Environmentalists are expanding their Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation against several agencies to include EPA, hoping to obtain documents they believe will show the administration weakened EPA's proposed utility effluent rule following industry pressure and bolster a likely suit over the rule if the agency finalizes it as proposed. The administration is arguing that the material sought by the advocates is protected from disclosure under FOIA exemptions, and the environmentalists will have to clear that hurdle if their legal bid to force the release of the data is to succeed. But if advocates win their case, it could lead to the release of hundreds of pages of technical and administrative data on the development and pre-release review of the proposed power plant effluent limitation guideline (ELG).
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