WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has vowed to tackle climate change in his second term, but so far has not acted to strengthen a tool that does not require backing from Congress - the National Environmental Policy Act.

NEPA, a statute that dates to the Nixon administration, calls on officials to weigh whether projects such as highways, dams or oil drilling could harm the environment.

While it does not have the power to block development, NEPA forces officials to consider the environment before approving federal projects, and the White House has proposed that climate change should rank high among those concerns.

In early 2010, the White House suggested it would make an update to NEPA that would require counting greenhouse gas emissions among the impacts worthy of a NEPA review. But those standards have been on ice ever since they were written.

"We are taking the time necessary to carefully consider all input from the public, stakeholders and federal agencies," said Taryn Tuss, a spokeswoman for the White House Council for Environmental Quality (CEQ), the steward for NEPA.

Although changes to NEPA don't require White House review, several other cabinet agency rules have been held up by that process amid election-year politics and Republican complaints of costly over-regulation.

Democratic lawmakers have called on the White House to weigh climate change in proposals like the Keystone XL oil pipeline and coal export terminals planned for the Pacific Northwest.

Industry groups and Republicans, though, have warned Obama to keep NEPA out of the climate change debate.

LEGACY CONCERNS

Former White House officials say Obama must soon test the rule's power to confront climate change if he wants to cement a legacy of trying to wean the nation off polluting fossil fuels.

"A president who wants to lead on climate change does not have many tools that do not involve Congress. One of them is NEPA," said George Frampton, who led the CEQ in the final years of Bill Clinton's presidency.

Several former U.S. officials said the White House is at least a year away from blessing a climate change component of NEPA - if such a move is taken at all.

"I would think any revision is a ways off," said a former EPA official who dealt with NEPA issues.

Efforts by Congress to set mandatory limits on carbon emissions failed to pass in 2009 and 2010 amid intense partisan wrangling. Other administration pollution rules have also been challenged in the courts.

But with little hope of moving new comprehensive climate change legislation through Congress, the White House is running out of time to use its executive power to confront an issue that Obama has said requires urgent action.

"No one measure will halt climate change," said Jessica Goad of the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank with ties to the White House.

"But this is certainly one modest step. And we are talking about rules that have been on the shelf for three years."

The administration has recently announced some actions targeting climate change, including a deal with China to reduce HFCs, a potent greenhouse gas used in air conditioners and refrigerators.

But it has given no sign it will finish the more controversial NEPA update, which could have an impact on some major energy projects.

BACKDOOR REGULATION?

Since it came on the books in 1970, NEPA has been used as a tool to scrutinize - and sometimes stall - big government developments.

And while environmentalists are eager to use the statute to consider the long-term impacts of climate change, industry groups worry the added layer could be crippling to projects.

"Let's say you want to build a solar farm. Well, were those solar panels built in China using coal power? How far back do we trace these supposed impacts?" said Bill Kovacs, a senior energy adviser with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Republican lawmakers agree. In April, 33 senators signed a letter discouraging the White House from finalizing the standards, saying NEPA would be a way to regulate carbon emissions without congressional approval.

And some Democratic lawmakers do have big plans for NEPA.

The governors of Oregon and Washington want the White House to apply NEPA as it weighs whether to speak up against coal export terminals planned for the Pacific Northwest.

The statute should not only weigh the impact of exporting U.S. coal but how burning the fuel in furnaces overseas could worsen climate change, the governors argue.

While the NEPA rules remain unfinished, government agencies are coming up with different conclusions about what some controversial projects will mean for climate change.

A State Department review found that burning oil sands fuel would not substantially worsen climate change if the Keystone XL pipeline were permitted to cross the border from Canada, while the EPA found the impact to be significant.

The Army Corps of Engineers, which is reviewing the coal export terminals, has declined to weigh global impacts while local governors have pressed for such studies.

The Chamber of Commerce's Kovacs says the White House is wise to move slowly as it considers retooling NEPA but former officials say there is no time for delay.

