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FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA)

The FOIA gives the public the right to access government records not covered under one of nine exemptions intended to protect personal privacy and national security.

Our government agencies should work in the public interest and follow all applicable laws and regulations. The San Juan Citizens Alliance uses the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to better understand the details of government agency decision-making processes, especially when there is suspicion that laws and regulations may not have, in fact, been followed.

Under the 1966 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) you have the right to access to any public records that aren’t protected for valid interests, such as personal privacy, national security, and law enforcement. Every government agency must promptly release records to any person who requests them. If they don’t, the district court has jurisdiction to order their release.

When FOIA records are released, they are supposed to be made readily available to the public. You can see the results of our recent FOIA requests below, organized by campaign.

Want an example of what we find in our FOIA requests? Check out the Wolf Creek Files.

“The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a law that gives you the right to access information from the federal government. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government.”

FOIA.gov

SJCA FOIA Requests

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Related to FOIA

WOLF CREEK

For 30 years we’ve fought to protect Wolf Creek Pass from an 8,000-person ski resort development. But the battle is far from over.

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GREATER CHACO

Over 90% of public lands around Chaco Canyon in northern New Mexico have been leased to oil and gas drilling. It’s time to stop.

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BLM

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a federal government agency that manages millions of acres of surface and mineral acres of U.S. public lands.

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