Task: songer_geniss

What follows is an opinion from a United States Court of Appeals.
Your task is to identify the issue in the case, that is, the social and/or political context of the litigation in which more purely legal issues are argued. Put somewhat differently, this field identifies the nature of the conflict between the litigants. The focus here is on the subject matter of the controversy rather than its legal basis. Consider the following categories: "criminal" (including appeals of conviction, petitions for post conviction relief, habeas corpus petitions, and other prisoner petitions which challenge the validity of the conviction or the sentence), "civil rights" (excluding First Amendment or due process; also excluding claims of denial of rights in criminal proceeding or claims by prisoners that challenge their conviction or their sentence (e.g., habeas corpus petitions are coded under the criminal category); does include civil suits instituted by both prisoners and callable non-prisoners alleging denial of rights by criminal justice officials), "First Amendment", "due process" (claims in civil cases by persons other than prisoners, does not include due process challenges to government economic regulation), "privacy", "labor relations", "economic activity and regulation", and "miscellaneous".

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
I. The Chronology op Events Pertaining to EDF’s Motion for Attorneys’ Fees............................................. 46
II. The Applicable Statutory Standard for an Award of Attorneys’ Fees Under TSCA........................ —.............. 47
III. The EDF Claims for Attorneys’ Fees......................... 50
A. Time Claimed For Work On The Case-In-Chief________________ 50
B. The Decision in Copeland v. Marshall________________________ 51
C. EPA’s Opposition To The Claim For Attorneys’ Fees----------- 52
IV. An Evaluation and Judgment Concerning the “Hours Reasonably Expended,” the “Reasonable Hourly Rate,” and “Adjustments to the ‘Lodestar”’............... 53
A. Documentation_________________________________________ 54
B. Hours Reasonably Expended_______________________________ 55
1. EPA’s Request To Reduce Hours In Connection With Work Performed On Issues Upon Which EDF Did Not Prevail_____ 55
2. EPA’s Request To Reduce Hours In Connection With Work Performed On Issues Raised By Industry Intervenors_______ 55
3. EPA’s Request To Reduce Hours In Connection With Work Performed During Post-Decision Negotiations_____________ 56
C. The Reasonable Hourly Rates______________________________ 58
D. Calculation Of The “Lodestar” Fee_________________________ 59
E. Adjustments To The “Lodestar"____________________________ 59
V. The Award of Attorneys’ Fees on the Case-in-Chief........... 61
VI. Timeliness of EDF’s Request for Attorneys’ Fees.............. 61
Page
VII. The Attorneys’ Fee Claim Pertaining to the Supplemental Fee Application of EDF for the Services of Trilling & Kennedy_____ 61
A. EDF Entitlement To An Award Oí Attorney’ Fees For Time Spent In Preparing The Application For Fees_________________ 62
B. Documentation_________________________________________ 63
C. Hours Reasonably Expended_______________________________ 63
D. Reasonable Hourly Rates_________________________________ 63
E. Adjustments To The “Lodestar”____________________________ 63
VIII. The Award of Attorneys’ Fees for the Work Done by Trilling & Kennedy__________________________________________________ 04
IX. Conclusion _______________________________________________ 04
HARRY T. EDWARDS, Circuit Judge:
On June 7, 1979, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) petitioned for review of regulations, issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), implementing Section 6(e) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), 15 U.S.C. §§ 2601-2629 (1976). Section 6(e) of TSCA provides broad rules governing the disposal, marking, manufacture, processing, distribution, and use of a class of chemicals called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). EDF sought review of three aspects of the EPA regulations. First, it challenged the determination by EPA that certain commercial uses of PCBs are “totally enclosed,” a designation that exempts those uses from regulation under the Act. Second, it claimed that the EPA acted contrary to law when it limited the applicability of the regulations to materials containing concentrations of PCBs greater than 50 parts per million (ppm). Third, EDF challenged the decision by EPA to authorize the continued use of 11 non-totally enclosed uses of PCBs.
