Interior Department proposes significant limitations on Freedom of Information Act requests
Chelsi Moy, The Wilderness Society
Changes could limit access to crucial information for investigators, journalists, advocacy organizations and the public
A proposed revision of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulations by the Department of the Interior, published December 28 in the Federal Register, set off a 30-day countdown for public comments. The proposed changes would limit access to crucial information for investigators, journalists, advocacy organizations and the public. Even worse, the proposed changes were issued during a government shutdown when they were apparently not permitted. The Office of the Federal Register issued an advisory in December, stating only necessary/emergency notices are to be published during a government shutdown.
The following statement is from Alison Flint, Litigation Manager & Senior Policy Analyst, The Wilderness Society:
“During a period of unceasing efforts to roll-back protections for our most prized public lands, we get a proposal restricting the public’s right to know what our government is up to. The draft rule is unprecedented in scope, appears to violate the Freedom of Information Act in a number of respects, and poses a fundamental threat to our work protecting America’s shared public lands. To add insult to injury, the Department of the Interior slipped in this draft rule change over the holidays and during a government shutdown, providing a woefully inadequate 30-day public comment period.”
An additional statement from Nada Culver, Senior Counsel and Bureau of Land Management Action Center Director, The Wilderness Society:
“The Interior Department created a heavy backlog of Freedom of Information Act requests by concealing information that should have been made public in the first place. Instead, we must submit a FOIA request for everything, and fight for every response.”
CONTACT:
Andrea Alday – Deputy Director, Regional Communications Strategy
andrea_alday@tws.org, 818-512-7628
The Wilderness Society is the leading conservation organization working to protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for our wild places. Founded in 1935, and now with more than one million members and supporters, The Wilderness Society has led the effort to permanently protect 109 million acres of wilderness and to ensure sound management of our shared national lands. Visit www.wilderness.org.