"Time is running out to do something meaningful that will have an effect in Obama's second term," Frampton said.

(Reporting by Patrick Rucker and Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Ros Krasny and Eric Walsh)

Gordon also was fined two additional game checks on Friday. He'll miss games against the Dolphins and defending Super Bowl-champion Ravens, and is eligible to return for a game against the Vikings.

Gordon said in a statement that he used cough medicine containing codeine a banned substance while recovering from strep throat in February. The league could have given him a four-game suspension.

"The policy terms are strict about unintentional ingestion, but the NFL has not imposed the maximum punishment in light of the facts of my case," Gordon said. "Therefore, I have chosen to be immediately accountable for the situation. I sincerely apologize for the impact on my team, coaches, and Browns fans."

It's the second year in a row that the Browns have a key player suspended early in the season. Cornerback Joe Haden was suspended four games last season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Haden acknowledged taking the stimulant Adderall. The Browns lost their four games without him.

Gordon caught 50 passes as a rookie last season, developing into the Browns' best deep threat. He led the team with 805 yards receiving and five touchdowns.

The Browns selected him in the second round of the supplemental draft, taking a chance on a player who had major problems at Baylor. He was dismissed from the Bears after getting suspended twice for using marijuana. He transferred to Utah but didn't play there after failing another drug test.

Gordon will be able to practice with the team and play in the preseason games.

"Obviously, we are all disappointed in this news," coach Rob Chudzinski said. "In our short time with Josh, he has done everything that we've asked him to do and he has exhibited substantial improvement.

"We believe that he will continue to work diligently through training camp and the preseason. I am confident that others will step up in his absence."

Zoey Belcher was orphaned when her father, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, shot and killed her mother, Kasandra Perkins, at the couple's Kansas City home last Dec. 1, then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and killed himself in front of team coaches and officials.

Jovan Belcher's mother, Cheryl Shepherd, of West Babylon, N.Y., and Perkins' relatives near Austin, Texas, are vying for custody of the child.

Contey testified that she had met both families and believed either would provide a good home for the child. But she said she could not recommend that Zoey's custody be split between them.

"That seems like a lot of stress to put on a little person," she said.

Before Contey's testimony, the families announced in court that they have agreed to hire a third party to control Zoey Belcher's estate, The Kansas City Star reported (http://bit.ly/1bsNYlL).

The estate will receive more than $1 million under the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, including $108,000 annually over the next four years, $48,000 in the fifth year and $52,000 each year until she turns 18. She will continue to receive that amount until she is 23 if she attends college.

A trust funded by the Hunt family, who own the Chiefs, along with team coaches, players, employees and contributions from the public, will also help care for the child. As Belcher's beneficiary, his daughter's estate will also receive $600,000 from a life insurance policy, $200,000 for each of his four seasons with the Chiefs and $100,000 that was in a retirement account.

The shooting occurred while Belcher and Perkins argued over "one or both of them going out as in to a club or partying," according to police records. Shepherd, who was living with the couple at the time, heard multiple gunshots and saw Belcher kneeling next to Perkins' body, saying he was sorry.

After kissing Perkins, his daughter and his mother, Belcher drove to Arrowhead Stadium, where he shot himself while former coach Romeo Crennel and former general manager Scott Pioli pleaded with him to put down his gun.

As a police officer approached, Belcher knelt behind his vehicle, said, "Guys, I have to do this. ... I got to go, can't be here and take care of my daughter." He then made the sign of the cross and fired a bullet into his head, the report said.

"I'm delighted that International Pow Wow, the top international travel industry event in the United States, has selected the District as its home for 2017. This is an unmatched opportunity to showcase our nation's capital, and it will help generate more than $13.3 million in revenue for the District," said DC Mayor Vincent Gray. "Given the economic impact experienced by other host cities and the fact that this will be the first time hosting IPW in the District, it is an important opportunity for us to highlight our international visitor market."

More than $3.5 billion in future travel to the U.S. is generated each year as a result of IPW, according to data supplied by the U.S. Travel Association, which owns and operates the annual event.

