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Council on Environmental Quality
Most recent quarterly backlog
163
End of FY2026 Q1 (Oct 1 – Dec 31, 2025)
Latest annual report
106
End of FY2024 (Sept 30, 2024)
17-year change
+2020%
FY2008 → FY2024 (Oct 1, 2007 – Sept 30, 2024)
Annual backlog, FY2008–FY2024
Pending requests at end of each fiscal year (Oct 1, 2007 – Sept 30, 2024). Federal fiscal year runs Oct 1 – Sept 30, named for the year it ends.
FY08: 5
FY10: 6
FY12: 13
FY14: 48
FY16: 78
FY18: 53
FY20: 68
FY22: 45
FY24: 106
Dashed verticals mark presidential inaugurations.
Recent quarterly activity
Last 21 quarters of received, processed, and backlog. Most recent: FY2026 Q1 (Oct 1 – Dec 31, 2025).
Backlog
163
Received per quarter
79
Processed per quarter
50
10 oldest pending requests, end of FY2024 (Sept 30, 2024)
Days pending counts forward from the day the request was received. The longer this list runs, the more litigation-ripe the agency’s backlog.
| Rank | Date received | Days pending | Years pending |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 2019-01-18 | 1,428 | 3.9 |
| #2 | 2020-10-20 | 987 | 2.7 |
| #3 | 2022-02-15 | 658 | 1.8 |
| #4 | 2022-04-24 | 610 | 1.7 |
| #5 | 2023-03-27 | 381 | 1.0 |
| #6 | 2023-03-29 | 379 | 1.0 |
| #7 | 2023-04-07 | 372 | 1.0 |
| #8 | 2023-04-07 | 372 | 1.0 |
| #9 | 2023-04-07 | 372 | 1.0 |
| #10 | 2023-04-07 | 372 | 1.0 |
Exemption invocations, FY2024 (Oct 1, 2023 – Sept 30, 2024)
How often each FOIA exemption (b1–b9) was invoked when redacting or denying records. Exemption 5 (deliberative process, attorney-client) is highlighted — it’s the most-fought exemption in FOIA litigation.
FOIA staffing, FY2024 (Oct 1, 2023 – Sept 30, 2024)
Full-time employees
3
Equivalent FTE
1.6
Total FTE
4.5
Annual report history
| FY | Received | Processed | Pending end |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | 420 | 348 | 106 |
| FY2023 | 122 | 132 | 35 |
| FY2022 | 127 | 124 | 45 |
| FY2021 | 105 | 130 | 42 |
| FY2020 | 166 | 140 | 68 |
| FY2019 | 119 | 130 | 42 |
| FY2018 | 167 | 156 | 53 |
| FY2017 | 189 | 216 | 42 |
| FY2016 | 104 | 82 | 78 |
| FY2015 | 83 | 75 | 56 |
| FY2014 | 35 | 30 | 48 |
| FY2013 | 64 | 34 | 43 |
| FY2012 | 50 | 58 | 13 |
| FY2011 | 41 | 23 | 24 |
| FY2010 | 25 | 24 | 6 |
| FY2009 | 48 | 48 | 5 |
| FY2008 | 35 | 50 | 5 |
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