In support of our Roads Initiative, in October of 2005 we sent requests for transportation impact information to 81 western National Forests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Our requests notified the Agency (as required by FOIA to substantiate our public interest fee waiver request) that we sought the data to oversee its implementation of its recently issued travel management rules. Armed with this knowledge, the Agency immediately ordered the individual Forests (some of whom had begun to respond to our requests) to stonewall WELC and refuse disclosure of any information pending a decision by “Headquarters” (in D.C.) on our public interest fee waiver requests. Although FOIA requires an agency to issue such a decision within 20 working days of its receipt of a FOIA request, we waited for a determination until June 2006 when we were finally forced to file suit to prevent the passage of any more time for these time-sensitive documents.

Two years after our initial FOIA request  a federal district court entered a consent decree compelling the agency to turn over the data.

Attorney: Dave Bahr