The EPA now?

General General Discussion
1

Good grief, is there anyone in the Executive Branch that’s not involved in these anti-conservative scandals? Now charging fees for FOIA requests?

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/04/epa-accused-singling-out-conservative-groups-amid-irs-scandal/

“In 20 cases of ours, since the beginning of last year, we were expressly denied, or denied by them simply refusing to respond, in 18 out of 20 cases,” said Horner, explaining that the batting percentage for fees waived in favor of liberal groups is overwhelming.

“Earth Justice was batting 17 out of 19, the Sierra Club was the worst, at 70 percent granted, 11 out of 15. You add up some other groups and we found that 75 out of 82 groups granted, because these are the groups that the EPA has decided are the favored groups.”

The same Sierra Club that just recently threatened arson to stop the Keysone XL pipeline? Yeah, that’s fair.

2

I work for a chemical company that hasn’t been visited by the EPA ever until we got a call for a visit a week after a campaign visit from Speaker Boenher…

3

The law allows them to charge fees based on their actual costs with complying, or some such thing.

If you push back hard enough, you often can get fees waived. Not usually on first request but you have to push.

One of the government groups wanted to charge $1 million in fees to the AP for their request on email addresses. In the end I don’t think they paid anything.

But yes, it is a sign of the de-personalization of government.