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In a letter to Acting EPA Administrator Bob Perciasepe on Friday, four Republicans accused the agency of routinely waiving fees for environmental groups who seek documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) but making conservative think tanks and state and local governments pay full price.
The legislators pointed to data that show that 92 percent of all fee waivers granted by the EPA were to requests from environmental groups.
My revelation: Who knew Conservatives had environmental groups?
Well, we're busy reorganizing. The old Heritage Foundation is becoming the Environmental Legacy Foundation, and so on.Read more: GOP lawmakers liken EPA info tactics to IRS targeting of Tea Party - The Hill's RegWatch
Letter: http://www.epw.senate.gov/public/in...Store_id=81b4a3d3-f18c-4ee5-95c1-b1bbd2d1e27a
Data: http://www.epw.senate.gov/public/in...Store_id=ae65463f-a4d7-47f2-b93b-054f6236a4de
My revelation: Who knew Conservatives had environmental groups?
Read more: GOP lawmakers liken EPA info tactics to IRS targeting of Tea Party - The Hill's RegWatch
Letter: http://www.epw.senate.gov/public/in...Store_id=81b4a3d3-f18c-4ee5-95c1-b1bbd2d1e27a
Data: http://www.epw.senate.gov/public/in...Store_id=ae65463f-a4d7-47f2-b93b-054f6236a4de
My revelation: Who knew Conservatives had environmental groups?
The EPA waives FOIA fees for groups that have a legitimate, identified purpose for gathering the information requested. One criteria is that it must show some sort of goal of improving public knowledge.
A group making these FOIA requests for the purpose of checking on the FOIA process at the EPA? Doesn't meet this criteria.
Conservative groups making redundant, overreaching, malicious FOIA requests for the purpose of slowing down actual work? Also doesn't meet this criteria.
There are nine exemptions allowed under the FOIA. Nothing you've mentioned even remotely corresponds to those exemptions.The EPA waives FOIA fees for groups that have a legitimate, identified purpose for gathering the information requested. One criteria is that it must show some sort of goal of improving public knowledge.
A group making these FOIA requests for the purpose of checking on the FOIA process at the EPA? Doesn't meet this criteria.
Conservative groups making redundant, overreaching, malicious FOIA requests for the purpose of slowing down actual work? Also doesn't meet this criteria.
I'm really not familiar with any of this (although I do know conservatives who are passionate conservationists too), so could you offer examples of conservative groups "making redundant, overreaching, malicious FOIA requests for the purpose of slowing down actual work"?
There are nine exemptions allowed under the FOIA. Nothing you've mentioned even remotely corresponds to those exemptions.
I think you're missing the point on purpose here. Look. Updates to policy are not my interest. Any administration would have them. We're talking about a level playing field here, and not flexible definitions of exactly what constitutes "public interest". The point is that the policy you describe is itself discriminatory based on precisely what you contend. If you can't see that, then you're lost in the partisan soup.edit: Not that I want to derail this into a discussion of climategate. I'm merely pointing out that not all FOIA requests are equal. If conservative groups failed to demonstrate some public interest behind their request, they wouldn't have the fee waived.
We're talking about waiving the fees, not denying the FOIA request entirely.
FOIA Update: New Fee Waiver Policy Guidance
I think you're missing the point on purpose here. Look. Updates to policy are not my interest. Any administration would have them. We're talking about a level playing field here, and not flexible definitions of exactly what constitutes "public interest". The point is that the policy you describe is itself discriminatory based on precisely what you contend. If you can't see that, then you're lost in the partisan soup.
My revelation: Who knew Conservatives had environmental groups?
Moderator's Warning: |
They are conservation groups
Republican Environmental Group Seeks To Put Conservation Back On The Conservative Agenda
In conservative speak, conservation means sell to the highest bidder.
The OP proves what most progressive know: the attack on the IRS is just part of a bigger smear campaign the GOP has against all government agencies that prevent the rich from running roughshod over the rest of America. So they make stuff up. It's what conservatives do.
It does appear that the reason why these fees were not waived is because the groups requesting information were "conservative", and not related to the nine exceptions or the six criteria the EPA publishes. That would explain why these requests are now under investigation as well as the criteria employed by the EPA in evaluating these requests. Offering a policy statement proves nothing other than the existence of a policy. Discrimination, as we have found over the decades, is wholly dependent on the intent of those charged with implementing policies and following legislative guidelines. If that were not true, then Blacks in this country would have had all their rights a very long time ago. Women in the Obama administration would be receiving equal pay for equal work. Groups would not be identified and labeled by an agency such as the EPA. That kind of thing.Missing the point? You brought up exceptions to the FOIA. Completely irrelevant. Certain types of documents are not covered by the FOIA and will not be given out on request. What happened here is not that.
