"Environmental groups and their critics are trading blows over the findings of a recent Government Accountability Office report on environmental litigation costs. In the face of Republican claims that environmentalists game the legal system to win attorneys' fees, GAO experts examined lawsuits filed against U.S. EPA and found 'no discernible trend' over the last 16 years."

"But the report includes data that provided both sides with ammunition.

Environmental groups pointed to a tally showing private companies and trade associations accounted for 48 percent of lawsuits filed against EPA between 1995 and 2010."

Lawrence Hurley reports for Greenwire September 7, 2011. [2]