EPA's Plan, approved back on January 15, 2009, mandates giving "understandable, timely, accurate, and consistent information to the public." The plan laudably emphasizes coordination with other agencies — but it also leads to strong message control.
"The US Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has doubled down on a demand that railroads notify state officials when large shipments of crude oil move through their towns, even as two of the largest rail companies fight in court to keep some of the information hidden from the public."
"Who wins when a scary, but edge-pushing new climate study led by one of the world’s most prominent climate scientists makes headlines before it is either peer reviewed or published? Everybody, and nobody. Let me explain what I mean."
"The U.S. Department of Transportation warned railroads that they must continue to notify states of large crude oil shipments after several states reported not getting updated information for as long as a year."
A new pilot program would make available to the public automatically and immediately any information released to an individual FOIA requester. But some journalists would rather not have their pending scoops revealed before they are ripe. Image source: U.S. government.
Environmental journalists aren't the only ones complaining about access to officials being constrained by flacks.
"This week, warnings of an impending 'mini ice age,' set to hit in the 2030s, have been circulating in the media. It’s a story that has caused shivers among the public, but there’s one problem: Climate scientists aren’t buying it."
