, met with and the purpose of those meetings.

We strongly disagree with the Vice President�s objections to our audit and access authority. Significantly, under GAO�s statutory access authority, Congress provided the President and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget a safety valve to preclude judicial enforcement of GAO�s access rights. The executive branch has chosen not to use this mechanism. Furthermore, the President has not claimed executive privilege in connection with our request. As previously noted, all of our attempts to reach a reasoned and reasonable accommodation, including reducing the scope of our request, have been rebuffed, and we have now exhausted the statutory process for resolving our access requests. As a result, our only remaining recourse is either to file suit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia or to forego further assertion of our access rights.

高正准备去法庭在今年9过去的一年里，直到9月11日作为我的悲惨事件表示去年九月，审慎决定了我们耽误任何相关法律行动给出的迫切需要对政府和国会专注于开发our Nation�s initial response to our fight against international terrorism and efforts to protect our homeland.

国会有权我们正在寻求与审议的综合能源立法和正在进行的监督活动连接的信息的权利。能源政策是与国内和国际显著影响的一个重要的经济和环境问题。它牵动着每一位美国人的生活。它是如何制定，是可以理解得到了国会的长期利益。此外，近期安然破产都用于增加在能源政策国会的兴趣，在一般情况下，和NEPDG活动，尤其如此。This, plus the Senate�s expected consideration of comprehensive energy legislation this session, reinforces the need for the information we requested concerning the development of the National Energy Policy proposal. In this regard, we recently received a request for the NEPDG information we are seeking from four Senate committee and subcommittee chairmen with jurisdiction over the matters involved. Importantly, our governing statute requires GAO to perform such committee requests.

显然，制定和监督能源政策以及调查与安然有关的活动代表着国会重要的机构特权。此外，还涉及其他一些重要原则。不提供我们所寻求的信息会削弱政府透明度和问责制的重要原则。这些原则是民主的重要组成部分。它们代表了好政府的基本原则，超越了政府、党派政治和当下的问题。金博宝正规网址因此，应该大力捍卫它们。否则，它可能会削弱公众对政府机构的信心和尊重。

由于先例的原因，披露《新发展战略小组》的活动也很重要。具体来说，新发展方案由拨款资助，工作人员主要由分配给它的政府部门和机构人员担任。我们不同意白宫的立场，即NEPDG制定能源政策超出了国会的监督和政府问责局的审查。如果副总统在这个案件中的论点获胜，任何政府想要使自己的活动不受监督和公众监督，只需将这些活动指派给副总统或白宫直接控制的机构就可以做到。

在我们看来，如果不追究此事，可能会导致一种拒绝查阅记录的模式，这将大大削弱政府问责局协助国会行使其立法和监督权力的能力。我们会有强烈倾向于避免诉讼与这件事有关的,但是考虑到请求由四个参议院委员会和小组委员会主席,我们的权利这信息和涉及的重要原则和先例,高将采取必要的措施在美国地区法院提起诉讼以获得,我们在2001年8月17日的报告中概述了这些信息。这将是政府问责局第一次对联邦官员提起诉讼，要求强制执行我们的访问权。我们希望这是我们最后一次不得不这样做。

We have great confidence in our nation�s legal system and look for a timely resolution of this important matter. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

抄送：美国总统
美国副总统
外壳

来源:总会计署