Federal - Oil & Gas

摘要

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the Bureau of Reclamation's (BOR) decision to withhold water well locations and depths when responding to a request for records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). See AquAlliance v. BOR, 856 F.3d 101 (D.C. Cir. 2017), affg 139 F. Supp. 3d 203 (D.D.C. 2015). In AquAlliance, the court affirmed the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia's summary judgment that water well locations and depths are exempt from disclosure under Exemption 9 of FOIA. Exemption 9 permits federal agencies to withhold "geological and geophysical information and data, including maps, concerning wells." 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(9).