The oral argument in this case was held on June 6, 1980, and an opinion for the court was issued on October 30, 1980, in which it was held that:
(1) no substantial evidence supported the administrative determination by EPA to classify certain polychlorinated biphenyl uses as “totally enclosed” and therefore exempt;
(2) no substantial evidence supported the administrative decision by EPA to exclude from regulation all materials containing concentrations of PCBs below 50 ppm; but
(3) substantial evidence supported the administrative determination by EPA to allow the continued use of 11 non-totally enclosed uses.
Environmental Defense Fund v. EPA, 636 F.2d 1267 (D.C.Cir.1980). As a result of this decision by the court, the parties agreed upon and the court approved a series of new rulemaking proceedings designed to develop the factual bases for an improved approach toward the regulation of PCBs.
On August 24, 1981, EDF moved for an award of $156,600.00 in attorneys’ fees for its participation in the case. This figure was later amended to $156,248.00. In addition, EDF requested $13,992.00 for the hours devoted by the law firm of Trilling & Kennedy for the preparation of a reply memorandum on the issue of attorneys’ fees.
I. THE CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS PERTAINING TO EDF’S MOTION FOR ATTORNEYS’ FEES
The following list details the sequence of events pertaining to EDF’s motion for attorneys’ fees:
Aug. 24, 1981 — Motion of Petitioner EDF for attorneys’ fees (hereinafter “EDF Motion”)
Sept. 15,1981 — Opposition of AC Paper & Film Capacitor Section of the Electronic Industries Association to the EDF’s Motions for Attorneys’ Fees (hereinafter “AC Paper Opposition")
Sept. 15, 1981 — Response of EPA to EDF’s Motion (hereinafter “EPA Response”)
Sept. 15, 1981 — Statement of National Electrical Mfgrs.
Oct. 23, 1981 — Motion by EDF for leave to supplement motion for attorneys’ fees
Oct. 23, 1981 — Supplementary declarations in support of EDF’s motion for attorneys’ fees (hereinafter “EDF Supplementary Motion”)
Oct. 23, 1981 — Motion of EDF for leave to file its motion for attorneys’ fees out of time
Oct. 26, 1981 — “Corrected” reply memorandum of EDF to EPA’s and Intervenor EIA’s responses in opposition to motion for attorneys’ fees (hereinafter “EDF Reply”)
Oct. 29, 1981 — Respondent’s motion for enlargement of time in which to respond to petitioner’s motion for leave to supplement motion for attorneys’ fees
Nov. 9, 1981 — Order granting enlargement of time requested by EPA
Nov. 10, 1981 — EPA’s response in opposition to EDF’s motion for leave to supplement motion for attorneys’ fees (hereinafter “EPA Response to Supplementary Motion”)
Nov. 20, 1981 — Reply of EDF to EPA’s Opposition to petitioner’s motion for leave to supplement motion for attorneys’ fees (hereinafter “EDF Reply on Supplementary Motion”)
The opposition filed by intervenor AC Paper raises three issues. First, it is contended that the 837 hours of experienced lawyer time claimed by EDF appears to be an excessive expenditure of time for this case. Second, it is argued that there is no basis for EDF’s request that its “lodestar” fee be adjusted upward by 100%. Finally, it is urged that Petitioner’s Motion should be dismissed because EDF’s request for fees is over nine months out of time. The EPA, although opposing EDF’s motion for fees on several grounds, has not contended that the motion is untimely. EDF, not surprisingly, rejects the claim that its Motion is untimely; however, in an abundance of caution, EDF has filed a “Motion For Leave To File Its Motion for Attorneys’ Fees Out of Time.”
The EPA Response to the EDF Motion does not seriously contest the claim for attorneys’ fees. Rather, EPA makes the following principal arguments:
(1) The court should strictly scrutinize EDF’s claims for attorneys’ fees. EPA Response at 6-9.
(2) EDF’s estimated “lodestar” fee is substantially exaggerated, both in terms of the “number of hours reasonably expended” and the “reasonableness of the hourly rate.” Id. at 12-21.
(3) No upward adjustment to the “lodestar” is warranted. Id. at 21-26.
