SEJ Objects to EPA's 'Freedom of Information Act Regulations Update'

The Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ), in a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler, objected to the EPA's June 26 Final Rulemaking entitled "Freedom of Information Act Regulations Update." The letter states that the rule "enables the agency to limit public access to EPA records that are legally public information" and "the highly irregular procedure of issuing a final rule without proposal or public comments is unjustified and unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA)."

• Text of SEJ's June 26, 2019 letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Wheeler.
• June 27, 2019 EPA release in response to SEJ's letter.
• June 28, 2019 Politico "Morning Energy" newsletter citing EPA's response to SEJ's letter ("Around the Agencies" section).
• Text of SEJ's July 9, 2019 letter to EPA's Elise Packard, Deputy General Counsel for Operations, and Timothy Epp, Acting Director, National FOIA Office, responding to EPA's June 27 release.
• July 9, 2019 RCFP/News Media Coalition letter, which SEJ signed on to along with 37 other news media organizations, to Christopher T. Creech, Office of General Counsel, U.S. EPA.
• July 12, 2019, RCFP release. 

Coverage of the FOIA rule issue:

• "EPA blames advisory board for controversial changes to FOIA policy," The Hill, October 31, 2019, by Miranda Green.
• "Green groups sue EPA over 'sweeping overhaul' of public records policy," The Hill, July 24, 2019, by Miranda Green.
• "NOTEBOOK: Grassley blasts EPA for new secrecy move," Business Record, July 23, 2019, by Perry Beeman.
• "Bipartisan senators fight 'political considerations' in EPA's new FOIA rule," The Hill, July 22, 2019, by Rebecca Beitsch.
• "More lawyers, politics involved with EPA FOIA requests," Brunswick News, July 16, 2019, by Wes Wolfe.
• "The environment for reporters covering EPA just got a lot more toxic," The Washington Post, July 12, 2019, by Paul Farhi.
• "Press, green groups urge delay for FOIA regs," Greenwire, July 10, 2019, by Kevin Bogardus (subscription required).
• "Pressure mounts against EPA's new FOIA rule," The Hill, July 10, 2019, by Miranda Green.