"We are honored to be selected as the host city for IPW 2017 and to have the extraordinary opportunity to engage with more than 1,200 international and domestic buyers from more than 70 countries," said Elliott L. Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC. "In addition to generating 15,000 total hotel room nights during those four days, Washington, DC is estimated to benefit from more than $350 million in future bookings."

IPW is the largest generator of travel to the U.S. During one-on-one appointments, travel supplier organizations from every U.S. region conduct business negotiations with buyers from around the world.

"The U.S. Travel Association is proud to bring IPW to the nation's capital in 2017 for the first time in its 40-plus year history," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of U.S. Travel. "Washington, DC is a remarkable destination with a strong identity worldwide. Serving as host site to IPW will only further DC's efforts to attract more visitors from abroad and showcase the developments that have truly transformed the capital city in recent years."

At IPW, buyers and sellers are able to conduct business through more than 80,000 appointments - that would otherwise be generated only through an exhaustive number of around-the-world trips. All of these pre-scheduled appointments, and IPW's Media Marketplace which allows destinations to meet with more than 500 domestic and international journalists, will take place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in 2017.

"Events DC is pleased to welcome IPW 2017's thousands of travel and tourism professionals from around the globe to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center," said Gregory A. O'Dell, president and CEO of Events DC, the official convention and sports authority of the District of Columbia. "Hospitality is the lifeblood of our city, and we look forward to working with Destination DC and our industry partners to provide a truly world-class experience against the backdrop of our nation's historic capital city."

In addition to its unparalleled convention facility, Washington, DC will showcase more than $8.5 billion in new development projects currently underway. Delegates will experience new hotel facilities such as the 1,175-room Washington Marriott Marquis Hotel, mixed-use development CityCenterDC, electric streetcars along the trendy H Street NE corridor, the new Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture and an expanded Metrorail line connecting DC visitors to Washington Dulles International Airport.

"IPW delegates will be astounded at the significant development and revitalization taking place in Washington, DC's neighborhoods and on its National Mall," said Anthony Williams, former DC Mayor and Chief Executive of the Federal City Council. "We look forward to showcasing the very best of our city in 2017 and engaging strategic partners to ensure IPW in Washington, DC is a success."

The economic impact of IPW will be felt throughout the city by all sectors of the hospitality industry from hotels and attractions to transportation services and restaurants.

"Hosting IPW in 2017 makes economic sense for our city, especially in terms of exposing new visitors to all of the attractions and amenities we have to offer," said Paul Cohn, Destination DC board chairman. "Over the last few years, Washington, DC has become the number one-ranked museum destination in the world, as well as a leading culinary city attracting an impressive roster of celebrity chefs and restaurateurs."

In fiscal year 2013, Destination DC received an additional $3 million allocation from the city council to market the city around the world and increase DC's presence as a leisure and convention destination.

"The DC City Council appropriated funds for a marketing effort, so Destination DC can compete with other cities to attract both domestic and international travelers. The Council understands the nature of our competition and returns to the city in terms of tax revenue and jobs," said Gregory McCarthy, vice president of the Washington Nationals and former Destination DC board chairman. "IPW will be a wonderful platform to capitalize on the benefits of this funding and elevate the District into the top tier of destinations for foreign visitors."

For more information about Washington, DC, please visit . For more information about International Pow Wow, please visit .

About Destination DC: Destination DC, the lead destination marketing organization for the nation's capital, is a private, non-profit membership organization of more than 850 businesses committed to marketing the District as a premier global convention, tourism and special events destination with a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historic communities. Visitfor more information.

SOURCE Destination DC

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- The death of a 15-year-old Maine girl allegedly killed in a bizarre kidnapping plot involving a fake Facebook profile has prompted some of her classmates to scale back their social media use or ditch it altogether.

Nichole Cable was allegedly killed by an acquaintance who used a fake profile to lure her from her home, then kidnap her in hopes of becoming a hero when he miraculously "found" her, according to state police.

