"A controversial public relations contract between the global firm Mercury and the state of Michigan has ended, The Hill has learned. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) came under fire for hiring the high-powered firm to help deal with the fallout from the water contamination crisis in Flint, Mich."

"A federal judge has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to give the court documents related to its consideration of a controversial mining project in Alaska, ruling he has “no confidence” in the agency’s ability to decide which documents should become public following an open records request."

"The Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill to expand the public's access to government records, after a year of delay."

"The Senate backers of legislation to strengthen the government's open records laws are hoping to pass their bill on the floor in the coming week."

As the Flint water crisis was being discovered, Michigan environmental officials tried to manipulate exemptions in the state's freedom of information law to keep secret emails that should have been subject to disclosure.

"Last Thursday, the Center for Biological Diversity made an announcement: The Fish and Wildlife Service was proposing to delist the Yellowstone grizzly. But FWS didn't release the proposal for another half-hour. CBD had scooped the agency on its own news, criticizing the delisting proposal before FWS had a chance to defend it."

"Last summer, investigative journalist Curt Guyette found himself knocking on doors of families in Flint, Michigan, carrying not only a pen and notebook, but water-testing kits."