Subject: 

U·-S· DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR SubieetNwnber: · INF-3 

omcE OF SURF ACE MINING Transmittal Number· 

RECLAMATION AND ENFORCEMENT 796 . 

DIRECTIVES SYSTEM Date: SEP 2 0 199f 

FreYT ~fonnation Act (FOIA) 

Approv~ ( ',:d-2'1£... __.., J Title: Acting Director 

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OSM/103 

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1. Purpose. The purpose of this directive is to implement the Freedom of 

Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552, in accordance with the procedures 

established in the Department of the Interior regulations contained in 43 CFR 

Part 2, Subpart B-Requests for Records. It also provides internal guidelines 

and procedures for routing requests, reviewing document~ for FOIA allowed 

exemptions, and responding to requests made to the Office of Surface Mining 

Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) under the FOIA, in keeping with the spirit 

of the FOIA (43 CFR 2.13(a}(b).) 

2. Summary of Changes. This directive revises and supersedes Directive 

INF-3, Title Transmittal Number 721, dated May 14, 1992. The significant 

revisions are as follows: 

a. Section 3.e., Agency Record, has been expanded to refer reader 

to INF-1, Records Management Manual, for guidance on filing procedures and 

records disposition. 

b. Sections 4.b.(11 ), 4.b.(16), and 4.b.(22) have been revised to add 

the requirement that responses that quote the appeal rights must be mailed by 

Certified Mail; Return Receipt Requested. 

c. Section 4.b.(20), Billing for Collection of Fees, has been expanded 

to address non-payment of fees by the requester and subsequent action. 

d. Appendix C, Illustration 5. A new sample letter has been added 

which should be sent to the requester of commercial (b)(4) information when 

the company that provided the information must be contacted for clearance to 

release the information. 

e. Appendix C, Illustration 6. A new sample letter has been added to 

be sent to the requester asking for the assurance of payment of fees . 

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f. Appendix C, Illustration 16. A new sample letter has been added 

which should be sent to the requester when all records are being released. 

g. Appendix 0, page 0-4. Sample listing of computer costs has 

been expanded. 

h. Appendix 0, page 0-5. A new form for calculating fees has been 

substituted for action offices to complete and forward for every FOIA request. 

3. Definitions. 

a. Act and "FOIA" mean the Freedom of Information Act, 

5 u.s.c. 552. 

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b. Action Office is the office within OSM that has been assigned the 

lead responsibility for collecting documents, reviewing documents for FOIA 

exemptions, and preparing the FOIA response. It is the office within OSM 

which is in possession of the records requested by the FOIA and whose staff 

can best provide a review of records for FOIA exemptions. 

c. Advance Fee Payments are payments which may be required 

from a FOIA requester by the action office when it is anticipated that allowable 

fees are likely to exceed $250 and that the requester does not have a history of 

prompt payment of FOIA fees. (See Section 4.b.(21) and Appendix C, 

Illustration 1 0.) 

d. Agency is OSM. 

e. Agency Record is any form (paper, video cassette tape, or 

computer data tape, etc.) of information already maintained by the Agency that 

was created by the Agency or received from other sources in connection with 

the transaction of public business. Refer to INF-1, Records Management 

Manual, for guidance on filing procedures and records disposition. 

Note: The FOIA does not apply to Personal Records of 

individual employees, as long as these documents are created 

and maintained primarily for the convenience of the 

employee not on Agency time, not at the Agency's expense, not 

concerning Agency business, and not distributed to other 

employees for Agency purposes. 

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f. Appeals are written notices (see 4.b.(16) of this directive) 

prepared by the FOIA requester and sent to the Department of the Interior, 

Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget in cases when: 

(1) Records have been withheld in a FOIA response; 

(2) A request has been denied because of failure to describe 

requested records or because of other procedural deficiencies, or when it has 

been determined that the requested records do not exist or cannot be located; 

(3) A fee waiver has been denied; or 

(4) A request has not been provided within the time limits 

stated in 43 CFR 2.17. , 

g. Commercial Information Notification is a written notice prepared 

by the action office that, in accordance with 43 CFR 2.15(d) and Executive 

Order (EO) 12600, allows the submitters of commercial and financial 

information the opportunity to provide the Agency with a detailed statement of 

any objection to disclosure of such documents. (See Appendix C, Illustration 

4.) 

h. Denial Of A Document is a written decision prepared by the 

action office to withhold a requested record. (See Appendix C, Illustration 12, 

and 4.b.(16).) 

I. Denial Of A Request is a determination made by the action office 

familiar with the files, that a request does not reasonably describe the 

requested records. A denial of a request includes the same written appeal 

language as a denial of a document. 

J. Due Date is the date 10 working days after the date that the initial 

request has been received by the Agency or a later date, where action is 

deferred pursuant to paragraph 4.b.(4). 

k. Exemptions are the nine categories of criteria for exempting 

documents or portions of documents from the Act's statutory disclosure 

requirements. A list of the exemptions and explanations can be found in 43 

CFR 2.13(c)(1) through (c)(9), and Appendix B. 

I. Extension Of Time is an additional (one-time) 10-working-day 

period for providing a FOIA response, pursuant to 43 CFR 2.17(c). 

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m. Fees are the costs OSM may charge for search, review, and 

reproduction of records according to the appropriate requester category, as 

indicated in 43 CFR 2.20 (Appendix D of this directive), unless fees are waived 

pursuant to 43 CFR 2.21. (See sample form for assessing fees, Appendix D, 

pg. D-5.) 

n. Fee Waiver is an OSM determination to provide documents 

without charge or at a reduced amount pursuant to 43 CFR 2.21 (a) (Appendix 

C, Illustration 6.) 

o. FOIA Request is a written request for Agency records made by 

any person that: 

(1) States that the request is made under FOIA; 

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(2) Reasonably describes the records sought, or is sufficient to 

enable an Agency employee familiar with the subject area to locate the record 

with a "reasonable amount of effort" (see 43 CFR 2.14(b}); and 

(3) States whether they are willing to pay fees and states the 

maximum amount of fees that they are willing to pay, and the fee category into 

which they claim to fall; or requests consideration for a fee waiver. 

See Section 4.b.(2) for information on treating an incoming as a FOIA request. 

See Section 4.b.(3) for information on requests not covered under FOIA. 

p. FOIA Response is the Agency's written notification to the FOIA 

requester that is prepared by the action office and sets forth the Agency's 

determination whether to grant or deny a FOIA request. Ordinarily the FOIA 

response will include the following materials: 

(1) A list of documents being released, and a list of documents 

being withheld (if any), with the exemptions for withholding each document (or 

part of a document); 

(2) All records responsive to the request in the format most 

convenient for the Agency to provide; 

(3) Records that are already in existence at the time of receipt 

of the request, not documents created after receipt of the request; 

(4) A determination of fee charges or fee waiver. 

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q. Interim Response is a letter provided (usually by the action 

office) to apprise the requester of the status of his or her request. 