Meanwhile, rumor and speculation ran rampant on social media following Cable's disappearance and the charging of a 20-year-old who knew her.

Ashley Pattershall said Thursday some of her classmates at Old Town High School have opted to deactivate their Facebook accounts.

"A couple of my friends have deleted their Facebook, and some of my friends don't have Facebook anymore," said the 16-year-old Pattershall, who was a close friend of Cable.

Kyle Dube, 20, of Orono, used a phony Facebook account created in the name of a student from another school to lure Cable outside her Glenburn home, where he abducted and killed her on May 12, authorities said. Her body was found more than a week later in a wooded area of Old Town, north of Bangor.

Dube told others he wore a disguise to kidnap Cable and intended to return later and find her safe and sound, police said. Instead, he discovered she was dead when he went to check on his duct-taped victim in the back of his father's pickup.

Authorities said Dube told his girlfriend and brother that he dumped Cable's body and covered it with sticks. He was formally charged Wednesday with murder and kidnapping.

Dube's attorney, Stephen Smith, did not immediately return a phone call left at his Bangor office on Thursday.

Cable's mother, Kristin Wiley, said Thursday that she wants to brainstorm with school principals about how to help teens be safe online. A police officer also talked to her about doing seminars on teen safety, she said.

"We need to get awareness out. Even the Bible says, 'Do not stand idle by.' I'm not going to stand idle. For my daughter, I will not stand idle. I will do whatever I can," she said from her Glenburn home.

According to state police, detectives interviewed a young man named Bryan Butterfield a day after Cable was reported missing. Butterfield told police that someone had created a phony Facebook account in his name, and police traced it to Dube's parents' house in Orono.

Cable was frequently contacted by the fake Butterfield and agreed to meet with him at the end of her road to get some marijuana the night she went missing, according to the state police affidavit.

Social media's role in Nichole's disappearance and death was a wakeup call for students, many of whom have become paranoid about online contacts, said Pattershall, Cable's friend.

Pattershall, who said the fake Butterfield account had contacted her and others, said she cleaned out her Facebook "friend" lists, making sure only confirmed friends and family members can communicate with her.

Wiley choked up as she talked about how her neighbors looked out for each other on the dirt road with a handful of houses in Glenburn.

She still has difficulty fathoming the state police account of Dube jumping out to grab her daughter at the end of the road.

"It's very important that we prevent this from happening again, not just in our community but any community, Wiley said.

Wiley said her daughter would want her to act.

"She would not want anyone else to go through this."

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - The conventional wisdom on Wall Street is the clock is running out for U.S. prosecutors to make a case against billionaire trader Steven A. Cohen and his hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors after years of investigation.

There is a legal prohibition against filing criminal charges based on an instance of insider trading more than five years old, and two of the sets of trades viewed by legal analysts as having the best chances of leading prosecutors to Cohen were made five years ago, in July and August of 2008.

But continuing investigations into allegations of insider trading in at least two other stocks, which were first reported by Reuters in December, could extend the deadline to file charges for three more years, according to people familiar with the SAC probe.

Cohen, whom prosecutors recently subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury, has never been charged with wrongdoing. A spokesman for SAC Capital declined to comment.

Based on the five-year statute of limitations on insider trading charges, probes into potentially improper trading in Weight Watchers Internationalin 2011 and InterMunein 2010 give prosecutors until 2016 to make a case.

So even if they take no action against Cohen or his firm because of improper trading in shares of Dellin August of 2008 and Elanin July of 2008, a legal cloud could continue to hang over the 56-year-old manager and his firm for some time, the sources said.

But given how little is known about the investigations into trading in Weight Watchers and InterMune, it is also possible they may end-up being dead-ends, as has happened with other insider trading probes.

Peter Donald, a spokesman for the FBI declined to comment. Ellen Davis, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in the Southern District of New York, which has brought insider-trading cases against former and current SAC employees, declined to comment.

"Once the government starts looking at anything, they're going to look at everything," said C. Evan Stewart, a partner at the law firm Zuckerman Spaeder, who is not connected to the investigation. "They've got unlimited resources, which they seem committed to devoting to this to try to find something."

