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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Michigan Counties Use FOIA for Antiterror Plans

Five Michigan counties have been forced to file requests under the state’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in order to obtain documents which the State Police are keeping secret. The efforts, led by Oakland County, aim to obtain state antiterrorism plans in order to strengthen their own emergency readiness plans. A number of requests for the information have been filed over the past year but have gone unfulfilled, prompting the counties to file under FOIA. While FOIA requests are usually filed by the public to gain access to government information, government can also utilize the laws.

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Secret Meeting in Florida

The Florida Senate held a secret meeting March 6, 2003, the first time in several decades that the press and public were unable to attend a Senate committee meeting. Senators were briefed about a state database called Threat-Net, a Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) counter-terrorism database. FDLE Commissioner Tim Moore asked for the closed meeting for security reasons, although senators attending had no special security clearance. Senate President Jim King (R) defended the meeting saying, “we're involved in some stuff that doesn't fit within the purview of normalcy.

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FOIA, Access to Hearings at Greatest Risk from Secrecy

Two useful resources from journalists' document efforts to close the doors of government as the public continues to worry about the safety of our communities.

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Audit finds mixed agency response to Ashcroft FOIA Memo

Federal agencies showed varied responses to Attorney General John Ashcroft's memo instructing agencies to withhold documents whenever legally possible under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The audit concludes agencies' implementation of FOIA requests is in disarray, with agencies failing to provide basic information to help the public file requests (such as agency FOIA contacts), failure to acknowledge requests within 20 days as FOIA requires, excessive delays and backlogs in responding to requests, and inconsistent appeals processes.

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Administration Stacks Scientific Advisory Panels

The Bush administration has been screening nominees for federal scientific advisory committees based on their political views rather than their scientific qualifications. Inevitably, as the list below documents, this has meant tilting committees -- whose findings frequently form the basis for regulation -- in favor of corporate interests and conservative ideologues. If you know of any examples we are missing, please e-mail our Regulatory Policy staff CDC Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning

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50 Public Interest Groups Support Homeland Security Fix

In an effort to support recent efforts led by Sens. Leahy (D-VT) and Levin (D-MI) to fix overly restrictive information provisions in the Homeland Security Act (HAS), 50 public interest groups ranging from librarians to lawyers and environmentalists to reporters signed a statement of support.

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Restore FOIA Bill: An Important Step in Fixing the Homeland Security Act

Today Senators Leahy (D-VT), Levin (D-MI), Jeffords (I-VT), Lieberman (D-CT) and Byrd (D-WV) introduced the “Restore Freedom of Information Act”. The new legislation, called “Restore FOIA” for short, proposes to fix troubling information provisions that were passed in the Homeland Security Act of 2002. The bill would clarify and narrow a broad FOIA exemption that was created for the Department of Homeland Security and would completely eliminate various provisions that seriously restrict the government’s ability to use information.

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FERC's Final CEII Rule

On March 3, 2003, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) published in the Federal Register its final rule restricting access to critical energy infrastructure information (CEII) and establishing new procedures outside of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for requesting access. FERC began this process in response to the terrorist acts committed on September 11, 2001, and published its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on September 13, 2002, to obtain public comments.

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Illinois Bill Reinstating FOIA Fee-Shifting

In an effort to encourage use of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to access information, Illinois State Reps. Barbara Flynn Currie and Mary K. O'Brien have introduced House Bill 438 to the Illinois state legislature. The bill would provide reimbursement for court costs and attorney fees for individuals who are successful in lawsuits brought under the Illinois FOIA. This would ensure that individuals previously constrained due to financial burdens, as well as attorneys who were discouraged by fees, could utilize opportunities to access information and participate in democracy.

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TOP and CTCs Survive in FY 03

The federal Technology Opportunities Program and Community Technology Centers program emerged from the appropriations logjam in Congress with level funding of $15.5 million and $32.5 million respectively. Despite early and sustained signals from the Bush Administration desiring elimination of both programs, and a worsening economic picture, community technology supporters were able to mount a strong push to help protect the future of both initiatives. More information on FY 03 community technology appropriations is available from the Digital Empowerment Steering Committee.

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