For example, an interim letter could be sent to: 

(1) Notify the requester of a delayed response exceeding 20 

working days including the extension; 

(2) Notify the requester that OSM is providing an opportunity 

for review of possible confidential commercial or financial documents by the 

submitter of the documents; 

(3) Request information to clarify a FOIA request; 

(4) Request responses to questions to justify a fee waiver; or 

(5) Notify a requester of the estimated charges for preparing a 

response, and request a commitment to pay the charges or to provide advance 

payment if fees exceed $250. 

r. Transfer of a FOIA Request is the action office referral of 

documents that were prepared or classified by another Federal agency, to that 

agency for review. The action office should also notify the FOIA requester that 

the originating agency will be communicating with the requester directly 

regarding those documents. 

s. Workina Day is a regular Federal workday (not Saturdays, 

Sundays or legal holidays). 

4. Policy/Procedures. 

a. Responsibility, 

(1) The Director oversees compliance with the requirements of 

the FOIA and institutes a program which ensures impartial administration of 

FOIA by OSM. The Director also ensures protection of the rights accorded to 

the public by the Act. 

(2) OSM's Freedom of Information Act Officer duties are 

delegated to the Chief, Correspondence and Issues Management Staff (CIMS). 

The FOIA Officer signs all interim and final responses to FOIAs prepared at 

Headquarters, and any FOIA prepared within OSM that withholds information 

under one of the FOIA exemptions; develops policies, guidelines, procedures, 

standards, and training for the OSM FOIA program; and monitors and evaluates 

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the program's effectiveness. The Chief of CIMS also coordinates all OSM FOIA 

actions with the Assistant Solicitor, Branch of Regulatory Programs, Division of 

Surface Mining; coordinates all FOIA requests directed to the Secretary that 

involve documents in files maintained by OSM; provides authoritative guidance 

on which documents can be released or are exempt under the Act; advises the 

Director on policy matters involving FOIA; and prepares the Annual Report on 

FOIA activities for the Agency. 

(3) Field Office Directors and Assistant Directors of the 

Western and Eastern Support Centers are responsible for signing any 

interim, or final response to a FOIA request when such a response releases all 

information requested, but only after review by CIMS and as necessary, the 

Solicitor's Office. Each Field Office Director (FOD) and Assistant Director (AD) 

is responsible for designating a FOIA Coordinator, who is trained or will be 

trained in the area of the FOIA; providing the name and title of the individual 

designated as FOIA Coordinator to the Chief, CIMS; developing guidelines and 

operating procedures consistent with this directive; and acting as a responsible 

official for documents, within the jurisdictions of the FODor AD in question, 

which are released or withheld. The FOD or AD is accountable for these 

responsibilities. 

(4) Field FOIA Coordinators assist the action office responding 

to a FOIA request by answering questions concerning the application of the 

FOIA guidelines and reviewing documents for FOIA exemptions; providing 

training, if necessary, concerning the above FOIA guidelines; controlling and 

tracking FOIA requests as the responses are being prepared; ensuring that the 

action office responding to the FOIA follows the procedures in this directive 

(see the FOIA Checklist, Appendix A); assisting the Headquarters FOIA 

Coordinator in preparing the Annual Report; and reviewing FOIA responses to 

ensure their consistency with the FOIA directive prior to sending responses to 

CIMS. Each Field FOIA Coordinator is the main contact, with the FOIA Officer 

and the Headquarters FOIA Coordinator, for his or her office. 

(5) Headquarters FOIA Coordinator assists the Field 

Coordinators and Headquarters action offices responding to the FOIA request 

by answering questions concerning the application of the FOIA guidelines and 

reviewing for exemptions; developing and providing training to Agency 

personnel; controlling and tracking the FOIA request as the response is being 

prepared in Headquarters; and reviewing all Agency FOIA responses, for 

completeness and decisions to withhold or release documents, before 

forwarding them to the Assistant Solicitor, Branch of Regulatory Programs, 

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Division of Surface Mining. The Headquarters FOIA Coordinator also maintains 

records necessary for the preparation of the Annual Report to Congress. The 

Headquarters FOIA Coordinator is the contact between the Department of the 

Interior FOIA Officer and OSM for FOIA activities and policies. 

b. Procedures/Preparation. 

As a quick guide for preparing a FOIA response, see the FOIA Checklist, 

Appendix A, in addition to the following. 

(1) Controlling Incoming FOIAs. OSM field or Headquarters 

offices receiving a FOIA request should immediately date-stamp it, and send a 

copy of the request to the FOIA Coordinator at Headquarters for 

correspondence control. CIMS will place a control number and assign a due 

date on the control sheet for each FOIA request. It will also send the incoming 

and control sheet to the action office either at Headquarters or to the FOIA 

Coordinator in the field. 

When the field installation has the action, the Field FOIA Coordinator should 

copy the action office and track the response. When a Headquarters office has 

action, the Headquarters FOIA Coordinator will copy the action office and track 

the response. 

(2) Treating A Request As A FOIA Reauest: OSM may 

decide to treat an incoming letter as a FOIA request when: 

(a) A third party asks to view Agency documents 

concerning another party (such as personnel records); or 

(b) A request is made for a specific document which is 

known to be protected by one of the FOIA exemptions (such as audit files or 

draft documents). 

If an OSM office has decided to treat an incoming as a FOIA, it should copy the 

OSM FOIA Officer. The letter will then be handled according to FOIA 

procedures. The due date will be 1 0 working days from the date it was decided 

the letter should be treated as a FOIA. 

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(3) Reauests Not Covered Under FOIA: A request is not 

covered under FOIA when: 

an official capacity; 

(a) It is from an employee of a Federal agency acting in 

(b) It is from a congressional committee or 

subcommittee; 

(c) It is by an individual for records about himself/herself 

which are subject to the Department's Privacy Act regulations; and 

(d) It asks for information that OSM would need to 

create in response to the request, and not for records that already exist. 

In these cases, FOIA procedures and review are not required. 

(4) Due Dates. According to the FOIA and 43 CFR 2.17, a 

response to a request for records should be made no more than 10 working 

days after receipt of the request by the Agency. For tracking purposes, the due 

date is assigned by CIMS and appears on the CIMS control sheet. 

The running of the 10 working days may be deferred if: 

(a) The requester has to be contacted by the action 

office for information to clarify his/her request; 

(b) The requester must agree to pay fees because the 

request did not state a willingness to pay fees, and no fee waiver has been 

sought or granted; or 

(c) The requester must make advance payment because 

costs for processing the request exceed $250. 

The first 1 0-day time period will begin when these questions are resolved. 

(5) Coordinating Responses With Other Offices. If a field or 

Headquarters office receives a request for which some responsive documents 

are located in other OSM offices, the action office should take the lead in 

coordinating a response with the other offices and should contact the FOIA 

Coordinator concerning this. The action office has the responsibility to inform 

all relevant offices of the FOIA request. 

