The Washington Post ran an article this morning about Recovery Act funding for environmental clean-up being given to contractors with less than stellar performance records.

Clean-up contractors were lobbying Energy Department officials even before a Recovery Act bill was introduced in Congress

the Department of Energy announced they will negotiate with current contractors rather than awarding the contracts through a competitive bidding process - the very same contractors cited in oversight reports from the Government Accountability Office and Inspector General reports for safety violations, cost overruns, and project delays.

Instead of restricting federal lobbyists from engaging government on Recovery Act funds, the Obama administration should put in place more stringent disclosure and reporting requirements for anyone - lobbyist or non-lobbyist - meeting with administration officials or staff on any federal spending, subsidy, or targeted benefit.