These arguments duplicate those raised by AC Paper except with respect to the timeliness issue.
II. THE APPLICABLE STATUTORY STANDARD FOR AN AWARD OF ATTORNEYS’ FEES UNDER TSCA
Section 19(d), of TSCA, 15 U.S.C. § 2618(d), authorizes awards of attorneys’ fees in cases involving petitions for review of regulations brought, as was the instant case, pursuant to section 19(a):
The decision of the court in an action commenced under subsection (a), or of the Supreme Court of the United States on review of such decision, may include an award of costs of suit and reasonable attorneys’ fees for attorneys and expert witnesses if the court determines such an award is appropriate.
As was noted in Sierra Club v. Gorsuch, 672 F.2d 33 (D.C.Cir.1982), a case involving a comparable attorneys’ fee provision under the Clean Air Act:
On its face, the statutory provision clearly permits the court to award attorneys’ fees to prevailing, substantially prevailing, or non-prevailing parties in “appropriate” cases.
Id. at 34. The same may be said of the relevant statutory provision in section 19(d) of TSCA.
The significance of the attorneys’ fee provision of TSCA may be highlighted by comparison to other statutory fee provisions. For example, 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(E) provides that attorneys’ fees under the Freedom of Information Act are available only to a complainant who has “substantially prevailed.” Likewise, 28 U.S.C. § 2412(b), covering awards of fees against the United States, provides that:
Unless expressly prohibited by statute, a court may award reasonable fees and expenses of attorneys... to the prevailing party in any civil action brought by or against the United States or any agency and any official of the United States acting in his or her official capacity....
(emphasis added). In enacting a provision allowing for an award of attorneys’ fees whenever a court finds that such “an award is appropriate,” it seems plain that Congress intended to give the courts greater latitude than is allowed under statutes such as FOIA (“substantially prevailing”) and 28 U.S.C. § 2412 (“prevailing party”).
Albeit sparse, the legislative history surrounding the attorneys’ fee provision of TSCA confirms this reading and offers some guidance in identifying “appropriate” cases. Section 19 in the original Senate and House bills, i.e., the bills that preceded the passage of TSCA in its final form, each contained provisions allowing the courts to award “reasonable fees for attorneys and expert witnesses if the court determines that such an award is appropriate.” See S. 3149, 94th Cong., 2d Sess. § 19(c)(3) (1976); H.R. 14032, 94th Cong., 2d Sess. § 19(c)(3) (1976), reprinted in Legislative History of the Toxic Substances Control Act, at 136, 384 (1976) (hereinafter “Legislative History”). Although minor modifications were made to section 19 in the conference between the Senate and House Managers of the TSCA bills, the Conference Committee ultimately retained intact the provision allowing for awards of “reasonable fees for attorneys and expert witnesses if the court determines that such an award is appropriate.” Id. at 709.
The only significant discussion of the attorneys’ fee provision apparently occurred on September 28, 1976, during the Senate’s consideration of the Conference Report. Id. at 721, 727-30. During this discussion, Senator Magnuson, who was the ranking Senate Manager on the Conference Committee, made it clear that the attorneys’ fee provision “is not restricted to plaintiffs or to successful parties." Legislative History at 729 (emphasis added). However, Senator Magnuson made a point of indicating that the attorneys’ fee provision was not without limits:
It is not the intention of these provisions to provide an award for an individual or a group if that individual or group may stand to gain significant economic benefits through participation in the proceeding.
Id. at 729.
In addition to his own remarks, Senator Magnuson sought and received consent to print the remarks of Senator Tunney (which had appeared in the Congressional Record of March 26, 1976), as part of the legislative history of section 19. Id. at 727. In his printed comments, Senator Tunney first stated that
[the attorneys’ fee] provision [of TSCA] would allow an award of fees and costs to any party when “appropriate,” a word which should [be] liberally construed to effectuate the purposes of this act.
Id. (emphasis added). Following this initial comment, Senator Tunney added that:
[I]n typical circumstances, the court should follow prevailing case law which holds that a successful plaintiff “should ordinarily recover in [sic] attorneys’ fee unless special circumstances would render such an award unjust.”... “Plaintiff” in the [sic] sense is used to mean the parties seeking to enforce the rights granted by this section and can include an intervenor, or a defendant in some cases....