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When a FOIA request that needs coordination within OSM is received, and 

more than one office maintains a large number of documents responsive to it, 

the Headquarters FOIA Coordinator will take the lead in coordinating a 

response. In either case, the action office should identify the need for 

coordination to the FOIA Officer and follow through with the other offices. 

(6) Reauests That Are Not Clear. If the action office determines 

that the request is so general that a reasonable determination of the nature and 

location of the requested documents cannot be made, the action office should 

contact the Headquarters FOIA Coordinator. The action office should then 

contact the requester by letter or phone to clarify the request. (See Appendix 

C, Illustration 1.) 

(7) Willingness to Pay Fees. The initial FOIA request should 

include the amount of fees the requester is willing to pay, unless he or she 

requests a fee waiver. (See Appendix C, Illustration 7.) If a willingness to pay 

fees has not been indicated, then the action office should prepare a letter 

inquiring whether the FOIA requester is willing to pay fees, and estimating fee 

charges (based on fee categories explained in Appendix D). Letters should be 

cleared through the Headquarters FOIA Coordinator. 

(8) Transferring a Request. If the FOIA request seeks records 

that were originated or maintained by another Federal agency, the action office 

should notify the Headquarters FOIA Coordinator of the situation. The action 

office will then prepare a transmittal letter for the FOIA Officer's signature 

transferring a copy of the request (with the agency documents if applicable) to 

the appropriate Federal agency, with a request that the agency directly reply to 

the requester concerning the documents in question. (See Appendix C, 

Illustration 3 and Illustration 11.) The action office will also notify the requester 

by letter that action on the request has been transferred to the other agency. 

(See Appendix C, Illustration 2.) 

The procedure does not apply if documents requested were originated by a 

State agency. The State should however be notified by the action office of the 

FOIA request for State records. 

(9) Fee Waivers. When a fee waiver is requested in the 

incoming FOIA, the action office should determine if the requester has 

addressed the statutory requirements identified in 43 CFR 2.21 or in 

Appendix C, Illustration 7. If further information is needed concerning the 

justification for a fee waiver, the action office should send an interim response 

to the FOIA requester before the first 1 0-day due period has expired. The 

interim response will include the estimated costs (based on fee categories 

explained in Appendix D) to be paid if the fee waiver is not approved. If a fee 

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waiver is approved, the approval should be noted in the final response. OSM 

may charge fees for copying and search costs for documents in the 

administrative record, when they are in a location easily available to the 

requester. 

All correspondence should be cleared through the Headquarters FOIA Officer. 

(10) 10-Day Extension of Time. Under three circumstances 

FOIA provides for an additional (one-time) 10 working days for sending a FOIA 

response. The additional 10 days starts on the next working day after the first 

1 0-day period. See Appendix C, Illustration 8 for the cases in which an 

extension is permitted, and a sample extension notice. The action office should 

prepare and send the extension notice before the end of the first 10-day period. 

The Headquarters FOIA Officer should be contacted and copied. 

(11) Responses Exceeding 20 Days. OSM is required to send 

a "delay" letter if OSM cannot send the FOIA response within the 1 0-day time 

period and the additional 1 0-day extension period. The requester may deem 

the request denied and may exercise a right of appeal in accordance with 43 

CFR 2.18. (See Appendix C, Illustration 9 for a sample letter.) The action 

office will prepare the delay letter before the 2oth day. The Headquarters FOIA 

Officer should be contacted and copied. 

NOTE: Any FOIA response quoting the requester his/her appeal rights 

must be sent Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested. 

(12) NotiMng Submitters of Commercial or Financial 

Information. Under 43 CFR 2.15(d) and EO 12600 (see Appendix H), if a 

requester seeks a record containing trade secrets or commercial or financial 

information that may be confidential and was submitted by a person outside of 

the Federal Government, the action office shall provide the outside submitter 

with a notice of the FOIA request and copies of the documents in question. 

The action office should prepare this notice as indicated in Appendix C, 

Illustration 4. If the period for the submitter to comment exceeds the time limit 

for processing the request, the action office will notify the requester of the 

delay. (See Appendix C, Illustration 5.) 

Notifications are not necessary if OSM determines prior to giving notice that the 

request for the record should be denied, or the information has previously been 

lawfully published or released, or is readily available to the public from another 

source. 

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(13) Collecting Responsive Documents. The FOIA requires 

that OSM only provide those responsive documents which exist, and are in the 

possession or control of the Agency at the time the Agency receives a request; 

not those prepared or acquired after the date of receipt of the FOIA request: 

Such later documents are not responsive to the request. If a document 

responsive to the request does not exist, the Agency is not required to produce 

a document that incorporates the requested information. 

All responsive documents that have been located then must be identified on 

either the release list or withheld list. See Appendix C, Illustration 13, for a 

sample of the required formats for the lists. 

(14) Review of Documents for FOIA Exemptions. Under the 

FOIA, there are nine exemptions on the basis of which a document (or portion 

of a document) may be withheld from disclosure to the public. OSM will 

withhold information falling within an exemption category only if (a) release of 

the information is prohibited by statute or Executive Order (EO 12600 and 

SMCRA for example) or (b) sound grounds exist for invoking one of the FOIA 

exemptions. 

Each document should be reviewed for applicability of one or more FOIA 

exemptions. If information within a given document does not fall under any of 

the exemption categories, there is no basis for withholding that document. 

The program person in the action office should be the first to review and 

identify documents that may be withheld. The program person and officials 

identified in the appeal language may be required to explain the rationale for 

withholding documents if there are questions raised by CIMS; by the Staff 

Attorney, Branch of Regulatory Programs; or by a staff attorney in General Law 

upon appeal of the FOIA response. 

(15) FOIA Exemptions. Appendix 8 lists the nine FOIA 

exemptions and provides a detailed explanation of the exemptions most often 

used by this Agency. 

Please consult with the Headquarters FOIA Coordinator or the OSM FOIA 

Officer, if it is unclear as to whether or not specific records or documents fall 

under any of the exemptions. CIMS will coordinate the review of the final 

response, including these records, with the Office of the Solicitor, Division of 

Surface Mining. 

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NOTE: How documents have been filed and/or released prior to 

the receipt of the FOIA request may have an effect on the 

applicability of a FOIA exemption, and in some cases might 

require release of a document that might otherwise have been 

withheld. OSM's recordkeeping policy is found in the Records 

Management Manual, INF-1. 

(16) Wlthholdlna (Denylna> Documents (or Portions of 

Documents) A denial of a document includes a reference to the specific FOIA 

exemption authorizing the withholding (e.g., 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(5)), the sound 

grounds for withholding the record (e.g., pre-decisional), a listing of the names 

and titles or positions of each person responsible for the denial, and a 

statement that the denial may be appealed to the Department of the Interior, 

Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget. (See Appendix C, 

Illustration 12). Each document being released and each document being 

withheld should be listed in the appropriate enclosure, as the illustration shows. 

