Lawmakers to investigate EPA FOIA scandal

The Daily Caller ^ | May 18, 2013 | Michael Bastasch

[2ndDivisionVet]

Republican lawmakers are launching an investigation into claims that the Environmental Protection Agency, while giving preferential treatment to environmental groups, made it harder for conservative groups to obtain government records.

“According to documents obtained by the Committees, EPA readily granted FOIA fee waivers for environmental allies, effectively subsidizing them, while denying fee waivers and making the FOIA process more difficult for states and conservative groups,” wrote Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Darrell Issa and Sens. David Vitter, Chuck Grassley and Jim Inhofe in a letter to the EPA.

Citing a report by The Daily Caller News Foundation, Republicans are asking the EPA to hand over all Freedom of Information Act fee waiver requests, responses to requests, and FOIA officer training materials since the beginning of the Obama administration.

Lawmakers are also asking for all communications regarding FOIA fee waiver requests or appeals under the Obama administration....

[hoosiermama]

Good find. Send the information to a congressmen and Concervitive Media
Both drudge and breitbart have places to leave tips

[gov_bean_ counter]

Interesting that the administration now thinks the excuse of just being idiots...the Obama supporters will let that excuse win the day

Really. Can't have the POTUS acting too white, now, can we? (Extreeeeem Sarcasm)

[Liz]

That branch of EPA was signed into existence by Clinton through an executive order; You can find the interagency working groups there, too:
http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/resources/policy/ej_strategy_1995.pdf

This is a branch of the agency specifically created to meet the Progressive agenda, one of 0bama’s “transformational” pegs already created by Clinton. 0bama uses it to its fullest capacity.
http://www.theblaze.com/blog/2011/04/18/obama-epa-puts-green-spin-on-social-justice/

Mmmmmm....nice find---linking creepazoid Clinton to sinister Obama.

As the Hollywood casting agent said, "What a pair."

[EBH]

Actually, I thought it was more important to realize the branch exists under and Executive Order.

This means it can be abolished with the sweep of a conservative Presidential pen.

[Liz]

Collateral effect linking the two-—but good point you make about inking it out.

[savedbygrace]

All of these scandals intersect in only one point.

Scandals? There are no scandals. Jay Carney told us there are no scandals, doncha know?

[cookcounty]

Trouble always comes in threes FOURs.

[Entrepreneur]

A democrat congress created the EPA

as democrat congresses created 99% of government

Obama’s IRS created the current GOP (by suppressing tea party)

It was created by both parties under the leadership of the RINO, Keynesian, leftist Nixon. This is one of the reasons we should never allow a RINO into the Oval Office. They're just as bad as the progressives and the GOP legislators do not rally to oppose their own president. Much mischief gets done when RINOs are in the West Wing.

Do a web search on how the EPA was formed. It's no accident the GOP is nicknamed, "the stupid party."

[a fool in paradise]

Using “unofficial” email accounts is going to make getting full disclosure difficult (but conspiracy charge easier to prove). They went outside the limits of their job.

Unelected malcontent activists attacking the mainland. McCarthy (and others) tried to rout out such socialists but was backlashed by commie sympathizers in the media and government for doing so. They are still entrenched.

[Cyber Liberty]

It sure is expanding. We have IRS dragging their feet and inflating costs for conservative groups. We have the EPA dragging their feet and inflating costs for conservative groups and states.

In the last election, we had Obastard calling out a guy named Vanderfloot for writing a check to the Romney election effort. He was later audited by the IRS (Actually got a refund), his business audited by SEC (Clean bill of health) and a business of his audited by OSHA (Fined a few thousand when a forklift operator failed to put on a seat belt before starting up the lift). Three audits in four months, and Obastard wasn’t even supposed to know about Vanderfloot’s contribution, but for the fact the IRS leaked the information.

I expect every government agency that reports to the Executive Branch is acting on biases against Obastard’s enemies. IRS, EPA, SEC, OSHA, who else? NLRB, ATF (& NICS), FBI, Secret Service, DHS, ICE, Customs. The list of potential harassers is virtually endless. Bias can be applied against “red states” that went for Romney when federal funds are requested after natural disasters. Military bases can be wound down to damage conservative communities.

Now on January 1, the grandaddy of them all, Obastardcare gets moving full steam to grind down and destroy the enemies of the regime. We’re in big trouble if this isn’t stopped and stopped now.

[neverdem]

BTTT!

[Democrat_media]

BS , Democrats controlled Congress the 40 years prior to 1994 when finally Republicans had a majority .

Republican Congress 1994=2006 and in that time you democrat apologists can blame Republicans for DHS and medicare part d but that's it , the rest of government including the EPA was created by your democrats.

all you do like the liberal media is blame Republicans. this is an attempt to destroy all opposition to democrats so they can have a 1 party rule and really get to work enslaving all of us. you aid democrats

[Democrat_media]

BS , Democrats controlled Congress the 40 years prior to 1994 when finally Republicans had a majority .

