Despite scathing Inspector General's reports on a decade of federal fisheries law enforcement excesses aimed at building a multi-million dollar fund of fines — and the tapping of that and virtually unrestricted use by lawyers and agents — the agency has initiated no disciplinary action regarding abuses of the fund, a labor union that represents NOAA lawyers told the Times Tuesday.
"There have been no such actions proposed or taken against any non-supervisory attorney in the NOAA Office of General Counsel," Richard Hirn, attorney for the National Weather Service Employees Organization, said in an e-mail.
Hirn's comments come more than two months after Jane Lubchenco, who heads the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, sent a request down the chain of command, setting a July 30 deadline for a report back on "whether any personnel actions are appropriate to ensure that those responsible for these problems surrounding the Asset Forfeiture Fund are held accountable."
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