It appears the Department of Energy still struggles with getting its luxurious spending under control, but spending $21 million over 16 months on conferences is an improvement. The department’s inspector general issued a report Feb. 11 that said Energy made progress managing how it spends money on conferences, but in the future, it might want to reconsider the Super Bowl parties, cruise boat dinners and golf tournaments. Marilyn Richardson, acting inspector general for the Department of Energy, wrote in her report, “Our review also identified conference information regarding social events that in our view could lead to negative public perceptions. Existing guidance notes that participation in any associated social events should be limited and restrained to the greatest degree practicable to avoid the appearance of impropriety.” It boils down to appearance. Spend the money, but don’t anger the public – too much. More…