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Voices for the Watershed:
Accessing Public Information to Make Your Case
Citizens often need know how to obtain public records.
Reviewing the information on file at a public agency can help you obtain most of the information that policy-makers and decision-makers will rely on as they decide on a permit or other regulatory finding.
You can also learn who else is interested in the problem.
Sometimes you can also find out who is communicating to the state or federal agency on your topic.
In Massachusetts, state and federal laws provide citizens with the right to review almost all records on file at local, state and federal agencies of government.
However, getting to the right spot to see the record – and knowing how to ask for a record – is sometimes daunting.
The Secretary of State’s Guide to the Massachusetts Public Records Law includes a very helpful Q &A.
TRWA’s advocacy department has prepared a pathfinder tool to help you locate public records and information. Click for TRWA's Public Records Pathfinder Tool, an index of sources of public records which will be helpful to watershed activists.
Remember:
Public records research takes time – state and local government offices have 10 days to respond to your request
You will be charged for any copies you request. Once you have read the files, you can then decide whether to pay for copies of specific documents.
If the agency needs to remove confidential information from a file, you may also be charged for the staff time. However, in most state and local offices, there should not be a fee to examine files in person.*
*Under the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), you may be charged for the document search at federal agencies. You can file a request on line and set the amount you are willing to pay for records fees. You may also request a waiver of the fees.
EPA’s national website has a guide to FOIA which should be digested before filing a request.
Click for our Public Records Pathfinder
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