If OSM plans to withhold a portion of a document and release the remainder, 

on a copy of the document, the words, paragraphs, or numbers to be withheld 

should be blackened out completely (excised or taped over), to provide an 

excised copy for release. A document of this type should be listed on both the 

release and withheld lists. The FOIA Officer should receive for review and filing 

a complete set of documents being released, and a complete set of documents 

being withheld including copies of both excised and not excised versions of 

each document being partially withheld. 

NOTE: Attornevs in Field Offices of the Solicitor will not be routinely 

involved in preparation or review of FOIA responses. In the relatively 

rare instances in which, because of the volume of documents being 

reviewed, it is appropriate to obtain the assistance of a Field Office 

attorney on a FOIA response, the referral to a Field Office attorney will 

be made through the Headquarters Office of the Solicitor. The action 

office will notify the Headquarters FOIA Coordinator of this situation. 

As indicated in Appendix C, Illustration 12, a denial letter should include: 

(a) The FOIA citation for withholding each document on 

the withheld list item; 

(b) Justification of the denial for each withheld list item; 

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and 

(c) The appeal language in the body of the response; 

(d) The name and title of the person(s) responsible for 

the denial. 

A denial of a request (not being able to locate any responsive records after a 

reasonable search) includes the same written appeal language as a denial of a 

document. (See Appendix C, Illustration 13.) 

NOTE: Any FOIA response quoting the requester his/her appeal rights 

must be sent by Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested. 

(17) Computer Data: It is the Agency's policy to provide 

computer data (following review for exempt information), unless major 

reprogramming would be required and the Agency has no use for resulting data 

that would justify the cost of the reprogramming. (See Appendix C, Illustration 

14.) The Agency may provide the information to the requester in whatever 

format is most convenient to the Agency. 

(18) Administrative Records or Public Files: If the requester 

desires to come into an Agency installation to review and possibly copy 

documents from the Agency files, he or she may do so if documents have 

already been deemed releasable because they are required to be released by 

law -- and so are placed in a public or administrative file -- or because they 

have already been reviewed for FOIA exemptions. If a fee waiver does not 

apply and documents need to be reviewed, any search and/or review time for 

documents will be charged as appropriate for the fee category in Appendix D 

into which the requester falls. There will be a charge of $ .13/page for copying 

the documents. See below for billing and fee collecting instructions. 

(19) Estimating Fee Charges. Upon receipt of a FOIA request, 

the action office should identify the fee category into which the requester falls 

(see Appendix D), and should maintain a log of costs (see D-5 of Appendix D) 

to substantiate charges. Appendix F also provides information on costs that are 

allowable under the law. The Agency may charge fees ($ .13/page) for 

providing copies of requested documents that are in the administrative record 

when they are at a location easily available to the requester. 

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Fee Categories: 

(a) Commercial use, 

(b) Educational and Noncommercial Scientific 

Institutions, 

(c) Representatives of the News Media, and 

(d) All Others. 

(20) Billing for Collection of Fees. Once a FOIA response (that 

charges fees) has been signed, a copy of it should be transmitted via 

memorandum to: Chief, Programmatic Accounting, Division of Rnancial 

Management, P.O. Box 25065, Room D-2125, Denver, Colorado 80225. 

Programmatic Accounting will then send the bill for collection to the FOIA 

requester and provide a copy of the bill to the FOIA Officer. In accordance with 

43 CFR 2.200), a bill for collection, Form Dl-1040, shall be used for collection 

of fees. Refer to Appendix D for sample language. If a FOIA request charge 

has not been paid by the requester after 30 days, Programmatic Accounting 

should provide that information to the Headquarters FOIA Coordinator, who will 

record that fact in the requester's file. The Headquarters FOIA Coordinator will 

notify the action office preparing a later FOIA response that the requester has 

not paid fees. The Headquarters FOIA Coordinator will then notify the 

requester that he/she has outstanding fees and that the action on his/her 

request will not occur until the fees are paid. 

(21) Fees Exceeding $250. Where it is anticipated that 

allowable fees are likely to exceed $250 and the requester does not have a 

history of prompt payment of FOIA fees, the requester may be required to make 

an advance payment of the entire fee before the Agency processes the request. 

(43 CFR 2.20(h)(1).) (See Appendix C, Illustration 10.) The Agency will notify 

the requester that prepayment is due and at the same time provide him/her with 

an opportunity to modify the request to reduce the fee. 

Where a requester has previously failed to pay a fee within 30 calendar days of 

the date of billing, processing of any new request from that requester shall 

ordinarily be suspended until the requester pays any amount still owed, 

including applicable interest, and makes advance payment of allowable fees (43 

CFR 2.20(h)(2)). In accordance with the Debt Collection Act of 1982, interest 

can be assessed after the 31st day following the day on which the bill was sent. 

The office of the Chief, Programmatic Accounting should immediately contact 

the Headquarters FOIA Coordinator when advance payment is received, and 

the Coordinator will contact the action office regarding the payment. 

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(22) Format of a Response. 

(a) Affirmative Responses: After the action office has 

reviewed the responsive documents for FOIA exemptions, and if all documents 

are deemed releasable, the action office will prepare a response similar to that 

in Appendix C, Illustration 15, when fees are less than $15; use the language in 

Appendix C, Illustration 10, when fees exceed $250; and include fee waiver 

approval, when answers to fee waiver questions justify the Agency's granting a 

fee waiver. 

The proper listing of documents being released is an important element in the 

FOIA response; the action office should use the Appendix C illustration format. 

(b) Responses denving records: After the action office has 

reviewed the responsive documents for FOIA exemptions, and if some or parts 

of documents are withholdable under a FOIA exemption, the action office will 

prepare a response similar to that in Appendix C, Illustration 12. Enclosure A 

will list documents being released, as well as the portions of documents being 

released (those that have excised material). Enclosure 8 will list documents 

and portions of documents being withheld with the statutory reason cited. 

NOTE: Any FOIA response quoting the requester his/her appeal rights 

should be sent Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested. 

(23) Copies of the Final Response. In the case where all 

documents are being released, the action office should send the response in 

final format to the FOIA Officer for review in CIMS (bee copies will not have to 

be provided until after the final review and any revisions have been made). 

The response should include two copies of the responsive documents and a 

copy of the letter and Enclosure A, Release List; as well as a Wordperfect 

diskette containing the letter and enclosures. CIMS will send the response and 

documents for further review to the Solicitor's office as necessary. The second 

copy of the documents will be maintained in CIMS files by the FOIA Officer. 

In the case where the action office determines that part or all of some 

documents should properly be withheld under applicable FOIA exemptions, the 

action office should provide to the FOIA Officer a response package which 

includes: the response letter; Enclosure A, Release List; and Enclosure 8, 

Withheld List; a copy of the letter and enclosures on a Wordperfect diskette; 

two complete copies of the documents being released (one for CIMS file); and 

one set of documents being withheld. If a portion of a document is to be 

withheld, the complete document should be sent to be reviewed in CIMS and 

the SOL office. 

