"A top attorney at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is defending the agency’s handling of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests after criticisms from a key House Democrat.
Kevin Minoli, the EPA’s principal deputy general counsel, argued in a Sunday letter to Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) that the changes made to the FOIA program in recent years help both EPA employees and people seeking public records and that they do not hinder the process.
The EPA started in 2013, under the Obama administration, to implement a FOIA Expert Assistance Team (FEAT) to handle complex or high-profile requests.
After Ryan Jackson, chief of staff to acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, told investigators with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that certain FOIA requests were put under more intense scrutiny because they were “politically charged,” Cummings, the panel’s top Democrat, accused the EPA of impeding requests.
But Minoli said that’s not the case."
Timothy Cama reports for The Hill July 16, 2018.
SEE ALSO:
"EPA: Agency Defends FOIA Process, Says It Welcomes Scrutiny" (Greenwire - Subscription only)
"The Latest: Scrutiny of 'Politically Charged' FOIA Requests" (AP)
"Whistleblowing, FOIA, and the Fall of Scott Pruitt" (Government Accountability Project)
