According to records obtained by the Washington Post, the Bureau of Land Management is recommending new legislation that would limit the number of FOIA requests individuals and agencies could file with the agency, create stricter criteria for fee waivers, and increase fees for “search and redaction.”

Since launching our project to hunt down every proposal Amazon received for its second headquarters, we’ve found that a number of cities were more than happy to share what they’re offering to lure in the tech giant. A growing number, however, aren’t so keen and are keeping their bids hidden in a shroud of exemptions. Here’s a look at which cities rejected our request and why.

Over the past few years, many Freedom of Information Act offices have worked hard to better engage requesters and help guide requests down the right path. A recent DAPL-related rejection shows why that kind of dialog makes everyone’s life easier.

The Army Corps of Engineers’ response to basic requests for documents on the Dakota Access Pipeline has been reticent at best and often downright bizarre, but perhaps no response has been weirder than the agency’s rejection of a request for a simple environmental impact assessment - which the agency had already posted in full on its website.

The Army Corps of Engineers have rejected a FOIA request for the “assessment report on the potential impact of an oil spill of the Dakota Access pipeline,” arguing that the release of such information would people’s lives at risk.

For the first time since obtaining non-profit status, MuckRock has been designated by a federal agency as a commercial requester, this time by the Army Corps of Engineers, which has determined there to be no public interest in releasing material related to the #NoDAPL protests at Standing Rock.

Under FOIA, there are three categories of requesters: media, which has the lowest level of fees; all others, which are assessed a moderate levels of fees for covering search and duplication costs; and commercial, which has high fees to cover legal review. A Coast Guard lawyer has ruled that, because MuckRock has readers, it’s commercial, not media.

A number of government agencies insist that MuckRock reporters do not qualify as journalists. It turns out we’re in good company — the Air Force FOIA office list of “commercial requesters” includes not only patent lawyers and political operatives, but also reporters from newspapers, magazines and television networks across the country.