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After the FOIA response has been reviewed and revised as appropriate, the 

action office should send the following offices, in general, a copy of the 

response letter with the enclosure list(s): 

bee: 

OSM Subject 

OSM Reading 

CIMS 

CIMS-FOIA Coordinator (Complete Copy) 

SOL/DSM/Regulatory Programs 

Action Office 

FODor AD 

5. RePorting Requirements. Annual Report. The OSM FOIA Officer is 

required to provide by February 1 to the Department of the Interior FOIA Officer 

information as requested by the Department of the Interior FOIA Officer (such 

as data on requests, affirmative responses and denials). This information is 

collected by the Department of the Interior to be submitted to Congress. 

6. References. 43 CFR Part 2, Subpart 8; 383 OM 15, Department of the 

Interior, Freedom of Information Handbook; and 5 USC 552 et seq. 

7. Effect on Other Documents. Supersedes directive INF-3, Freedom of 

Information Act, dated May 14, 1992. 

8. Effective Date. Date of issuance. 

9. Contact. Chief, Correspondence and Issues Management, (202) 208-

2562 or FAX at 1-202-219-3107. 

10. Kevwords. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and FOIA Exemptions. 

11. Appendices. 

Appendix A - Checklist for Preparing a FOIA Response 

Appendix 8 - FOIA Exemptions 

Appendix C - Samples of Letters 

Appendix D - Calculating Fee Charges 

Appendix E - 43 CFR Part 2: Departmental Guidelines on FOIA 

Appendix F - 43 CFR Part 2, Appendix A: Fees 

Appendix G - 5 U.S.C. 552: The Freedom of Information Act 

Appendix H - Notification Procedures for Commercial Confidential 

Information 

16 
APPENDIX A 

Page 1 of 3 

CHECKLIST FOR PREPARING A FOIA RESPONSE 

HFC 

FFC 

ACTION OFFICE 

(With Cites) 

= Headquarters FOIA Coordinator 

= Field FOIA Coordinator 

= Office assigned responsibility for collecting 

and reviewing documents, and preparing the FOIA 

response 

1. Any OSM office receiving a FOIA request should promptly date stamp the 

letter and send a copy to the HFC and/or FFC. A response is due within 1 o 

days from OSM's receipt of the FOIA. 

2. HFC in CIMS will control the FOIA and send it to the ACTION OFFICE. 

Due dates are assigned by CIMS. 

3. The ACTION OFFICE coordinates response with other Field or 

Headquarters office(s) if more documents are located in other offices. 

Notify HFC and/or FFC regarding this. 

4. The ACTION OFFICE determines what fee category group the requester is 

in (43 CFR 2.20). The ACTION OFFICE and other offices involved with 

responding should keep track of search time and copying costs for the 

appropriate fee category. (See Appendix D- Fee Charges.) 

5. INTERIM RESPONSES 

a. If request is unclear, or too broad to determine what information is 

responsive, then after consultation with the FOIA Coordinator, the 

ACTION OFFICE contacts the requester by letter or phone to clarify 

request. (See Appendix C, Illustration 1) 

b. If the FOIA requester asks for a fee waiver, the ACTION OFFICE 

reviews the justification for fee waiver with regard to questions listed 

in 43 CFR 2.21 (a) and Appendix C, Illustration 7, of the FOIA 

Directive. If a justification is not clear from the information the 

requester has already provided, then the ACTION OFFICE will send 

a letter requesting necessary information, after consultation with the 

HFC and the SOL. 
Page 2 of 3 

c. The ACTION OFFICE should prepare a letter requesting a 1 0-day 

extension, if the first 1 0-day due date can't be met (43 CFR 2.17(c)). 

FOD or Assistant Director may sign. (See Appendix C, Illustration 8.) 

d. The ACTION OFFICE should identify exempt documents according to 

Appendix B - FOIA Exemptions, and provide CIMS with reasons for 

using the exemption. (e.g., the document to be withheld is a draft, 

the claimant requested confidentiality, or this is not final agency 

policy, etc.) 

e. The ACTION OFFICE contacts by letter the person or organization 

that provided OSM with documents which are responsive to the 

incoming FOIA and which may contain confidential commercial or 

financial information. The submitter of those documents has 10 days 

to review the documents in question and provide sufficient reason 

why the information is confidential. The FOIA requester should be 

notified by letter that a review by the submitter is pending. (See 43 

CFR 2.15(d) and Appendix C, Illustration 4.) 

6. For documents responsive to a FOIA request that were originated by 

another Federal agency, the ACTION OFFICE will forward a copy of the 

FOIA response, together with the other agency's documents, to the other 

Federal agency for review, and direct response to the requester. (See 43 

CFR 2.15(b) and Appendix C, Illustration 11.) If documents are provided by 

a state agency, the state may be contacted concerning the request as a 

courtesy but not necessarily for review of their documents. 

7. The ACTION OFFICE chronologically lists documents (or portions of 

documents) to be released in Enclosure A. Enclosure B lists 

chronologically documents (or portions of documents) being withheld under 

one or more of the FOIA exemptions. All documents should be marked 

with corresponding identifiers. (See Appendix C, Illustration 1 .) 

8. The ACTION OFFICE prepares response in accordance with the FOIA 

Directive. (See Appendix C.) 

9. The ACTION OFFICE sends two copies of the proposed response letter 

and two sets of enclosures to CIMS with an enclosed diskette on a 

Wordperfect file, and one set of withheld documents (without deletions) for 

review. Following review by HQ, if there are major changes, retyping will 

be done by the ACTION OFFICE. 
Page 3 of 3 

10. For FOIA requests being responded to in the field, if all documents are 

being released, the Field Office Director or Assistant Director for WSC or 

ESC will sign the response after CIMS and (if necessary) SOL review. All 

affirmative responses prepared in Headquarters will be signed by the 

Freedom of Information Act Officer. If documents are being withheld, the 

responses will be prepared for the signature of the Freedom of Information 

Act Officer. Copies of responses denying documents will be sent from 

CIMS. 