Is there some other point I was supposed to glean from your one sentence post?
The playing field is the same as before. If conservative groups are unable to meet the criteria for a fee waiver, they don't get a fee waiver. The group that conducted the survey made a bunch of FOIA requests... for the purposes of conducting a public survey. They didn't have actual need or desire for the information, they weren't planning on making the data available to the public. They don't get a fee waiver for that.
The other groups? What information did they request, and what did they want it for?
It's not enough to say "this group was denied the waiver more than others." Why they were denied is important.
The EPA waives FOIA fees for groups that have a legitimate, identified purpose for gathering the information requested. One criteria is that it must show some sort of goal of improving public knowledge.
A group making these FOIA requests for the purpose of checking on the FOIA process at the EPA? Doesn't meet this criteria.
Conservative groups making redundant, overreaching, malicious FOIA requests for the purpose of slowing down actual work? Also doesn't meet this criteria.
In conservative speak, conservation means sell to the highest bidder.
The OP proves what most progressive know: the attack on the IRS is just part of a bigger smear campaign the GOP has against all government agencies that prevent the rich from running roughshod over the rest of America. So they make stuff up. It's what conservatives do.
The EPA waives FOIA fees for groups that have a legitimate, identified purpose for gathering the information requested. One criteria is that it must show some sort of goal of improving public knowledge.
A group making these FOIA requests for the purpose of checking on the FOIA process at the EPA? Doesn't meet this criteria.
Conservative groups making redundant, overreaching, malicious FOIA requests for the purpose of slowing down actual work? Also doesn't meet this criteria.
Sigh. You still don't even know what happened here. Those nine criteria are NOT RELEVANT TO THIS CASE. Those are criteria for denying an FOIA case entirely. I'll put this in bold for you.It does appear that the reason why these fees were not waived is because the groups requesting information were "conservative", and not related to the nine exceptions or the six criteria the EPA publishes. That would explain why these requests are now under investigation as well as the criteria employed by the EPA in evaluating these requests. Offering a policy statement proves nothing other than the existence of a policy. Discrimination, as we have found over the decades, is wholly dependent on the intent of those charged with implementing policies and following legislative guidelines. If that were not true, then Blacks in this country would have had all their rights a very long time ago. Women in the Obama administration would be receiving equal pay for equal work. Groups would not be identified and labeled by an agency such as the EPA. That kind of thing.
the chances that you are actually privy to any facts is 0%.
Yet you are in this thread ruling out any chance of impropriety.
these facts are not yet transparent, but you sure are.
Sigh. You still don't even know what happened here. Those nine criteria are NOT RELEVANT TO THIS CASE. Those are criteria for denying an FOIA case entirely. I'll put this in bold for you.
The FOIA requests from conservative groups were not denied.
Requests to waive the fee were denied.
And you have no evidence regarding the reason these denials occurred. It doesn't "appear" that way. You are perceiving it that way. It's interesting that you make these declarations despite not even knowing the basic facts of the situation.
Precisely. I am privy to no facts. And neither are you. Or the guy quoted above, who UNLIKE ME, actually HAS "ruled out" a chance of innocence. I didn't rule out anything.
"The FOIA requests from conservative groups were not denied."
"I didn't rule anythign out"
you can't make this kind of idiocy up people.
Ps. You ruled out that the playing field has changed. How could you possibly know this?
In a letter to Acting EPA Administrator Bob Perciasepe on Friday, four Republicans accused the agency of routinely waiving fees
that show that 92 percent of all fee waivers
submit to Congress information on fee waivers
Like other parts of the federal government, the EPA sometimes charges fees for research hours and photocopying of documents requested by a FOIA.
The agency judges requests for waived fees based on six factors
you just revealed how phony your sign on and supposed lean are.
1. Republican =/= conservative.
2. Libertarian =/= conservative.
3. Learn proper English, before trying to dis someone.
4. I don't understand how I could be a so-called "phony" when I have never even heard of an "environmental" conservative group. Even the few pointed out on here are questionable. And no, Republicans asking for information about the Climategate emails does not = an environmental group. If such groups exist as you claim, then I will admit my incompetence but that doesn't mean I am a phony. I bet YOU don't even support the GOP!
Yeah that is just even so far detached from reality that it surprises me that even you would say it. Avid hunters and fishermen are conservationist for the most part--they just think in terms of cleaning plastic bottles and tires out of streams and woods as opposed to parts per million of CO2.
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