Source: Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
A large portion of an Inspector General evaluation of federal wildlife programs has been blacked out prior to publication, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Even data tables have been excised from a report on Endangered Species Act implementation, with cutouts so extensive that the core section of the report is virtually unreadable.
The June 2008 “Progress Evaluation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Program” by the Interior Office of Inspector General (IG) and posted on the agency website offers only a single, cryptic legal reference as the reason for the wholesale text deletions:
“Portions of this report have been redacted pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(5) of the Freedom of Information Act.”
That exemption reads:
“(5) inter-agency or intra-agency memorandums or letters which would not be available by law to a party other than an agency in litigation with the agency.”
“Well, that clears it up,” remarked PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, who was unable to get anyone from the IG office to explain why it published a report that was bowdlerized into incomprehensibility. “How well we are protecting endangered wildlife should not be classified a state secret.”
+ Look at the heavy redactions from the IG report on the Endangered Species Act (PDF; 3 MB)
+ See the full report as displayed on the Interior IG website (PDF; 1.1 MB)
+ View the IG report on U.S. Park Police and National Mall Security (PDF; 2.1 MB)
+ Visit Interior IG website and scan other reports
+ Look at scientific manipulation of ESA by the Bush administration
This entry was posted
on Thursday, June 26th, 2008 at 3:04 pm and is filed under Environment, Government and politics.
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