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 04/08/2019 Motion for Summary Judgment Download Memorandum of law filed by plaintiffs in support of motion for summary judgment and motion to expedite. 03/19/2019 Letter Download Letter submitted by EPA in response to plaintiffs' March 13 letter. 03/13/2019 Letter Download Letter submitted by plaintiffs in response to EPA's March 11 letter. The plaintiffs voluntarily narrowed their claims "to encompass only the set of highest priority records" and withdrew their pending motions to expedite and for partial summary judgment. They indicated they would file a new summary judgment motion that would encompass the entire case. 03/11/2019 Letter Download Letter submitted by EPA in response to plaintiffs' March 7 letter. 03/07/2019 Letter Download Letter submitted by plaintiffs in response to EPA's March 5 letter. 03/05/2019 Letter Download Letter submitted by EPA. EPA told the court that it had responded to the plaintiffs' request for priority records, rendering the plaintiffs' pending summary judgment motion moot. 12/28/2018 Motion for Summary Judgment Download Memorandum of law filed by plaintiffs in support of motion to expedite and motion for partial summary judgment. 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.”