Central Platte Natural Resources District v. United States Department of Agriculture
2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 13081
8th Cir.2011Background
- Central Platte NRD sought GIS geospatial data from USDA under FOIA and APA.
- District court dismissed APA claim as duplicative because FOIA provides an adequate remedy and granted summary judgment on FOIA claim.
- USDA argued the 2008 Farm Bill 7 U.S.C. § 8791 prohibits disclosure of geospatial data and that Central Platte did not qualify as a cooperator.
- Central Platte argued the 2008 Farm Bill’s cooperator exception allows disclosure; discussed Privacy Act and routine uses.
- Appellate court held the 2008 Farm Bill is a FOIA Exemption 3 withholding statute and GIS data falls within it, so disclosure was not required.
Issues
| Issue | Plaintiff's Argument | Defendant's Argument | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether the 2008 Farm Bill is a FOIA Exemption 3 withholding statute | Central Platte asserts the statute allows disclosure to cooperators. | USDA contends the statute prohibits disclosure. | Yes; the statute qualifies as a withholding statute. |
| Whether GIS data falls within the 2008 Farm Bill's withholding scope | GIS data should be released to cooperators under the exception. | GIS data is prohibited and not within the cooperator exception. | Yes; GIS data falls within the prohibited category. |
| Appropriate scope of legal review for Exemption 3 in FOIA | District court should conduct de novo review; full scrutiny. | Limited de novo review suffices when statute clearly qualifies and data falls within. | Limited de novo review applied and adequate to uphold withholding. |
| Whether the district court properly dismissed the APA claim as duplicative of FOIA | APA claim can run alongside FOIA when claiming Privacy Act violations. | FOIA provides an adequate remedy; APA claim is duplicative and barred. | APA claim barred; FOIA provides adequate remedy and schema duplicative. |
Key Cases Cited
- Ass'n of Retired R.R. Workers, Inc. v. U.S. R.R. Ret. Bd., 830 F.2d 331 (D.C.Cir. 1987) (limits de novo review in Exemption 3 with a discretionary disclosure statute)
- Church of Scientology Int'l v. U.S. Dep't of Justice, 30 F.3d 224 (First Cir. 1994) (designs de novo review in Exemption 3 cases)
- Goland v. C.I.A., 607 F.2d 339 (D.C.Cir. 1978) (exemption focuses on existence of statute and scope of withheld material)
- Ctr. for Biological Diversity v. USDA, 626 F.3d 1113 (9th Cir. 2010) (GIS data and withholding statute analysis under FOIA)
- Walsh v. U.S. Dep't of Veterans Affairs, 400 F.3d 535 (7th Cir. 2005) (cannot drain APA review where FOIA provides adequate remedy)