Nonpartisan ethics watchdog American Oversight released the following statement after a newly-published transcript revealed that political appointees at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) routinely interfered with processing of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

American Oversight today filed a motion for summary judgment in our case against the EPA over the agency’s practice of wrongly rejecting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. We’re asking the court to order the EPA to stop its pattern of denying FOIA requests it would rather not respond to by claiming the requests aren’t “reasonably described.”

Motion for summary judgment filed by American Oversight in our lawsuit asking the court to order the EPA to end its practice of inappropriately denying FOIA requests as not "reasonably described."

Lawsuit filed by American Oversight seeking an injunction to stop the Environmental Protection Agency from continuing its practice of denying reasonably described Freedom of Information Act requests. The EPA has repeatedly refused to conduct searches for records requested under FOIA - such as emails between agency officials and outside entities - and the agency has wrongly argued that any request that doesn't include a keyword is inadequately described.

EPA rejected American Oversight's request for emails between Scott Pruitt and EPA senior staff between June 1 and June 15, 2017.

Emails between Scott Pruitt and EPA senior staff between June 1 and June 15, 2017.