11 . If a letter is not responded to within 20 working days (which includes the 

1 0-day extension), then the ACTION OFFICE sends a letter of delay. (See 

Appendix C, Illustration 9.) 
APPENDIX B 

Table of Contents 

List of FOIA Exemptions ........................................... Page B-1 & B-2 

FOIA Exemption Check List... ................................... Page B-3 & B-4 

Exemption (b)(2) ......................................................... Page B-5 

Exemption (b)(3) ......................................................... Page B-5 & B-6 

Exemption (b)(4) ......................................................... Page B-6 & B-7 

Exemption (b)(S) ......................................................... Page B-7 & B-8 

Exemption (b)(6) ......................................................... Page B-8 & B-9 

Exemption (b)(7) ......................................................... Page B-9 

Privacy Protected Information 

under (b)(6) ............................................................... Page B-10 & B-11 

Comparison of the FOIA and 

the Privacy Act... ...................................................... Page B-12 & B-13 
Page 1 of 2 

FOIA EXEMPTIONS 

Under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) there are nine exemptions 

which serve as a basis for withholding information from the public. Records (or 

portions of records) that meet the following exemption criteria may be withheld 

from public disclosure, but must be listed on a withheld list that gives the 

statutory citation and the reason for withholding each item. The nine 

exemptions are listed below: 

(b)(1) EXEMPTION 1 

(b)(2) EXEMPTION 2 

(b)(3) EXEMPTION 3 

(b)(4) EXEMPTION 4 ** 

(b)(5) EXEMPTION 5 ** 

(b)(6) EXEMPTION 6 ** 

CLASSIFIED SECRET MATTERS OF 

NATIONAL DEFENSE OR FOREIGN POLICY 

INTERNAL PERSONNEL RULES AND 

PRACTICES 

INFORMATION SPECIFICALLY EXEMPTED 

BY OTHER STATUTES 

TRADE SECRETS, COMMERCIAL OR 

FINANCIAL INFORMATION 

"Trade secrets and commercial or financial 

information obtained from a person and 

privileged or confidential." 

PRIVILEGED INTER-AGENCY OR INTRA· 

AGENCY MEMORANDA OR LETTERS 

(Predecisional, attorney-client privilege and 

attorney work-product privilege fall under this 

exemption.) "Inter-agency or intra-agency 

memoranda or letters which would not be 

available by law to a party other than an 

agency in litigation with the agency." 

PERSONAL INFORMATION AFFECTING AN 

INDIVIDUAL'S PRIVACY 

"Personnel and medical files and similar files 

disclosure of which would constitute a clearly 

unwarranted invasion of personal privacy." 

8-1 
(b){7) EXEMPTION 7 

(b)(8) EXEMPTION 8 

(b)(9) EXEMPTION 9 

** 

Page 2 of 2 

INVESTIGATORY RECORDS COMPILED 

FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT PURPOSES 

(See page 8-9 for a list of the six criteria for 

invoking this exemption) 

RECORDS OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS 

GEOGRAPHICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL 

INFORMATION CONCERNING WELLS 

•• Exemptions most often cited by OSM 

See following FOIA Exemption Checklist for additional guidance on 

reviewing documents. 

8-2 
Page 1 of 2 

FOIA EXEMPTION CHECKLIST 

Very often background information on documents that would justify withholding 

them is not provided when Headquarters receives the draft letter and 

enclosures. Please provide information to CIMS when documents being 

reviewed fall under one or more of the categories below. 

1. ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGED - Was the information provided to the 

Department's attorney with the intent that it would be held confidential? Has 

the information been kept confidential within OSM? 

2. ATTORNEY WORK-PRODUCT- Was the information prepared by or on 

behalf of the Department, in anticipation of future litigation? If prepared by 

OSM staff, was it prepared at the request of the Office of the Solicitor or 

Department of Justice? 

3. COMMERCIAL INFORMATION- Does the information relate to business 

or trade in which the submitter has a commercial interest? 

4. FINANCIAL INFORMATION - Is this information taken directly from the 

company's ledger? Is this a final audit summary or auditor's working papers? 

5. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION- Will release of the information cause 

harm to the competitive position of the company from whom the information 

was obtained, or impair the Government's ability to obtain similar information in 

the future? 

6. PERSONAL INFORMATION- Would release of the information be an 

unwarranted invasion of personal privacy? For example is there a social 

security number, home address or phone number? In documentation of 

complaints (letters and telephone logs), has the complainant requested 

confidentiality? If it is not clear whether the complainant has requested 

confidentiality, the complainant should be asked if he or she objects to their 

name being released. 

7. PHONE CONVERSATION RECORDS- Only information that is 

otherwise eligible to be withheld under a FOIA exemption may be withheld; e.g., 

identifiers of confidential complainants, privileged attorney-client 

communications, etc. Phone conversation records are not oer se withheld, if 

they have been circulated within the Agency, filed in Agency files, or otherwise 

used for official purposes. 

8-3 
Page 2 of 2 

8. PREDECISIONAL DOCUMENTS - (1) Has this document ever been 

released outside OSM to a non-Federal Government entity? If it has, in most 

cases, it should be released. (2) Is this document or section of document a 

final policy, or an opinion or recommendation? (3) If this document is not signed 

or dated, is it a final or draft document? 

9. PUBLIC FILES - If a document has been stored in files routinely and 

readily available to the public, such as reading-room files, in most cases the 

document should be released. 

10. PERSONAL FILES VS AGENCY FILES - Notes created solely for the 

convenience of the writer that are not required to be made by the writer as an 

official duty, and are not (a) shared with anyone, (b) kept in Agency files, or (c) 

used in an adverse action against the employee are not considered Agency 

records under the FOIA and are not subject to a FOIA response. 

8-4 
Page 1 of 5 

DOCUMENTS IN THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES ARE EXEMPT FROM 

FOIA DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS: 

Source: 5 U.S.C 552(b) or 43 CFR 2.13(c). 

Note: (FOIA exemptions (1),(8), and (9) are not normally applicable to 

OSM documents and are not included in this Appendix) 

Exemption Cb)(2) - (5 U.S.C 552CblC2U 

" •.• related solely to the Internal personnel rules and practices of an 

agency." 

NOTE: The courts have interpreted the exemption to encompass two 

distinct categories of information: 

a. Internal matters of a relatively trivial nature, and in which the public 

has no vested interest. 

b. More substantial internal matters the disclosure of which would allow 

circumvention of a statute or agency regulation, such as certain 

administrative manuals, performance ratings and lists of awards. 

Exemption CblC3) - (5 U.S.C 552Cb)(3)) 

" ..• specifically exempted from disclosure by statute." 

Its intent is to allow statutes which required or authorized the withholding of 

confidential information to remain unaffected by the disclosure mandate of the 

FOIA. 

This exemption applies to items such as: 

a. Information on archeological resources on public land and Indian 

land (pursuant to the Archeological Resources Protection Act of 

1979, 16 u.s.c 470). 

b. Information protected under sections 508(a)(12) and 508(b) of 

SMCRA. 

B-5 
Page 2 of 5 

c. Federal income tax return information protected under the I.R.S. 

Code, 26 U.S.C. 6103. 

Exemption (b)(4) • (5 u.s.c 552Cb){4)) 

" ... trade secrets and commercial or financial Information obtained from a 

person and privileged or confidential." 

This exemption is intended to protect both the interests of commercial entities 

that submit proprietary information to the Government, and the interests of the 

Government in receiving continued access to such data. 

Executive Order No. 12600 mandates that all agencies notify the submitter of 

commercial or financial information that may be confidential when their data is 

requested under FOIA, in order to obtain their position on disclosure. (43 CFR 

2.15(d)) (See illustration 4 of Appendix C). 