In the criminal complaint against former SAC portfolio manger Mathew Martoma, who was charged with trading illegally on information about Elan, a person referred to only as "Hedge Fund Owner" discusses with Martoma the quick sale of the Elan stock. Sources have confirmed to Reuters that Cohen is "Hedge Fund Owner.

Martoma, whose lawyer did not respond to a request for comment, pleaded not guilty to the charges and has resisted the government's efforts to get him to cooperate.

The statute of limitations on the Elan trades is set to run out in six weeks.

The charges against senior SAC executive Michael Steinberg for trading illegally in shares of Dell in August 2008 and Nvidiain 2009, also offers a possible prosecutorial path to Cohen. He has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer declined to comment.

In the Weight Watchers case, an SAC trader used various options trades to build a bet that the stock would move by a large percentage after an earnings announcement. The trades were unusual enough that Goldman Sachs , SAC's broker for the options, reported them to financial regulators, according to a source familiar with the matter. A spokesman for Goldman, which is one of SAC Capital's prime brokers and largest trading party on Wall Street, declined to comment.

No charges have been filed with regards to the Weight Watchers trades, which date back to February 2011, meaning prosecutors have until February 2016 to bring a case.

Another investigation, which Reuters has previously reported, is focusing on suspiciously timed 2010 trades in InterMune, a biotechnology company, made by former SAC employee Nikej Shah. The exact date of the trades is not known.

Shah left his position as a portfolio manager for SAC and is starting a new hedge fund, Mountain Brook Capital. He has not been charged with wrongdoing. He declined to talk to a reporter who visited him in his office in Manhattan.

The five-year statute of limitations on the InterMune trades will run out in 2015.

Another potential source of insider trading cases lies in last year's testimony in the trial of Anthony Chiasson, a former SAC employee, who left SAC to co-found his own hedge fund, Level Global. Chiasson was found guilty and sentenced in May to six- and-a-half years in prison. He is appealing the conviction.

Chiasson's source for insider tips, Spyridon Adondakis, testified that he passed inside information to former SAC analyst Jon Horvath and another SAC employee, Ron Dennis.

Horvath was fired from SAC in 2010 and pleaded guilty last year to insider trading and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Dennis, who has not been charged, also left SAC in 2010. Attempts to contact Dennis by phone and email were unsuccessful.

Adondakis is still cooperating with the government. Based on the information he has provided, cases against nearly a dozen people have been filed.

(Reporting by Emily Flitter; editing by Matthew Goldstein)

The new test, which goes on sale Wednesday, joins another one that recently came on the market. Both analyze multiple genes in a biopsy sample and give a score for aggressiveness, similar to tests used now for certain breast and colon cancers.

Doctors say tests like these have the potential to curb a major problem in cancer care overtreatment. Prostate tumors usually grow so slowly they will never threaten a man's life, but some prove fatal and there is no reliable way now to tell which ones will. Treatment with surgery, radiation or hormone blockers isn't needed in most cases and can cause impotence or incontinence, yet most men are afraid to skip it.

"We're not giving patients enough information to make their decision," said Dr. Peter Carroll, chairman of urology at the University of California, San Francisco. "You can shop for a toaster" better than for prostate treatment, he said.

A study he led of the newest test the Oncotype DX Genomic Prostate Score is set for discussion Wednesday at an American Urological Association meeting in San Diego.

The results suggest the test could triple the number of men thought to be at such low risk for aggressive disease that monitoring is a clearly safe option. Conversely, the test also suggested some tumors were more aggressive than doctors had believed.

Independent experts say such a test is desperately needed but that it's unclear how much information this one adds or whether it will be enough to persuade men with low-risk tumors to forgo treatment, and treat it only if it gets worse. Only 10 percent who are candidates for monitoring choose it now.

"The question is, what's the magnitude of difference that would change the patient's mind?" said Dr. Bruce Roth, a cancer specialist at Washington University in St. Louis.

