The public is still in the dark about the environmental impacts of the open-pit Rosemont copper mine proposed near Tucson. The documents are sought by Arizona Daily Star reporter and SEJ member Tony Davis, who has doggedly reported on the impacts, largely utilizing FOIA request results. Image: © Clipart.com [2]

Authorities in both Cleveland and Philadelphia placed new restrictions on media covering the Republican convention, including banning gas masks, backpacks and bags bigger than 18" x 13" x 7" — which severely cramps broadcast journalists' ability to carry electronic gear.

Peabody, the documents show, funded at least two dozen groups that sowed doubt about whether climate change is caused by human emissions and that opposed regulating climate emissions. Most of that funding had been kept secret until now.

"Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation" are legal bullying, using the resources of well-heeled business or political groups to harass smaller citizens' groups or (sometimes) news media who can barely afford lawyers. Now some are calling for a federal law to counter them.

The Council of Canadians, an environmental group, is calling for release of a report on the herbicide glyphosate that New Brunswick's chief medical officer was working on when she was dismissed six months ago.

When a government official sends work-related emails over a private or personal email account, the emails are not necessarily exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, a federal appeals court ruled July 5, 2016.

Just in time for the 50th anniversary of the original Freedom of Information Act, President Obama June 30, 2016, signed into law a package of amendments to strengthen it. The bill codifies the "presumption of openness."

Here are some recent Congressional Research Service reports relevant to the environment and energy beat, thanks to the Federation of American Scientists' Government Secrecy Project.

Overall goals of the new draft plan are to make all government data and information open by default and to eliminate all fees except for an initial $5 filing fee. The Canadian government invites comments on the plan before June 30, 2016.

Don't get us wrong: the U.S. federal government's openness to public scrutiny leaves much to be desired. Still, it's worth noting that some improvements have taken place. Here are a few prominent ones. Image: Clipart.com. [30]