The exemption covers two broad categories of information in Federal agency 

records: 

a. Trade secrets which are considered to be: "A secret, 

commercially valuable plan, formula, process or device that is 

issued for the making, preparing, compounding or processing of 

trade commodities that can be said to be the end product of either 

innovation or substantial effort" (Public Citizen Health Research 

Group v. FDA, 704 F.2d 1280, 1288 (D.C. Cir. 1983)), and 

b. Information which is: 

(1) Commercial or financial: (Relating to business or trade, in 

which the submitter has a commercial interest), 

(2) Obtained from a person (not generated by the Federal 

Government), and 

(3) Privileged or confidential {disclosure of the information is 

likely to have either of the following effects: 

(a) impair the Government's ability to obtain similar information 

in the future; or 

B-6 
Page 3 of 5 

(b) cause substantial harm to the competitive position of the 

person from whom the information was obtained). 

Some Records That Are Releasable 

Best and final offer of the successful bidder (Without the unit costs). 

Total prices charged the Government -- What the Government pays for goods 

and services. 

Information already made available outside the Executive Branch of 

Government. (List of directors and officers of a company) 

Some Records That Should Be Withheld Under (b)(4) 

(Unless the Submitter Was Previously Informed That 

Release of the Information Is a Condition of Submitting ltl 

Work force data 

Technical designs 

Overhead and operating costs 

Information on financial 

condition 

Business sales information 

Direct or indirect ledger 

information 

Government contract information of 

unsuccessful bidders 

Exemption Cb\(5)- (5 U.S.C. 552(b)(5)) 

" .. .Inter-agency or Intra-agency memorandums or letters which would not 

be available by Jaw to a party other than an agency In litigation with the 

agency"; e.g., pre-decisional, confidential attorney-client communications, or 

attorney work-product. 

This is the exemption most frequently invoked by OSM. The three primary, 

most frequently invoked privileges which have been held to be incorporated into 

Exemption (b)(5) are: 

a. The pre-decisional privilege, also known as the "executive privilege• 

on documents generated within the Executive Branch. These documents 

include advice, opinions, or recommendations (not strictly factual data) 

which are antecedent to the adoption of an official Agency policy. 

Pre-decisional documents may include drafts, discussions of proposed 

policy, requests for analysis, advisory opinions, notes commenting on a 

pre-decisional document, and consultant reports that interpret technical 

data and have not been adopted by the Agency. 

B-7 
Page 4 of 5 

Documents not generally considered pre-decisional are: (1) A predecisional document (or portions of the document) adopted or 

incorporated verbatim into a final decision, (2) factual portions of 

otherwise deliberative documents and (3) documents available or 

previously released outside the Executive Branch. 

b. Attorney work-product privilege protects documents and other 

memoranda prepared by an attorney in contemplation of actual litigation; 

or by staff at the request of an attorney in contemplation of litigation. 

c. Attorney-client privilege is not limited to the context of litigation as is 

the work-product privilege. It applies to confidential facts divulged by 

OSM or the Department as client to Office of the Solicitor or Department 

of Justice as attorney; and it also encompasses opinions given by the 

Office of the Solicitor or Department of Justice to OSM for the Department 

based upon those facts. 

NOTE: The D.C. Court of Appeals has held that in order for an attorneyclient communication to be withheld from disclosure under FOIA, not 

only must the advice be sought and given with the expectation that it 

would be kept confidential, but the agency must thereafter protect its 

confidentiality by giving it only to those who are authorized to speak 

or act for the agency with respect to the subject matter. (Coastal 

States Gas Corporation. v. Department of Energy. 617 F. 2d854 (D.C. 

Cir. 1980); Mead Data Central. Inc. v. Dept. of Air Force, 566 

F.2d242 (D.C. Cir. 1977). 

Exemption Cb)(6) - (5 U.S.C 552(b)(6)) 

" ... personnel and medical flies and similar flies the disclosure of which 

would constitute a clearly unwarranted Invasion of personal privacy." 

To warrant protection, the information (1) must fall within the category of 

personnel, medical, and similar files (applies to any file or document which 

pertains to a specifically identifiable individual and contains information that is 

personal) ; and (2) must involve a privacy interest. Also to be considered is 

the degree of public interest involved (vs. the requester's personal interest in 

the matter). The benefit to the public by revealing information about 

Government programs and activities must be weighed against the potential 

harm to the individual about whom information is sought. 

B-8 
Page 5 of 5 

A third party request for information on another individual should alert the 

reviewer to a possible (b)(6) exemption. Exemption {b)(6) information can be 

released with the prior written consent of the individual (who is the subject of 

the record). · 

SEE FOLLOWING PAGES FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PRIVACY 

PROTECTION AND LISTS OF WITHHELD DOCUMENTS. 

Exemption Cb)(7)- C5 U.S.C 552Cb)(7)} 

" .• .Investigatory records complied for law enforcement purposes, but only 

to the extent that production of such records would ... " cause one of the 

following six harms: 

(b)(7)(A) Could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement 

proceedings (Cite 5 U.S.C 552(b)(7)(A)). 

(b)(7)(B) Would deprive a person of a right to a fair trial or an impartial 

adjudication (Cite 5 U.S.C 552(b)(7)(B)). 

(b)(7)(C) Could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted 

invasion of personal privacy (Cite 5 U.S.C 552(b)(7)(C)). 

(b)(7)(D) Could reasonably be expected to disclose the identity of a 

confidential source (Cite 5 U.S.C 552(b)(7)(D)). 

(b)(7)(E) Would disclose techniques and procedures for law enforcement 

investigations or prosecutions (Cite 5 U.S.C 552(b)(7)(E)). 

(b)(7)(F) Could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical 

safety of any individual (Cite 5 U.S.C 552(b)(7)(F)). 

Use the appropriate citation above for whichever situation (or situations) apply. 

NOTE: Investigatory documents originated by another agency or 

Department (for example, the Office of the Inspector General) should be 

sent to that agency for appropriate review, as well as a copy of the 

response to the requester, and the FOIA requester should be notified of 

that action and what office will be contacting him following that review. 

B-9 
Page 1 of 2 

PRIVACY PROTECTED INFORMATION 

5 U.S.C. 552(b)(6) and 5 U.S. C. 552(b)(7)(C) are the FOIA exemptions 

most often used to withhold documents for privacy considerations. 

The Balanclna Test: 

Some privacy interest must be found. 

Determine if there is a qualifying public interest. 

(How does release shed light on the Agency's performance of its 

statutory duties?) 

Balance the privacy interest against the public interest. 

What adverse effects would there be from release or withholding? 

Was there permission given by the individual to allow another to 

review his files? 

Some Privacy Protected Information 

Age 

Administrative actions 

Allegations of misconduct 

Background investigations 

Censured employees 

Citizen complaints under 

SMCRA when complainant 

requests it 

Credit card numbers 

Educational background (not 

related to current job 

position 

Employee complaints against 

supervisors 

Experience not directly related 

to the position held 

Financial statements 

HeaHh/insurance benefits 

Home addresses & phone numbers 

Letters of reprimand & suspensions 

Mailing lists of employees 

Marital status 

Medical files 

Payroll information (deductions, etc.) 

