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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Freedom of Information Links

Listed below are links to various FOIA guides, resource pages and organizations that also track developments in the law. The resources help users to understand the basics of the FOIA, submit FOIA requests, make a case for fee waivers, and appeal denials. 2002 Guide to the Freedom of Information Act from the Department of Justice (comprehensive guide designed for government FOIA litigators). A Citizen's Guide On Using The Freedom Of Information Act And The Privacy Act of 1974 To Request Government Records from the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight.

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Justice Dept. Asks for Destruction of Documents, Later Rescinds

The Department of Justice (DOJ) called for the destruction of all copies of five documents in library circulation, according to a July 20 message from the Superintendent of Documents. After public outcry from libraries and public interest groups, DOJ rescinded its request in a July 30 message. Although these training materials and other documents were already in the public domain, DOJ asserted that they were not appropriate for external use. One of the listed documents is a public law and law offices commonly use the others in assisting clients to reclaim assets from the government.

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Ohio Proposes Strengthening Open Records Law

Officials in Ohio will soon introduce a bill to the state legislature that would improve the state's current open records laws, according to the Plain Dealer. This comes after a recent survey revealed the state complied with requests for records less than half the time. The new provisions would require elected officials to receive two hours of public records training and government offices to create records manuals. Judges could also fine those violating the law up to $1,000 a day. While these changes could greatly improve compliance with the laws, some believe it is not enough.

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New Report Explores Chemical Dangers from Power Plants

A new report by the Working Group on Community Right-to-Know estimates that 3.5 million Americans living near some 225 non-nuclear power plants are at risk from leaks or releases of gaseous ammonia or chlorine. It calls for these plants to switch to safer alternatives to ensure the safety of surrounding communities. The Working Group analyzed information submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from individual facilities. Facilities are required to assess the dangers they pose to the surrounding communities.

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Scientists Speak Out Against the Bush Administration

Last week the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) released updated evidence that the Bush administration continues to manipulate and control science for political reasons. UCS has now collected the signatures of more than 4,000 scientists supporting a statement urging the Bush administration to discontinue these troubling practices, and to restore scientific integrity in federal policymaking. The prestigious list of scientists taking this unprecedented stand includes 48 Nobel laureates, 62 national medal of science recipients, and 127 members of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Groups Object to Indian Affairs FOIA Exemptions

Several groups and individuals voiced objections to a Senate Bureau of Indian Affairs reform bill, in a letter delivered to Senators Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO) and Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) July 8.

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Patriot Act Intact but Under Fire in Congress

In a vote reflecting disagreement among Republican leaders and several conservative members of Congress over the USA Patriot Act, the House of Representatives defeated by the thinnest possible margin an effort to reign in the government's power to require libraries and booksellers to reveal the books people are reading. Libraries and booksellers, including the American Library Association and American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, have gathered over 100,000 signatures in a campaign to support the Freedom to Read Protection Act, yet the House deadlocked on the bill.

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Details Emerge on Data Rejected in Morning-after Pill Decision

Internal FDA memos reported by the Washington Post last week show senior scientists at the FDA disagreed sharply with the agency's decision last month to bar the Plan B morning-after pill from over-the-counter sales. The scientists asserted that FDA officials applied a higher standard for determining Plan B's OTC status than has been applied to other drugs. Dr. John Jenkins, director of FDA's Office of New Drugs, wrote in an internal memo reported in the Wall Street Journal that Plan B is "fully consistent with the agency's usual standards for meeting the criteria" for OTC status.

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FBI Used Controversial Patriot Act Provision

The FBI applied to use a section of the USA Patriot Act less than a month after Attorney General John Ashcroft stated it had never been used, according to new documents. Section 215 allows the government to track the public's reading habits in bookstores and libraries and seize an organization's computers, files and "any material thing" as part of an ongoing investigation.

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Congress Mulls Secrecy on Several Fronts

Those who care about American's right to know would do well to keep eyes peeled on recent congressional action. Proposals to amend the USA Patriot Act and spending bills are at the center of congressional debate over openness in government. In that debate, which pits the doctrine of reauthorization of federalism against the government's penchant for secrecy, the Senate added a provision to a $350 billion transportation bill (H.R. 3550) that would preempt state and local sunshine laws in order to mandate secrecy about public safety problems in aviation, rail and other transportation systems.

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