Where plaintiff’s proceeding is brought in good faith or on the advice of component [sic] counsel, fees and costs would ordinarily be denied to a prevailing defendant.... The standard for awarding fees and costs to a prevailing defendant is not the same as for a plaintiff because, if it were, the risk to the average citizen of bringing suit under this section would be so great it would discourage such suits.
Fees and costs would be awarded to a “successful plaintiff” under this provision where there was a final court order granting the relief requested by plaintiffs, or as a matter of interim relief pending the outcome of the case. The provision does not require the entry of a final order before fees or costs may be recovered.... Such awards are especially important where a party has prevailed on an important matter in the course of the litigation even where he does not ultimately prevail on all the issues. For purposes of the award of fees and costs, it is “appropriate” to make awards when the parties have [1] vindicated rights through consent judgment or [2] without formally obtaining relief, or [3] where such award is in the public interest without regard to the outcome of the litigation.
Id. at 727-28 (emphasis added) (citations omitted). Although Senator Tunney occasionally referred to “prevailing” or “successful” plaintiffs, these references — when read in context — cannot be seen to be inconsistent with his initial view that the attorneys’ fee provision should be “liberally construed.” Id. at 727. Nor do his remarks appear to be inconsistent with Senator Magnuson’s view that the attorneys’ fee provision “is not restricted to... successful parties.” Id. at 729. This latter point is confirmed by Senator Tunney’s observation that attorneys’ fees may be “appropriate” “where the award is in the public interest without regard to the outcome of the litigation.” Id. at 728.
The remaining remarks offered by Senator Tunney pertained to the appropriate measure of attorneys’ fees. On this final point, he commented as follows:
By specifying a general rule for the amount of fees to be awarded, this provision requires the method of calculating fees be no different than that now being utilized in other fields of law as, for example antitrust and securities regulation litigation. The “actual time” spent is that reasonably calculated to advance the client’s interest. The Stanford Daily v. Zurcher, 64 F.R.D. 680 (N.D.Cal.1974), and the amount can be adjusted for factors including inter alia, the centingent [sic] nature of the success or the quality of the work performed. Lindy Bros. Builders v. American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corp., 487 F.2d 161 (3d Cir.1973), on remand, 382 F.Supp. 999 (E.D.Pa.1974), or benefits to the public from the suit. Davis v. County of Los Angeles, 8 E.P.D. 9444 (C.D.Cal.1974). Fees should not be reduced merely because the attorneys are salaried employees of public interest and or foundations-funded law firms.
Legislative History at 728.
With these general legislative standards in mind, we may now turn to the specific claims being advanced by EDF for attorneys’ fees in this case.
III. THE EDF CLAIMS FOR ATTORNEYS’ FEES
A. Time Claimed For Work On The Case-In-Chief
The EDF Motion claims a total of 837.4 hours for the three attorneys who were assigned to and worked on the litigation in EDF v. EPA, broken down as follows:
William Butler, Esq. — 190.4 hours
Jacqueline M. Warren — 617.0 hours
David J. Lennett — 30.0 hours
See EDF Motion, EDF Supplementary Motion and EDF Reply. In an “Affidavit of Jacqueline M. Warren,” accompanying the EDF Motion, it is indicated that Ms. Warren was a senior staff attorney at EDF, where she worked from June of 1973 until November of 1980. She graduated from Smith College in 1963 and from George Washington University National Law Center in 1972, where she ranked third in her class. At EDF, she was the principal staff attorney for the Toxic Chemicals Program, and participated in “many administrative and judicial proceedings concerning toxic chemicals.” Id. at 1, 7-8.
William A. Butler was General Counsel of EDF when he participated in this case. He obtained a B.A. degree from Stanford University in 1963, a Master’s degree from Oxford University in 1965, a J.D. degree from Yale University in 1969 and a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1971. Mr. Butler was employed at EDF from 1970 until 1981 and, during that time, he “initiated, prepared and ultimately supervised the considerable amount of environmental litigation undertaken by EDF in federal district court and in courts of appeals.” Id. at 9.