Republican Congress 1994-2006 and in that time you democrat apologists can blame Republicans for DHS and medicare part d but that's it , the rest of government including the EPA was created by your democrats. You people have not even a basic understanding how this government work.Government is created by laws which only Congress can write. See a president cannot write laws.Government is not created by a President nor a congress writing a budget but only by explicit laws that authorize government, authorize government agencies and authorize and mandate funding for those agencies. See those rooms full of laws that is what created this government not a president not a budget. See a president also has to follow the law.
America up till 1900 had almost no government , and that's when it was growing faster than any country. But every year Congress wrote laws that grew government

all you do like the liberal media is blame Republicans. this is an attempt to destroy all opposition to democrats so they can have a 1 party rule and really get to work enslaving all of us. you aid democrats

[Rome2000]

I like the trick when they send the records on a defective CD that won't play, I mean somebody literally takes a knife to it and scratches the silver off half of the thing before they send it out, along with a letter basically telling you to make personal contact with one of their apparatchiks if any "problems" are encountered.

Yeah, so they can directly target and locate you for retaliation.

[Entrepreneur]

You're accusing me of being a "democrat apologist?" Really?

You know, you aren't helping the conservative cause when you wrap yourself in ignorance and start slinging around ad hominem accusations. Here are a couple of facts...

• "The EPA was proposed by President Richard Nixon and began operation on December 2, 1970, after Nixon signed an executive order. The order establishing the EPA was ratified by committee hearings in the House and Senate." (Link and Source).
• The National Environmental Policy Act passed the Senate by unanimous vote in 1969 (Link - look to the right under legislative history). That means every Republican senator either voted for the bill or abstained, because none of them voted against it.
• The bill passed the 372-15 (same link as above). There were 243 Democrats and 192 Republicans in the House that year (Link). So, if every Democrat was present and voted for the bill, at least 129 of the 192 Republicans in the House had to vote for the bill.
• Nixon signed it into law.

In addition to the EPA (12/29/70), Nixon gave us...

• Wage and price controls (6/17/70), twice (5/18/71), and again (8/15/71), and again (6/13/73)
• OSHA (12/29/70)
• CAFE standards (12/31/70)
• Aid for Families with Dependent Children (8/8/69)
• Declared he is a Keynesian (1/4/71)
• Eliminated the gold standard (4/3/72)
• Stengthened the EPA (10/21/72)
• Killed the cross Florida Barge Canal (1/19/71)
• Dramatically increased social security benefits to buy off seniors (and ensure the system would go bankrupt) (6/23/73)
• Was personally, a tax cheat, who had to pay nearly half a million in back taxes and interest (4/3/74)
• Implemented gas rationing (11/27/73)

And don't forget, Nixon used the IRS as a personal weapon too.

Just because an elected official has a "r" by his name doesn't mean he's a good guy or a conservative. Nixon was a left of center politician who did a lot of lasting damage to the nation. Based on what he did, Nixon was worse than every president who followed him, except Obama. He was worse that every president who preceded him to FDR.

Yes, Nixon was worse than Carter, though it certainly can be debated. Both were bad.

If a Democrat tried to do the things Nixon pulled, there would be a revolution. But party loyalty meant that few Republicans opposed Nixon. A leftist Democrat with control of both houses is bad, but can usually be limited in the damage he does by a united Republican opposition (Obamacare excepted). A RINO with a Democrat House and Senate is deadly because the RINO neutralizes Republican opposition.

Criticizing RINOs does not make one a Democrat apologist. Failure to objectively evaluate them, however, gives us John McCain and Mitt Romney as candidates and Democrats in the Oval Office. The only true conservative we've had in the White House since Coolidge was Reagan.

[Democrat_media]

that's all bs .the democrats controlled Congress for the 40 years before 1994 when the Republicans finnally gained a simple majority. laws are what created the EPA. a president can't write laws for you to put the blame on a Republican is making excuses for the democrats who created 99% of government including the EPA. Remember the Republican congress was from 1994 -2006 then only DHS and medicare part D created. DHS because of 9/11 , part D intense media pressure

Democrats want to grow the government which will take away all our rights and freedom, democrat Obama is oppressing Americans with all its agencies.democrat Obama rigged the election by having its IRS shut down conservative groups .you can't see that the democrat party is the enemy of Americans,the enemy of freedom. you are brainwashed by the news media and michael savage into thinking the Republiansare to blame for everything.this is what the media does blame republicans so you do too. you are helping the media destroy all opposition to democrats.When democrats achive one party rule with help from the media and those like you then you will see the democrats really get to work oppressing Americans, socialism, and taking of our freedom and rights and property

[Democrat_media]

What don't you understand about that it's congress that writes laws. the democrats controlled Congres for the 40 years prior to 1994 . so you can't blame republicans.Even though you try to blame 1 republican that's all media lies. Republican conges form 1994 - 2006 then only DHS and part d . r's stopped hillary care ,amnesty , carbon laws, etc. in that time.

that's all bs .the democrats controlled Congress for the 40 years before 1994 when the Republicans finnally gained a simple majority. laws are what created the EPA. a president can't write laws for you to put the blame on a Republican is making excuses for the democrats who created 99% of government including the EPA. Remember the Republican congress was from 1994 -2006 then only DHS and medicare part D created. DHS because of 9/11 , part D intense media pressure

Democrats want to grow the government which will take away all our rights and freedom, democrat Obama is oppressing Americans with all its agencies.democrat Obama rigged the election by having its IRS shut down conservative groups .you can't see that the democrat party is the enemy of Americans,the enemy of freedom. you are brainwashed by the news media and michael savage into thinking the Republiansare to blame for everything.this is what the media does blame republicans so you do too. you are helping the media destroy all opposition to democrats.When democrats achive one party rule with help from the media and those like you then you will see the democrats really get to work oppressing Americans, socialism, and taking of our freedom and rights and property

[1010RD]

Who would guess that government is political?