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Environmental Protection Agency
Most recent quarterly backlog
1,691
End of FY2026 Q2 (Jan 1 – Mar 31, 2026)
Latest annual report
2,211
End of FY2024 (Sept 30, 2024)
17-year change
+40%
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: 1,584
FY10: 1,835
FY12: 1,953
FY14: 2,508
FY16: 2,054
FY18: 3,730
FY20: 2,321
FY22: 1,945
FY24: 2,211
Dashed verticals mark presidential inaugurations.
Recent quarterly activity
Last 22 quarters of received, processed, and backlog. Most recent: FY2026 Q2 (Jan 1 – Mar 31, 2026).
Backlog
1,691
Received per quarter
1,413
Processed per quarter
1,767
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 | 2015-06-11 | 2,312 | 6.3 |
| #2 | 2015-12-23 | 2,177 | 6.0 |
| #3 | 2016-04-27 | 2,092 | 5.7 |
| #4 | 2016-12-23 | 1,881 | 5.2 |
| #5 | 2017-02-06 | 1,870 | 5.1 |
| #6 | 2017-03-15 | 1,869 | 5.1 |
| #7 | 2017-03-15 | 1,869 | 5.1 |
| #8 | 2017-03-15 | 1,869 | 5.1 |
| #9 | 2017-03-15 | 1,869 | 5.1 |
| #10 | 2017-03-15 | 1,869 | 5.1 |
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
242
Equivalent FTE
9.7
Total FTE
251.7
Annual report history
| FY | Received | Processed | Pending end |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | 7,551 | 7,134 | 2,211 |
| FY2023 | 6,588 | 6,777 | 1,767 |
| FY2022 | 6,636 | 6,630 | 1,945 |
| FY2021 | 6,485 | 6,943 | 1,900 |
| FY2020 | 6,891 | 7,665 | 2,321 |
| FY2019 | 8,869 | 9,525 | 3,095 |
| FY2018 | 11,364 | 10,442 | 3,730 |
| FY2017 | 11,518 | 10,802 | 2,795 |
| FY2016 | 10,403 | 10,498 | 2,054 |
| FY2015 | 10,910 | 11,278 | 2,140 |
| FY2014 | 10,470 | 10,130 | 2,508 |
| FY2013 | 9,951 | 9,131 | 2,168 |
| FY2012 | 9,689 | 9,259 | 1,953 |
| FY2011 | 10,123 | 10,435 | 1,523 |
| FY2010 | 10,409 | 10,071 | 1,835 |
| FY2009 | 10,317 | 10,404 | 1,497 |
| FY2008 | 11,492 | 11,635 | 1,584 |
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