David J. Lennett graduated from George Washington University National Law Center in 1979, and has been employed as a staff counsel at EDF ever since then. Prior to his graduation, Mr. Lennett worked part time at EDF and assisted with environmental litigation. Following graduation, he became the principal EDF attorney on hazardous waste matters. Id. at 10.
In the extensive descriptions of the work performed by these three EDF attorneys, their hours on EDF v. EPA are broken down as follows:
Category of Legal Work Hours
W. Butler J. Warren D. Lennett
Analysis of Final Regulation; Identification of Issues for Judicial Review; and Preparation of Petition for Review 42
Preparation of Motion to Defer Filing of Appendix; Review of Motions for Leave to Intervene and Consideration of Response 12
Preparation of Response to ALCOA Motion for Stay of Proceedings 7
Analysis of Record; Preparation of EDF Brief 226
Preparation of EDF Reply Brief; Preparation of Joint Appendix; and Preparation for Oral Argument 330
Monitoring of Post-Decision Petitions for Rehearing 16
Preparation for and Attendance at Negotiations w/Respondent and Industry Regarding Stay of Decision Pending Further Rulemaking; Participation in Joint Petitions for Stay of Mandate
Preparation of Materials to Request Attorneys' Fees
TOTAL 190.4 617 30
See EDF Motion (“Memorandum of Points”) at 4, EDF Supplementary Motion, and EDF Reply. The EDF Supplementary Motion (which contains a lengthy document entitled “Supplementary Declarations In Support of Petitioner EDF’s Motion For Attorneys’ Fees”) sets forth in great detail the attorneys’ time logs and narrative descriptions of all legal work done by each attorney.
Following the guidelines set forth in Copeland v. Marshall, 641 F.2d 880 (D.C.Cir.1980) (en banc), discussed infra in section III-B, EDF has made the following claim for attorneys’ fees:
Attorney Experience Hours Rate/Hr. Total
William A. Butler 11 yrs. 190.4 $110 $ 20,944.00
Jacqueline M. Warren 9 yrs. 617 $ 90 $ 55,530.00
David J. Lennett 2 yrs. 30 $ 55 $ 1,650.00
"Lodestar" = $ 78,124.00
"Lodestar” Amplification = $156,248.00
B. The Decision In Copeland v. Marshall
In submitting a claim of $156,248.00 for attorneys’ fees for work done on the case in chief, EDF relies heavily on the decision in Copeland v. Marshall, 641 F.2d 880 (D.C.Cir.1980) (en banc). Under Copeland, the attorneys’ fee is computed by first determining the “lodestar,” i.e., the number of hours reasonably expended multiplied by a reasonable hourly rate. The “lodestar” fee may then be adjusted up or down to reflect the quality of representation and the contingent nature of success. Id. at 891-94.
As to the factor of “hours reasonably expended,” Copeland states that:
Compiling raw totals of hours spent... does not complete the inquiry. It does not follow that the amount of time actually expended is the amount of time reasonably expended.... Thus, no compensation is due for nonproductive time. For example, where three attorneys are present at a hearing when one would suffice, compensation should be denied for the excess time....
The reasonable hourly rate is that prevailing in the community for similar work.... [A] reasonable hourly rate is the product of a multiplicity of faetors[:]... the level of skill necessary, time limitations, the amount to be obtained in the litigation, the attorney’s reputation, and the undesirability of the case. It follows that there may be more than one reasonable hourly rate for each of the attorneys, and for each of the kinds of work, involved in the litigation.
641 F.2d at 891-92 (emphasis in original) (citations omitted).
Concerning adjustments to the “lodestar” attributable to “the contingent nature of success,” 641 F.2d at 892, the decision in Copeland observes that:
Under statutes like Title VII, only the prevailing party is eligible for a court-awarded fee. An attorney contemplating representation of a Title VII plaintiff must recognize that no fee will be forthcoming unless the litigation is successful. An adjustment in the lodestar, therefore, may be appropriate to compensate for the risk that the lawsuit would be unsuccessful and that no fee at all would be obtained.
