EDGI believes that the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a critical component of the public’s right to know and to practice democratic oversight and participation in our democracy.
EDGI supports environmental justice groups, journalists, and advocates in leveraging FOIA in multiple ways, including filing, liaising, and processing FOIA requests, analyzing FOIA-covered records, developing FOIA-covered records repositories, and training partners to use FOIA in advocacy work.
EDGI’s current FOIA repositories and resources can be found at:
EDGI’s Toxic Docs FOIA Repository—This keyword-searchable repository contains thousands of government documents obtained through FOIA by a Sierra-Club-led coalition of over 20 environmental public interest groups. The collection primarily consists of material requested from the EPA and other federal environmental agencies during the Trump years, 2016-2020, though some documents predate that period.
ACAT FOIA Repository—This searchable repository is a collection of records obtained by EDGI in collaboration with our partner organization, Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT), regarding environmental harms to Indigenous communities from US military activities. The documents are part of a community-led environmental history project working towards greater transparency in environmental decision-making.
Community FOIA Resources—This is a collection of resources for communities and organizations interested in leveraging FOIA in their advocacy work. It includes guides about the history of FOIA, how to compose and submit an effective FOIA request, tips for requesting public records by state, and more.
For further information on our FOIA work and services, please contact Gretchen Gehrke at gretchen.gehrke@envirodatagov.org.