"The Interior Department plans to establish a new 'litigation unit' to consolidate legal challenges over Freedom of Information Act requests, part of the agency's ongoing overhaul of its handling of public records demands.

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed off on the new legal team yesterday in Secretarial Order 3378.

The document detailed the role of Interior's new deputy chief FOIA officer, who will oversee the agency's public records program via the newly established 'Departmental FOIA Office.'

The FOIA office will also be tasked with creating an 'oversight program to monitor FOIA-related activities throughout the Department, including developing and assisting with the implementation of quality control review plans for each Bureau/office to ensure that FOIA processing is consistent, efficient, and accurate.'"

Jennifer Yachnin reports for Greenwire January 8, 2020. [2]