It is important to recognize that the contingency adjustment is designed solely to compensate for the possibility at the outset that the litigation would be unsuccessful and that no fee would be obtained.
641 F.2d at 892-93. Since, as has already been indicated, attorneys’ fees may be awarded to “prevailing,” “substantially prevailing” or “non-prevailing” parties under TSCA, this portion of the “contingent nature of success” factor discussed in Copeland is irrelevant in this case.
The court in Copeland also included a factor of “delay” under the heading of “contingent nature of success.” On this point, Copeland states:
The delay in receipt of payment for services rendered is an additional factor that may be incorporated into a contingency adjustment. The hourly rates used in the “lodestar” represent the prevailing rate for clients who typically pay their bills promptly. Court-awarded fees normally are received long after the legal services are rendered. That delay can present cash-flow problems for the attorneys. In any event, payment today for services rendered long in the past deprives the eventual recipient of the value of the use of the money in the meantime, which use, particularly in an inflationary era, is valuable. A percentage adjustment to reflect the delay in receipt of payment therefore may be appropriate.
Id. at 893.
Finally, regarding adjustments to the “lodestar” for “quality of representation,” Copeland holds that:
A quality adjustment is appropriate only when the representation is unusually good or bad, taking into account the level of skill normally expected of an attorney commanding the hourly rate used to compute the “lodestar.” In other words,
the court must recognize that a consideration of “quality” inheres in the “lodestar” award: counsel who possess or who are reputed to possess more experience, knowledge and legal talent generally command hour rates superior to those who are less endowed. Thus, the quality of an attorney’s work in general is a component of the reasonable] hourly rate; this aspect of “quality” is reflected in the “lodestar” and should not be utilized to augment or diminish the basic award under the rubric of “the quality of an attorney’s work.”
Lindy I, then permits an adjustment to the “lodestar” — up or down — based on the all-around performance of counsel in the specific case: “Any increase or decrease in fees to adjust for the quality of work is designed to take account of an unusual degree of skill, be it unusually poor or unusually good.” 487 F.2d at 168....
Lindy II, 540 F.2d at 117-18 (emphasis in original).
Until now the calculations have entirely ignored the results of the litigation. Success was a threshold inquiry relevant to the entitlement vel non to a fee, but the amount or nature of recovery was not considered in setting the “lodestar.” These latter factors should be considered now, under the rubric of “quality of representation.”
Where exceptional results are obtained — taking into account the hourly rate commanded and number of hours expended — an increase in fee is justifiable....
Quality adjustments may be upward or downward. Thus, if a high-priced attorney performs in a competent but undistinguished manner, a decrease in the “lodestar” may be necessary under the “quality of representation” rubric because the hourly rate used to calculate the “lodestar” proved to be overly generous.
641 F.2d at 893-94.
In considering the relevance of Copeland, there is one point that must be emphasized. As noted above, Copeland involved a claim for fees under Title VII, a statute under which the “prevailing party” may seek “a reasonable attorney’s fee as a part of costs.” 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(k) (1976). TSCA, on the other hand, allows for “reasonable attorneys’ fees” “if the court determines such an award is appropriate.” 15 U.S.C. § 2618(d). The legislative history of this provision indicates that the attorneys’ fee provision in TSCA “is not restricted to... successful parties,” and that an award of attorneys’ fees may be “appropriate” “where such award is in the public interest without regard to the outcome of the litigation.” Legislative History at 728-29. Thus, while “success” in litigation may be a factor in determining whether an adjustment to the “lodestar” is due, it is not determinative of the question of whether any fee is due. Excluding this point, we believe that Copeland is a controlling precedent that must be followed in this case.
C. EPA’s Opposition To The Claim For Attorneys' Fees
As noted at the outset of this opinion, EPA principally argues that EDF’s claim should be strictly scrutinized, that the estimated “lodestar” fee is exaggerated, and that no upward adjustment to the “lodestar” is warranted. There is no serious claim that EDF is not entitled to some amount of attorneys’ fees.
