Darn the Federal Budget. Full Speed Ahead!

The "Treasury of the Pharaoh" in Petra, Jordan, could be environmentally troubled. Maybe. (By Chris Hondros -- Getty Images)

" Dale[ Hall, the head of Fish and Wildlife] needs us to put together a team of folks to go through about 200,000 comment letters from the 300,000 comment letters received so far on the proposed section 7 regs," Arroyo wrote. "The team needs to compile the comments, review them and categorize them and then provide them to the Department for their analysis and preparing responses.

"We need people with specific section 7 experience and expertise . . . [who] understand the nuances of comments and are versed in the section 7 regulatory framework," he explained, adding that they were to assemble last Tuesday. "The team will work 8 hour days until cob on Friday," and he was hoping to get mostly people in this area to mitigate travel expenses. "I do apologize for the last-minute request," he said.

So, that's 32 hours to review 200,000 comments, which might range from a page of expletives to 20-plus pages of scientific analysis. So that would amount to one person going through 6,250 comments an hour. If Arroyo gets a decent response, say maybe 62 people, that would be about 100 comments per hour, or about 1 comment every 36 seconds.

No problem.

Segue of Power

As the election approaches, the transition teams for both sides, especially the Obamistas, are said to be gathering steam. Chatter has it that Obama's group, run by former Clinton chief of staff John Podesta, includes an overall board composed of former commerce secretary Bill Daley, Obama technology and innovation adviser Julius Genachowski, former Al Gore domestic adviser Don Gips, longtime Obama confidante Valerie Jarrett, former EPA director Carol Browner, Obama senior domestic policy advisor Melody Barnes, former transportation secretary Federico Pe ñ a, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, former Treasury chief of staff Michael Froman and former Office of Management and Budget associate director Christopher Edley.

Porker of the Month Named

Citizens Against Government Waste yesterday gave its coveted Porker of the Month award to Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin for spending $355,000 to sponsor a NASCAR driver in three races to promote public awareness of the impending switch to digital television.

"For using taxpayer funds on an unnecessary project, diverting focus from more important telecommunications concerns, recklessly spending without consulting with his peers and attempting to use his influence to shore up his own political prospects, CAGW names FCC Chairman Kevin Martin its October 2008 Porker of the Month," CAGW said in a news release.

Driver David Gilliland's No. 38 Ford, sporting large banners announcing the Feb. 17 changeover, crashed Sunday near the end of its first race.