Freedom of Information

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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A Face-to-Face with the President about Transparency

Mar 29, 2011 by Gary Bass*

Yesterday, I had a once-in-a-career opportunity – to discuss transparency in the Oval Office with the President of the United States.

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Sunshine Week Brings Bevy of Transparency Announcements

America celebrated Sunshine Week 2011 between March 13-19. The White House and federal agencies announced several new transparency initiatives during the week, and Congress held hearings to examine government openness and introduced new transparency legislation. The open government community also released new reports examining transparency efforts within government.

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OMB Watch Assesses Obama Administration's Progress on Open Government Recommendations

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2011—OMB Watch today published an in-depth analysis of the Obama administration's progress on a wide-ranging set of open government recommendations. The recommendations were crafted by a diverse group of organizations and individuals as part of the 21st Century Right to Know Project, which was coordinated by OMB Watch in 2007 and 2008.

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OMB Watch Analysis Finds Obama Administration Slowly Rebuilding Government's FOIA Performance

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2011—Today, OMB Watch released an initial analysis of the Obama administration's performance on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) implementation based on federal agency annual reports under the act. Though some progress has been made, the analysis shows that the federal government is still in a rebuilding phase when it comes to FOIA openness.

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Celebrate Open Government during Sunshine Week

From March 13-19, Americans will commemorate the importance of open government during Sunshine Week. Organized by the American Society of Newspaper Editors and a coalition of groups including OMB Watch, Sunshine Week is observed annually to coincide with the birthday of James Madison, the Founding Father known for his emphasis on checks and balances in government.

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Supreme Court: No "Privacy" for Corporations

Mar 1, 2011 by Gavin Baker

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that corporations are not subject to the personal privacy exemption of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The 8-0 ruling in Federal Communications Commission v. AT&T overturned a lower court ruling in AT&T's favor, which transparency advocates had worried could have imposed significant new barriers to public access to information.

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What Does the President's Budget Mean for Transparency?

The president's budget request for fiscal year 2012, released on Feb. 14, is the opening bid in a months-long process to decide how much the federal government will spend on everything from the Navy to open government efforts. The administration's budget proposal is difficult to analyze in terms of open government commitments because it doesn’t include line-item categories for transparency activities. However, it does provide some clues about increases and cuts.

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PATRIOT Act Provisions Get Three-Month Extension, But Nearly Lose Funding

Feb 18, 2011 by Gavin Baker

The House voted yesterday to agree to the Senate's three-month extension of expiring PATRIOT Act provisions. The President is expected to sign the bill before Feb. 28, when the current provisions expire.

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Congress Headed for PATRIOT Act Debate This Year

Feb 16, 2011 by Gavin Baker

The Senate voted yesterday to extend expiring provisions of the PATRIOT Act until May 27. The House had voted to extend the provisions until December 8; today, the House agreed to consider the Senate version. The House and Senate have to agree before Feb. 28 or the provisions will expire.

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Take Two: PATRIOT Act Extension Passes House

Feb 15, 2011 by Gavin Baker

Last week, the House failed to clear a supermajority vote under special rules to extend expiring provisions of the PATRIOT Act. But no surprises this time: the House approved the extension yesterday under normal majority rules.

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more resources

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

A Face-to-Face with the President about Transparency

Mar 29, 2011 by Gary Bass*

Sunshine Week Brings Bevy of Transparency Announcements

OMB Watch Assesses Obama Administration's Progress on Open Government Recommendations

OMB Watch Analysis Finds Obama Administration Slowly Rebuilding Government's FOIA Performance

Celebrate Open Government during Sunshine Week

Supreme Court: No "Privacy" for Corporations

Mar 1, 2011 by Gavin Baker

What Does the President's Budget Mean for Transparency?

PATRIOT Act Provisions Get Three-Month Extension, But Nearly Lose Funding

Feb 18, 2011 by Gavin Baker

Congress Headed for PATRIOT Act Debate This Year

Feb 16, 2011 by Gavin Baker

Take Two: PATRIOT Act Extension Passes House

Feb 15, 2011 by Gavin Baker

Pages

Living in the Shadow of Danger: Poverty, Race, and Unequal Chemical Facility Hazards

A Tale of Two Retirements: One for CEOs and One for the Rest of Us

Blowing Smoke: Chemical Companies Say “Trust Us,” But Environmental and Workplace Safety Violations Belie Their Rhetoric

Gasping for Support: Implementation of Tougher Air Quality Standards Will Require New Funds for State Agencies

Citizen Health & Safety Topics

Recent Reports

Living in the Shadow of Danger: State Scorecards

Living in the Shadow of Danger: Poverty, Race, and Unequal Chemical Facility Hazards

A Tale of Two Retirements: One for CEOs and One for the Rest of Us