WASHINGTON IN BRIEF

Declassification Sought For Iraq Intelligence

A bipartisan group of senators asked a government commission yesterday to consider whether more information from a Senate report on prewar intelligence on Iraq could be declassified without harming national security.

The senators, all members of the Senate intelligence committee, say too much was kept secret in portions of the report released earlier this month.

It is the first time lawmakers have gone to the Public Interest Declassification Board, which was established in 2004 as a place for members of Congress to appeal if they think federal agencies are unnecessarily classifying material in the name of national security.

Senate Approves Justice Dept. Official

The Senate confirmed the appointment of Alice Fisher yesterday as head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, ending a year-long standoff with Democrats angry over the Bush administration's refusal to turn over information related to U.S. detainee policy.

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales said in a statement last night that the 61 to 35 vote was "good news for law enforcement throughout the entire criminal justice system." Fisher has held the position in an acting capacity for more than a year.

Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.) complained on the Senate floor that the administration had refused to provide information about department discussions involving Fisher in 2002, which focused on FBI complaints about the tactics of military interrogators in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Levin had used a legislative hold to block the confirmation until yesterday.

"The administration stonewalls on providing requested information," Levin said. "It then accuses senators of delay and demands that the Senate act to confirm their nominees without the information. . . . It works because this institution allows it to work."

Trio Pledge $50 Million For Nonproliferation

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett, CNN creator Ted Turner and former senator Sam Nunn pledged $50 million to the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency yesterday to create a uranium stockpile.

The aim is to discourage countries from developing their own nuclear programs. The reserve would ensure supplies of low-grade fuel for nuclear power plants.

The Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative is hoping its financial pledge to the International Atomic Energy Agency will prod governments into action on creating the stockpile. The money is contingent on a $100 million match from IAEA member states.

Report Faults EPA On Equal Protection

The Environmental Protection Agency is not conducting required reviews to ensure that low-income and minority neighborhoods get the same environmental protection as other communities.

The report by the EPA's inspector general, made public yesterday, says senior EPA officials have not required regional offices and department heads to conduct environmental justice reviews despite a requirement for such reviews dating back to 1994.

-- From Staff Reports and News Services