One man may view a 15 percent chance that his tumor is aggressive as low risk "but someone else might say, 'Oh my God, let's set the surgery up tomorrow,'" he said. "I don't think it's a slam dunk."

Also unknown: Will insurers pay for the expensive test without evidence it leads to better care or saves lives?

The newest test was developed by Genomic Health Inc., which has sold a similar one for breast cancer since 2004. Doctors at first were leery of it until studies in more groups of women proved its value, and the same may happen with the prostate test, said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the American Cancer Society's deputy chief medical officer.

The company will charge $3,820 for the prostate test and says it can save money by avoiding costlier, unnecessary treatment. Another test for assessing prostate cancer risk that came out last summer Prolaris by Myriad Genetics Inc. sells for $3,400.

Both companies can sell the tests without Food and Drug Administration approval under separate rules that govern lab diagnostics. Myriad Genetics has published nine studies on Prolaris involving more than 3,000 patients. Genomic Health has not published any results on the prostate test, another thing that makes doctors wary. Yet it has a track record from its breast cancer test.

About 240,000 men in the U.S. are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, and about half are classified as low risk using current methods. Doctors now base risk estimates on factors such as a man's age and how aggressive cells look from biopsies that give 12 to 14 tissue samples. But tumors often are spread out and vary from one spot to the other.

"Unless you can be sure your biopsy has hit the most aggressive part that's in the prostate, you can't be sure" how accurate your risk estimate is, explained Dr. Eric Klein, chief of urology at the Cleveland Clinic,who led early development of the Oncotype prostate cancer test.

For one study, researchers used prostates removed from 440 men. They measured the activity of hundreds of genes thought to be involved in whether the cancer spread beyond the prostate or proved fatal. A second study of biopsies from 167 patients narrowed it down to 81 genes, and researchers picked 17 that seemed to predict aggressiveness no matter the location in the tumor.

A third study used single needle-biopsy samples from 395 UCSF patients scheduled to have their prostates removed. The gene test accurately predicted the aggressiveness of their cancer once doctors were able to see the whole prostate after surgery.

Using one current method, 37 of the 395 men would have been called very low risk and good candidates for monitoring. Adding the gene test put 100 men into that category, said another study leader, Dr. Matthew Cooperberg of UCSF.The gene test shifted about half of the men into either a lower or a higher risk category.

"It went both ways that was the remarkable thing. In any category of risk it added independent information compared to the standard criteria we use today," Carroll said. "More work needs to be done, but, in my opinion, this is a very good start."

However, Dr. Kevin McVary, chairman of urology at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and a spokesman for the Urological Association, said the test must be validated in more men before it can be widely used.

"It's not there yet," he said.

UCSF just got a federal grant to see how men choose treatments and whether this test might sway them.

"We throw all these numbers at them. Are they really going to make a better decision?" Cooperberg said.

Dean Smith, 60, a retired marketing executive from Mill Valley, Calif., is following his doctor's advice to monitor the cancer he was diagnosed with in March. He said a gene test may have made him more comfortable with that decision.

At least six of his friends suffered side effects ranging from urinary leakage to inability to have sex after having their prostates removed.

"I would suspect that having cancer and having to live with it would be very difficult for them," but it doesn't bother him, Smith said. "I will die from something other than prostate cancer, I guarantee you."

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Marilynn Marchione can be followed at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP

"Your car's tires affect its ride, handling, traction and safety, so this National Tire Safety Week be sure to do your PART and check the Pressure, Alignment, Rotation and Tread," said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council.

Pressure: Correct tire pressure is good to your wallet and the environment as properly inflated tires can improve gas mileage by three percent. Underinflated tires are under stress and wear uneven, causing them to be replaced sooner.

Alignment: If your car is shaking or pulling to one side it could be a sign of an alignment issue. Because uneven or accelerated tire wear may indicate an alignment problem, it's a good idea to have your car's alignment checked at least once a year.

