The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has routinely charged conservative and watchdog groups fees that the agency has waived for the mainstream media and “green” groups, according to a new report.
According to the Washington Examiner, a Conservative Enterprise Institute review found that while “government agencies are supposed to waive fees for groups disseminating information for public benefit,” the EPA denied such requests from the Conservative Enterprise Institute in addition to other groups like Judicial Watch and the Franklin Center that hold Obama administration accountable.
The EPA granted requests for waivers to groups like the National Resources Defense Council and EarthJustice. The report found that the EPA waived fees for “green” groups 92% of the time.
“This is as clear an example of disparate treatment as the IRS’ hurdles selectively imposed upon groups with names ominously reflecting an interest in, say, a less intrusive or biased federal government,” CEI fellow Chris Horner said. “This is a clear pattern of favoritism for allied groups and a concerted campaign to make life more difficult for those deemed unfriendly.”
According to CEI, their requests were “denied 93 percent of the time,” and one request was denied because the EPA said CEI “failed to demonstrate that the release of the information requested significantly increases the public understanding of government operations or activities.”