EPA Loses Appeal to Keep Emissions Modeling Equations In-House

The EPA can’t keep information about its vehicle emissions modeling program from an environmental group, the Second Circuit said Wednesday.

The Environmental Protection Agency has relied on its Optimization Model for Reducing Emissions of Greenhouse Gases from Automobiles since 2010 to set standards under the Clean Air Act. The model can predict which technologies car manufacturers will use, when they will incorporate those technologies, and how much it costs to apply.

Because the OMEGA core model the Natural Resources Defense Council wanted access to isn’t deliberative, it doesn’t fall under an exemption under the Freedom of Information Act that allows ...