Rotation: Unless your car manual has a specific recommendation, the Car Care Council recommends having tires rotated every 6,000 miles to promote uniform tire wear. Unbalanced wheels can cause rapid wear of shock absorbers and struts, and wheel balance can change as a result of normal tire wear. Rotating the tires to keep their sizes equal is critical on full-size four-wheel drive vehicles as a difference of only 1/4 inch between the outside circumference of the front and rear tires can cause expensive damage. Replacing all four tires at the same time, rather than just the front or rear tires, is highly recommended for these vehicles.

Tread: Use theand visually inspect tires for sign of uneven wear. If the tread depth falls below the minimum legal requirement or the sidewalls become severely cracked or punctured, tire replacement may be necessary.

"It only takes five minutes to check tire pressure and stay safer on the road," said White. "For more information on service interval schedules, questions to ask a technician and tips to drive smart and save money, check out the free digital Car Care Guide online at ."

The Car Care Council is supporting the Rubber Manufacturers Association's Tire Safety Week (June 2-8, 2013). Learn more at .

The Car Care Council is the source of information for the "Be Car Care Aware" consumer education campaign promoting the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance and repair to consumers. For a copy of the council's Car Care Guide or for more information, visit .

SOURCE Car Care Council

A total of 132 IRS officials received room upgrades at the 2010 conference in Anaheim, Calif., according to the report being released by J. Russell George, the Treasury inspector general for tax administration.

One official stayed five nights in a room that regularly goes for $3,500 a night, George's report said, and another stayed four nights in a room that regularly goes for $1,499 a night. The agency paid a flat daily fee of $135 per hotel room, it said, but the upgrades were part of a package deal that added to the overall cost of the conference. Without the upgrades, the IRS could have negotiated a lower room rate, as required by agency procedures.

The inspector general's report was surfacing as the IRS came under fire again in connection with its targeting of conservative groups during the 2010 and 2012 elections. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the IG report ahead of its release.

In all, the IRS held 225 employee conferences from 2010 through 2012, at a total cost of $49 million, the report said. The Anaheim conference was the most expensive, but others were costly, too.

In 2010, for instance, the agency held a conference in Philadelphia that cost $2.9 million, one in San Diego that cost $1.2 million, and one in Atlanta that also cost $1.2 million.

Acting IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel has called the conferences "an unfortunate vestige from a prior era." Werfel took over the agency about two weeks ago, after President Barack Obama forced the previous acting commissioner to resign.

For more than 18 months during the 2010 and 2012 election campaigns, IRS agents in a Cincinnati office singled out tea party and other conservative groups for additional scrutiny when they sought tax-exempt status, according to a previous report by George.

The report issued last month said tea party groups were asked inappropriate questions about their donors, their political affiliations and their positions on political issues. The additional scrutiny delayed applications for an average of nearly two years, making it difficult for many of the groups to raise money.

On Tuesday, leaders of conservative groups complained to Congress that they were abused by the Internal Revenue Service for years as they sought tax-exempt status, including questions one Iowa anti-abortion group said it got about prayer meetings.

The testimony of the tea party and other conservative organizations before the House Ways and Means Committee was the first time groups complaining about the IRS's treatment have appeared directly before lawmakers since the IRS revealed the problem and apologized for it last month. They talked about applications for tax-exempt status that took three years for approval or in some cases haven't yet been approved and queries from the agency about the identity of their donors, video of meetings and whether speakers at such gatherings expressed political views.

"I'm a born-free American woman," Becky Gerritson, president of the Wetumpka Tea Party in Alabama, tearfully told the committee, adding, "I'm telling my government, you've forgotten your place."

Sue Martinek, president of the Coalition for Life of Iowa, an anti-abortion group, said the IRS asked them about "the content of our prayers."

"As Christians, we know we needed to pray for better solutions for unplanned pregnancies," she said.

The president of another group, the National Organization for Marriage, said the IRS publicly disclosed confidential information about donors. George Eastman said he thought the IRS's release of that information was designed to intimidate contributors to the group which opposes same-sex marriage "to chill them from donating again."

