The FOIA logs of agencies covered by environmental reporters offer fascinating insight into their workings — and some good story ideas. The info-access group Government Attic has posted online the FOIA logs for EPA, CEQ, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, FERC, NRC, the Marine Mammal Commission, NASA, OSHA, TVA, and more.
Most of the logs are more than a year old. But they offer a look at what stories other environmental reporters were researching — and what angles various industry groups, lobbyists, and law firms have been playing. Anyone can request a current list of FOIA requests that have been made to almost any federal agency — together with some basic data about their disposition.
Government Attic has also posted FOIA logs from the Agriculture Department (and sub-agencies like the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service), Department of Energy Headquarters, FDA, CDC, Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, Interior Department Headquarters and many of its sub-agencies (BLM, USGS, MMS, OSM, and USFWS), MSHA, the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and DOT's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Not to mention the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division.