GOPers Call for Probe of Alleged EPA FOIA Blockage

Somehow you always suspected that your FOIA request was being delayed because political appointees needed time to fiddle with it. Now some Congressional Republicans claim to have proof.

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and David Vitter (R-LA) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) on March 7, 2013, released an e-mail exchange they suggest shows EPA lawyers delaying responses to requests for controversial information. They also charge EPA with incompetence and urge U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate. The FOIA request in question was from Christopher Horner of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, author of "The Liberal War Against Transparency."

• "Vitter, Grassley, Issa Want Answers on FOIA Process Failures," Release of March 7, 2013, Office of Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA).
• Text of e-mail exchange.
• "GOP Lawmakers Charge EPA Lacks Transparency, Seek DOJ Probe," CNSNews.com, March 8, 2013, by Fred Lucas.
• "Shining the Light on EPA’s Mismanagement of FOIA Requests," Free Enterprise, March 11, 2013, by Bill Kovacs.
• "Congressmen Demand Investigation of EPA Selectively Blocking FOIAs," Washington Examiner, March 8, 2013, by Mark Flatten.

This is one of the stories in the March 13, 2013 issue of SEJ's biweekly WatchDog. Find the rest of the stories and past issues here.