EPA has quietly issued a new policy that sets a schedule for political officials to review Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) releases and also requires prompt disclosures of the review, a policy that the agency is citing to head off a pending lawsuit challenging the practice as well as a possible subpoena from House Democrats in the next Congress. At issue is a controversial EPA practice known as "awareness reviews" in which political officials review agency responses to FOIA requests prior to their release to limit - or be aware of- politically damaging material that may be disclosed.
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