With a court date looming, federal officials relented on their demand that an environmental group pay $16,000 for access to government research and records related to sea turtle deaths caused by commercial fishing.
Oceana, an international environmental advocacy group, filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Fisheries Service last year, seeking e-mails, correspondence and scientific data produced by the government.
The two agencies refused to comply unless Oceana paid $16,000 in copying and search fees. In part, the agencies argued that Oceana had not fully distributed all of the information it had received in an earlier FOIA request.
Oceana sued, charging that the agencies were violating federal laws that require the release of public records.
On Monday, NOAA lawyers informed Oceana that the fee would be waived, according to the environmental group.
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