DOE Releases Heavily Redacted UAP Keyword FOIA Response
In March 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy released documents responding to a May 2024 FOIA request that searched for UAP-related keywords in communications involving Secretary Jennifer Granholm. The request yielded only two partially redacted internal emails, both related to preparations for a congressional hearing on UAP.
Background
The Black Vault filed a FOIA request with the U.S. Department of Energy on May 23, 2024, seeking internal emails involving Secretary Jennifer Granholm that contained UAP-related keywords including UAP, UFO, AARO, Grusch, and Elizondo.
Background
The request was prompted by growing congressional interest in UAP following the July 2023 House Oversight Committee hearing and subsequent May 2024 hearing where Representatives Tim Burchett and Anna Paulina Luna pressed government agencies on transparency regarding unidentified anomalous phenomena. The DOE is considered relevant to UAP research due to its oversight of nuclear facilities and national laboratories.
Key Details
The search produced only two partially redacted documents, both internal DOE emails from May 2024. The emails concerned preparation of talking points for potential congressional questions about UAP. Over half of the material was redacted under Exemption (b)(5), which protects pre-decisional and deliberative communications. One document referenced UFO and UPA talking points prepared for the Secretary. The Black Vault announced it would appeal the redactions, arguing the exemption was applied too broadly.
Significance
The minimal results and heavy redactions from the DOE suggest either limited internal engagement with UAP topics at the Secretary level, or deliberate withholding of more substantive communications.