FOIA Reform: Right Idea, Wrong Time?

This week the U.S. House of Representatives passed the "FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act of 2015 (pdf)," a FOIA reform bill.  Last year both Houses passed FOIA reform bills, but the federal bureaucracy monkey-wrenched reform efforts.

Reporter Ken Bogardus stated in E&E Daily (House approves FOIA reform bill, Jan. 12, 2016), "Though popular on Capitol Hill, FOIA reform often stalls out before becoming law after it runs into opposition from agency officials."

President Obama and Attorney General Holder made strong written commitments (pdf) to open government and in favor of disclosure of information under FOIA early in the current Administration, but numerous executive departments apparently are failing to respond to FOIA requests and/or improperly withholding government records.

There is no question that the government is routinely violating FOIA and that FOIA reform is a worthy idea, but it is an open question whether a policy window will open in 2016 for FOIA reform to occur.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Relief at Upper Echo Lake Overshadowed by Prescribed Burns Elsewhere in the Region

On the heels of a settlement agreement that signals the end of the Forest Service's plans to cut, pile, and burn vegetation around Upper Echo Lake south of Lake Tahoe, there are grim reminders of continuing agency mismanagement of forestry resources in the vicinity. First, prescribed burns in the El Dorado and Lake Tahoe National Forests contributed to poor air quality in the region, as reported here .  This led regulators to encourage Washoe County residents to stay indoors. Second, according to reporter Jason Hidalgo , the Little Valley Fire, which has destroyed dozens of homes and other buildings in Washoe Valley, may have been caused by prescribed burns in the area. Federal and state forestry agencies are staunch advocates for prescribed burns.  We wonder if there is empirical research to support their position.  At least one expert thinks otherwise as reported some time ago on the NEPA Lab blog .  Robert E. Keane in his book Wildland Fuel Fundamentals and Application (S
Read more

Context for Forest Service Action

Image
This image provides wonderful context to assess the Forest Service's ill-conceived Upper Echo Lake Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project. Notice how sparse the vegetation is at this elevation.  Certainly when one thinks about wildfire risk, this is not the image the mind conjures.
Read more

Forest Service Activity at Upper Echo Lake Threatens Water Quality

Image
The Upper Echo Lake Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project being implemented by the Forest Service threatens to degrade water quality in both Upper and Lower Echo Lakes.  The Project includes placement of large amounts of biomass adjacent to the lakes.  In the photo below, piles have been placed in the foreground. This material, which the Forest Service plans to burn in place, could soon end up in the lakes with devastating consequences.
Read more