OVERVIEW: An executive order issued by Ronald Reagan more than three decades ago requires government agencies to consult with businesses before turning over certain documents to requesters. It’s the first step to a so-called reverse FOIA action and it can create unnecessary delays as in this case involving British oil behemoth BP. * In December 2012, I filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a copy of the complaint prepared and filed by an EPA Suspension and Debarment Division attorney who sought the suspension of British oil behemoth BP from government contracts due to the corporation’s role in the Gulf disaster four years ago. Several months went by and I hadn’t heard back from EPA so, in February 2013, I called the agency to check in on the status of my request. A FOIA analyst told me that EPA needed more time to process it because the documents I asked for needed to be reviewed and approved by the Office of General Counsel and BP before the materials could be turned over to me. Huh…?
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 21:39:40 +0000