New guidelines reveal legal obligation on public authorities and private companies to reveal environmental information to journalists

Journalists may expect to get better results when they request environmental information from public authorities in future. The Information Commissioner has published guidelines about the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) for the first time. The regulations stand alongside the Freedom of Information Act and work in the same way. They give the press and public access to all environmental information held by public bodies and companies delivering contracts for them. Journalists find them useful when they’re researching stories on anything from climate change to GM crops and water pollution to radioactive waste. See full Article.