Specifically, EPA has raised the following issues:
(1) “[A] substantial portion of Ms. Warren’s hours must be deemed as “unproductive” time because it was devoted to pursuit of 2 of 4 claims upon which EDF did not prevail.” EPA Response at 14.
(2) “Ms. Warren’s and Mr. Butler’s hours should be discounted because portions of both were devoted to EDF efforts relating to issues raised by the industry intervenors.” Id.
(3) EPA should not be “taxed with attorneys’ fees relating to post-decision negotiations.” Id. at 17.
(4) “Should the Court disagree that Mr. Butler’s hours for participating in settlement negotiations be entirely disallowed, it should still substantially reduce the total of these 176 hours as being unnecessary to a fair pursuit of the matter.” Id. at 18.
As an alternative proposal to EDF’s claim on hours, EPA suggests that the following time should be excluded from the “lodestar:”
(1) 75% of 12 hours claimed by Ms. Warren for preparation of the motion to defer filing of appendix and to review motions to intervene.
(2) All 7 of the hours claimed by Ms. Warren for preparation of responses to Alcoa’s Motion to Stay.
(3) 25% of 330 hours for preparation of reply brief and oral argument.
(4) All 16 hours spent by Mr. Butler to monitor intervenors’ petitions for rehearing.
(5) 50% of Ms. Warren’s remaining time because EDF prevailed on only two of four claims.
(6) At least 50% of the 176 hours claimed by Mr. Butler for post-decision settlement negotiations.
In sum, EPA argues that the number of “hours reasonably expended” for each attorney should be adjusted as follows:
Attorney EDF Claim EPA Proposal
Mr. Butler 190.4 0-88
Ms. Warren 617 260
Mr. Lennett 30 30
TOTAL'837.4 290-378
In addition, EPA argues that “EDF’s suggested rates should be reduced to reflect the fact that much of the time consumed by its three counsel appears to have included neither ‘in-court’ time, nor other core litigation activity, such as brief writing.” EPA Response at 20. EPA thus urges that the rates for EDF attorneys should be adjusted downwards as follows:
Attorney EDF Claim EPA Proposal
Mr. Butler $110.00 $82.50
Ms. Warren 90.00 75.00
Mr. Lennett 55.00 55.00
EPA Response at 21.
Finally, EPA contends that there should be no upward adjustment in the “lodestar” because (1) “the efforts of EDF’s counsel were substantially within the range of skill normally expected of attorneys receiving the rates that they suggest,” id. at 22; (2) “the burden faced by EDF... is the standard burden of any litigant in an administrative agency case,” id. at 25; and (3) “no contingency adjustment would be warranted here for delay in renumeration [because] EDF has only recently submitted its requests for fees” and because “the hourly rates they suggest are derived from other recent decisions and, therefore, reflect current market values.” Id. at 25.
IV. AN EVALUATION AND JUDGMENT CONCERNING THE “HOURS REASONABLY EXPENDED,” THE “REASONABLE HOURLY RATE,” AND “ADJUSTMENTS TO THE ‘LODESTAR’ ”
Having outlined the applicable statutory standard, the controlling judicial precedents (as set forth in Copeland) and the contentions of the parties, we now may proceed to determine' the merits of EDF’s claim for attorneys’ fees.
A. Documentation
EPA initially argues that EDF’s claim should be rejected for “lack of adequate documentation.” See note 2 supra. For the reasons hereafter enumerated, we reject this contention as wholly untenable on the record before us.
In Copeland, this court stated that, with respect to “documentation” of attorneys’ fee claims, the party seeking a fee should submit information that will allow the reviewing court to “segregate into categories the kinds of work performed by each participating attorney.” 641 F.2d at 891. The court added that:
It is not necessary to know the exact number of minutes spent nor the precise activity to which each hour was devoted nor the specific attainments of each attorney. But without some fairly definite information as to the hours devoted to various general activities, e.g., pretrial discovery, settlement negotiations, and the hours spent by various classes of attorneys, e.g., senior partners, junior partners, associates, the court cannot know the nature of the services for which compensation is sought.
