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Read the full story in The Hill» The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has repeatedly rescheduled and delayed a meeting of an advisory board slated to review a controversial proposal that would block the agency from considering studies that don’t make their underlying data public. The rule in question is titled “Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science,” […]
Continue ReadingRead the full story in The Hill» Nearly 50 different Democratic requests for documents have been unanswered by departments and agencies that oversee President Trump’s science and environment policies, lawmakers say, underscoring the brick wall the administration has put up against congressional oversight. Democratic lawmakers are expressing anger and frustration with the administration over what they […]
Continue ReadingRead the full story in The Hill» The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is blaming a component of its controversial new public records policy on recommendations made by an advisory board, according to an email shared with The Hill. In June the agency made a change to its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) policy requiring that all record […]
Continue ReadingRead the full story in The Hill» An advisory committee that provided input on bettering smart grids in the U.S. is the latest casualty of President Trump’s executive order to cut federal advisory boards by a third. The Smart Grid Advisory Committee that operated under the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was terminated Sept. […]
Continue ReadingRead the full story in The Hill» President Trump has quietly appointed his Social Security Administration (SSA) inspector general to also oversee a much different agency: the Interior Department. On May 28, Gail Ennis began her second job overseeing the Interior Department’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG), a role she will keep for the foreseeable […]
Continue ReadingRead the full story in The Hill» The Trump administration is disbanding two federal advisory boards focused on protecting marine life and battling invasive species. As of Tuesday, the government will no longer fund the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) or the Interior Department’s Invasive […]
Continue ReadingRead the full story in The Hill» Included in the Department of Interior’s decision to decentralize the Washington office that manages the nation’s public lands is a plan to move congressional affairs staff 2,600 miles away to Reno, Nevada. The agency announced in July that it would be moving about 300 D.C.-based Bureau of Land Management (BLM) […]
Continue ReadingRead the full story in The Hill» A new policy rolled out by the Interior Department’s inspector general puts strict limits on the office’s interactions with reporters. The press office for the agency’s internal watchdog, which is investigating a number of Interior officials, including Secretary David Bernhardt, is now prohibited from providing journalists with information on […]
Continue ReadingRead the full story in The Hill» The Interior Department took notes from the FBI, which handles reams of classified material and is known as a slower responder to public records requests, while developing its controversial policy for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, according to emails reviewed by The Hill. Internal emails obtained through […]
Continue ReadingRead the full story in The Hill» More political appointees at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could soon have the authority to weigh in on public information requests. The rule is expected to be published in the Federal Register as early as Wednesday and will not allow for a public comment period. According to the new language […]
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