At Tuesday's Ways and Means hearing, committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., said the conservative groups were being singled out for their beliefs.

"They are Americans who did what we ask people to do every day add their voice to the dialogue that defines our country," Camp said. "And for pursuing that passion, for simply exercising their First Amendment rights the freedoms of association, expression and religion the IRS singled them out."

The committee's top Democrat, Rep. Sander Levin, said it was time to correct the IRS's problems.

"You are owed an apology," Levin, from Michigan, told the witnesses. "We say to you that each of us is committed to doing our part to ensure this does not happen again."

The leader of a small South Carolina tea party group said her organization first applied for tax-exempt status in 2010 and is still waiting for the application to be processed.

"Nearly three years in waiting for an answer is totally unacceptable," said Dianne Belsom, president of the Laurens County Tea Party. "The IRS needs to be fully investigated and held accountable for its incompetence harassment and targeting of conservative groups."

Belsom said her group in rural South Carolina has about 60 members and "seeks to educate ourselves and fellow citizens on various issues pertinent to living in a free country." The group also holds candidate forums in election years, she said.

"I'd like to note that our group is a small-time operation with very little money and this represents a complete waste of time by the IRS in terms of any money they would collect if we were not tax-exempt," Belsom said.

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Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephenatap

Patrick laughed at the idea that Tony Stewart (her boss) wanted to choke Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (her boyfriend) for blocking in last week's race at Charlotte. In fact, she might have helped Stewart put his hands around Stenhouse's neck. Patrick had her race spoiled when she was wrecked by Stenhouse in their first on-track accident since they announced they were dating.

If Patrick felt caught in the middle of the boss-boyfriend squabble, she didn't show it Friday at Dover International Speedway.

"Don't you want to choke your kids every now and then?" she asked. "I mean, everybody wants to choke their kids, or their dad, or son, or significant other at times. So, I think that is a comment out of love, no doubt."

Stewart has said he loves Stenhouse like family, so this was more like dishing out some tough love rather than the start of a feud. Patrick said she took the comment as a sign that Stewart actually wants to help Stenhouse, a Sprint Cup rookie.

"If there is anyone out there that he says something about, it's only because he knows they are going to be around and he wants them to learn how to play the game the way that he's learned how to play the game," she said. "It's actually a good thing that he wants to help and that he would speak up, because at the end of the day we see each other every five days, not every couple of weeks.

"You need to take care of those relationships or else they could bite you in the end."

Sure enough, Stenhouse and Stewart talked after the race about both blocking and the biting comments. Stenhouse said he didn't block Stewart, just "held him up a little bit."

"We're like family, we always have been," Stenhouse said. "Things are good."

Of course, Stenhouse doesn't have to see Stewart every day. But he does see Patrick. Stenhouse got a bit of the silent treatment from Patrick on the way home from the race because of the wreck.

Patrick was racing in the middle of the three-wide pack when she was hit by Stenhouse and collided with Brad Keselowski. Patrick's No. 10 Chevrolet suffered serious damage and she finished 29th, her sixth straight result of 25th or worse in her first full season in Sprint Cup.

"When you all say I wrecked her, I don't know if that's actually the case," Stenhouse said. "But you all can write whatever you want to. I did have involvement in it, being three wide."

She was upset with him but they hashed it all out before they got home even with some stretches of quiet time even as the first "Stenica" collision led to stories in sports and entertainment outlets.

"Yeah, I guess you could say it was a little more awkward with her because you never want to be in that situation," Stenhouse said. "But it's all good. We had a great Memorial Day and had fun on the lake. We're ready to go now."

Stenhouse won the 2012 Nationwide Series championship and is more used to talking racing than romance at the track. Patrick is long accustomed to the mainstream spotlight thanks to magazine shoots and Super Bowl commercials. She understands why fans are interested in how NASCAR's power couple got along after the accident.

"I'm sure I would want to know how that all went down after the race, too," she said. "We're an entertainment sport, so I get it."

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Follow Dan Gelston on Twitter: http://twitter.com/APGelston