Copeland, 641 F.2d at 891 (quoting from Lindy Bros. Builders, Inc. v. American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corp., 487 F.2d 161, 167 (3d Cir. 1973)).
The documentation furnished by EDF in this case is more than enough to satisfy the test set forth in Copeland. Here, petitioner has submitted
(1) daily time sheets for attorneys Warren and Butler;
(2) written declarations from attorneys Warren, Butler and Lennett describing in detail the precise nature of the work performed by them, the hours attributed to each category of work, the approximate numbers of hours discounted as potentially “duplicate” or “nonproductive” and the approximate dates when each category of work was performed;
. (3) an affidavit from Jacqueline Warren describing the history of the litigation, the litigation goals and strategies of EDF, and the qualifications of each of the participating attorneys; and
(4) citations to authorities to justify the reasonableness of the hourly rates claimed for each attorney.
See EDF Motion (including “Memorandum of Points” and “Affidavit of Jacqueline M. Warren”), EDF Supplementary Motion (including “Supplementary Declarations”), and EDF Reply. We have considered this information with care and we find it sufficient to allow us to judge the reasonableness of the hours expended. Indeed, we believe that petitioners in this case have furnished more detailed information than was required by this court in Copeland. (See discussion at 641 F.2d 902 for a review of the documentation considered in Copeland.)
We agree with EPA that, as an appellate court (without the benefit of pre-trial motions, discovery supervision, and extended courtroom hearings comparable to what a district judge might experience), we should scrutinize an attorneys’ fee claim with particular care. We also note, however, as did the court in Copeland, that “[ojther circuit courts of appeals have observed that appellate judges are themselves experts in assessing the reasonableness of an attorney’s fee award, and that the appellate court... may independently review the record, or itself set the fee.” 641 F.2d at 902 (footnotes omitted). Since, under TSCA, we are obliged to “independently review the record” and “set the fee,” we have undertaken this responsibility and pursued the task with care. We have no doubt that, had it been necessary, we could have requested further documentation from the parties or scheduled hearings before designated members of the panel. In this case, however, since the documentation furnished by EDF is more than adequate, we are confident that we have enough information to complete the task before us.
B. Hours Reasonably Expended
1. EPA’s Request To Reduce Hours In Connection With Work Performed On Issues Upon Which EDF Did Not Prevail
EPA asserts that, under Copeland, EDF should not receive attorneys’ fees for time spent litigating claims upon which petitioners did not prevail. For the reasons already given at the conclusion of section III-B supra, we reject this contention.
First, to reiterate, attorneys’ fees under TSCA are not restricted to “successful parties.” Legislative History at 729. Furthermore, because we find that the litigation in EDF v. EPA involved critically important and difficult issues of first impression, and that the outcome of the litigation greatly served the public interest, we hold that there should be no discount in the fees awarded simply because EDF failed to prevail on one of three closely-related issues. At the conclusion of a 41-page slip opinion in EDF v. EPA, the court highlighted the significance of the litigation with the following observation:
We feel constrained to add one final note to emphasize our concern in this case. Human beings have finally come to recognize that they must eliminate or control life threatening chemicals, such as PCBs, if the miracle of life is to continue and if earth is to remain a living planet. This is precisely what Congress sought to do when it enacted section 6(e) of the Toxic Substances Control Act. Yet, we find that forty-six months after the effective date of an act designed to either totally ban or closely control the use of PCBs, 99% of the PCBs that were in use when the Act was passed are still in use in the United States. With information such as this in hand, timid souls have good reason to question the prospects for our continued survival, and cynics have just cause to sneer at the effectiveness of governmental regulation.
The EPA regulations can hardly be viewed as a bold step forward in the battle against life threatening chemicals. There is no substantial evidence in the record to support certain of the EPA regulatory enactments, and portions of the regulations are plainly

Question: What is the general issue in the case?
A. criminal
B. civil rights
C. First Amendment
D. due process
E. privacy
F. labor relations
G. economic activity and regulation
H. miscellaneous
Answer:

Answer: H