Appeals Court Orders Release of Timber-Trade Records

More details and documents on the 2006 US-Canada Softwood Lumber Agreement will be released after a federal appeals court ruled Sept. 16, 2011, against claims by the Office of the US Trade Representative that the documents were exempt from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Two environmental groups, the Center for Biological Diversity and Conservation Northwest, sought the records.

• "Fed. Appeals Court Rules on FOIA Exemptions, Search Scope," News Media Update, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, September 20, 2011, by You-Jin Han.