The General Services Administration has invested $28 million into a solar roof for a federal building in Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Star reports. The Major General Emmett J. Bean Federal Center now has the largest array of solar panels producing electricity in the Midwest, with 6,152 SunPower solar panels on the roof producing 2 megawatts of [...]

The Government Printing Office, among other major components, faces major cuts under an appropriations bill that Wednesday moved to the House Rules Committee, FierceGovernmentIT reports. H.R. 2551 would cut the GPO’s funding for 2012 by 16 percent compared to its 2011 funding.. The GPO would receive $113 million in 2012, $35.5 million less than President [...]

If a House Appropriations Committee bill moves through without big changes, the Treasury Department and other major government agencies could face budget cuts, FierceGovernment reports. H.R. 2434 calls for a 9 percent cut to agencies under the committee’s jurisdiction in fiscal 2012. The bill reduces funding to $20 billion in fiscal 2012 from $22 billion [...]

A report from the Institute for Homeland Security Solutions says the suspicious activity reports (SARs) officials rely on to find terrorist activity don’t capture the type of information that helped to stop terrorist plots in the past decade, FierceHomelandSecurity reports. The April 2011 report found 86 publicly known cases of terrorism or attempted terrorism against [...]

The Office of Personnel Management will conduct a comprehensive survey of federal employees for the remainder of July, FederalDaily reports. The agency announced this week it will send its 2011 Federal Employees Benefits Survey to 3,000 randomly selected employees by email. The survey seeks to find out how federal employees feel about their benefits packages. [...]

The federal government plans to shutter more than 40 percent of its data centers over the next four years, with 195 centers closing at the end of 2011, the NY Times reports. Currently, 2,000 data centers operate around the country. In 2012, 178 data centers will close, with 800 centers closing by 2015. The Obama [...]

In an interview with USA Today published Wednesday, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said Saturday mail delivery could end soon and three-day-a-week delivery could arrive within 15 years. The Postal Service projects a $8.3 billion loss this year, with a $5.5 billion payment due Sept. 30 to cover future retirees’ health benefits. The Postal Service estimates [...]

The Energy Department will install 18 fuel cell backup power systems at 8 U.S. military posts as part of a partnership with the Defense Department, Reuters reports. The $6.6 million-project will test how the fuel cells perform in emergency situations or real-world operations, and to help manufacturers address technical problems. “The shared vision of the [...]

If the House of Representatives and the Senate cannot agree by Friday over a labor provision as part of a funding bill for the Federal Aviation Administration, the FAA could shut down, the AP reports. The FAA has operated under short-term extensions since Sept. 30, 2007, because lawmakers cannot agree on a longterm funding bill. [...]

The U.S. Army is winding down a six-week program testing the viability of using touchscreen phones and tablets in combat. According to CNN, Army officials are encouraged by the results and smartphone-equipped soldiers could be sent overseas later this year. “These young soldiers grew up with this technology,” said Michael McCarthy, an Army director for [...]