Description: Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking records related to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's model for assessing the cost and effectiveness of greenhouse gas emission standards.
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Natural Resources Defense Council v. EPA
Case Documents:
Filing Date Type File Action Taken Summary 12/03/2018 Complaint Download Complaint filed. Environmental Groups Filed FOIA Lawsuit to Compel Release of Technical Information Supporting Vehicle Standards. Natural Resources Defense Council and Environmental Defense Fund filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking a response to the organizations’ request for “certain limited agency records relating to the technological feasibility of greenhouse gas emission standards.” The organizations alleged that they made the request after EPA published notice of its intent to revise greenhouse gas emission standards for light-duty vehicles. The particular records sought are related to the computer model developed by EPA to assess the cost and effectiveness of greenhouse gas emission standards, “the Optimization Model for reducing Emissions of Greenhouse gases from Automobiles (OMEGA).” The organizations said that EPA historically made such records public “as a matter of course” and that access to records was necessary “to enable meaningful public comment on highly-technical standards.”