Performance evaluations 

Personal misconduct (not job related) 

Place & date of birth 

School grades 

Social security number 

B-10 
Page 2 of 2 

Information Typically Releasable 

Annual salary rates 

Award amounts 

Factors for ranking job 

applicants 

Federal employees involved 

in union activities during 

work hours 

FOIA requesters' identities 

Names of present & former 

employees 

Performance standards 

Position descriptions 

Present and past grades 

Present and past position titles 

Present and past duty stations 

Professional awards & honors 

Sanitized travel vouchers & invoices 

("sanitized" meaning that home 

addresses, phone numbers & other 

privacy protected information is 

removed) 

Successful candidates (with "sanitized" 

SF 171's) 

B-11 
Page 1 of 2 

COMPARISON OF THE 

FOIA AND PRIVACY ACT 

The FOIA is an access statute. 

Federal records and documents 

including some information subject 

to the Privacy Act. 

To open most Government records 

to public scrutiny. 

PRIVACY ACT 

The Privacy Act is a records 

management statute. 

Scope 

Information about individuals contained 

in records that are retrieved by 

personal identifiers from systems of 

records. 

Purpose 

To protect sensitive Government 

records about individuals from public 

scrutiny; 

To enable people to know what 

information about them exists and to 

correct it, if in error; 

To restrict collection and disclosure of 

personal information; 

To prevent the existence of secret 

Government record systems and secret 

use of Government records about 

people; 

To maintain Government records about 

people in a secure and accurate 

manner. 

B-12 
Page 2 of 2 

Aaency Response 

Information is required to be 

released unless it falls within 

one of nine discretionary 

exemptions (see pg. B-1 of 

directive). 

To withhold a document in 

response to a person's request 

for his own records, both a 

Privacy Act exemption and a 

FOIA exemption have to be cited. 

Subject individuals have the right 

to see and amend their own records; 

some systems are exempt from access 

by the subject individual; access to 

medical records may be conditional; 

disclosure to third parties is 

prohibited except under 12 exemptions. 

One is when required under FOIA to 

be made public. 

When a third party submits a FOIA request for information subject to the 

Privacy Act and the information is not required to be released under the FOIA, 

the material may not be disclosed without the prior written approval of the 

individual on whom the record is maintained. 

See the Privacy Act directive (ADS-1) for more Information on the Privacy 

Act. 

B-13 
APPENDIX C 

Table of Contents 

Sample Topic Page# 

Illustration 1 Clarification of a Vague or Overly Broad 

Request.. .............................................................. C-1 

Illustration 2 Referral of a FOIA Request to Another Agency 

(Letter to the Requester) ..................................... C-2 

Illustration 3 Referral of a FOIA Request to Another Agency 

(Letter to the Agency) .......................................... C-3 

Illustration 4 Request to Submitter of Commercial (b)(4) 

Information ........................................................... C-4 

Illustration 5 Letter to Requester of Commercial (b)(4) 

Information ........................................................... C-6 

Illustration 6 Assurance of Payment (Letter to Requester) ..... C-7 

Illustration 7 Fee Waiver Clarification ...................................... C-9 

Illustration 8 Extension of 1 0-Day Time Limit... ....................... C-11 

Illustration 9 Delay in Processing Request (When Response 

Exceeds 20-day Limit) ......................................... C-13 

Illustration 1 0 Costs Exceeding $250 ......................................... C-15 

Illustration 11 Referral of Records to Another Agency for 

Review and Direct Response .............................. C-17 

Illustration 12 Denial of All Records (or Denial of Some 

Records, or Parts of Records) ............................. C-18 

Illustration 13 Records Cannot be Located ................................ C-22 

Illustration 14 A New Computer Document Too Costly 

to Program ........................................................... C-23 
Illustration 15 

Illustration 16 

Fees Under $15 ................................................... C-24 

Release of All Records ........................................ C-26 
SAMPLE LEITER 

APPENDIX C 

Illustration 1 

CLARIFICATION OF A VAGUE OR OVERLY BROAD REQUEST 

(ADDRESS) 

Dear ___ , 

This is in regard to your Freedom of Information Act request of (date of 

request) . You requested information concerning (subject) 

Because of the broad and general nature of the description of requested 

information, we are unable to identify which records are being sought. Under 

Departmental regulations, 43 CFR 2.14(b)(2), the requester must describe the 

records in sufficient detail to enable an employee familiar with the subject area 

of the request to locate them with a reasonable amount of effort. Your request 

does not meet this requirement. 

Please be more specific concerning the type of documents you are requesting. 

In addition, if such information is available, please state the date, title or name, 

author, recipient, and subject matter of the record. Moreover, the geographical 

location and time frame for which you are seeking records have not been 

defined. It is unclear whether your request covers only records in this field 

installation or other Agency offices. 

We will not proceed further with your request until we receive additional 

clarification from you. If you have any questions, please contact <name & 

telephone number) 

Sincerely, 

(NAME) 

Freedom of Information 

Act Officer 

(OR FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR OR SUPPORT CENTER AD SIGNS IF FIELD 

OFFICE OR SUPPORT CENTER HAS ACTION) 

(THE 1o-DAY RESPONSE PERIOD WILL NOT BEGIN UNTIL OSM 

RECEIVES THE FOIA REQUESTER'S REPLY TO THESE QUESTIONS). 

C-1 
SAMPLE LETTER 

APPENDIX C 

Illustration 2 

REFERRAL OF A FOIA REQUEST TO ANOTHER AGENCY OR BUREAU 

(Letter to the Requester) 

(ADDRESS) 

Dear __ 

This is in regard to your Freedom of Information Act request of (date of 

request) . You requested documents concerning (subject) 

We have determined that the records described in your letter may be located at 

<name office) in the Department of the Interior. Therefore, we have 

forwarded your request to that office, which will provide you with a direct 

response. If you wish to contact them, the mailing address is: 

(Name) 

FOIA Coordinator 

(Office) 

(Address) 

(Telephone Number) 

Should you have any further questions, please contact me at (telephone #l . 

Sincerely, 

(NAME) 

Freedom of Information 

Act Officer 

C-2 
SAMPLE LEITER 

APPENDIX C 

IIIIJ!Itrlltl()rt :i 

REFERRAL OF A FOIA REQUEST TO ANOTHER AGENCY OR BUREAU 

(Letter t() the Bureau) 

(NAME) 

FOIA Coordinator 

(ADDRESS) 

Dear __ _ 

Enclosed is a Freedom of Information Act request from !name) that your 

agency may be able to answer. We have advised !name) that a response 

will be provided directly from your office. 

Enclosure 

Sincerely, 

(NAME) 

Freedom of Information 

Act Officer 

C-3 
SAMPLE LETTER 

APPENDIX C 

IIIIJ!ItrlltiC111 4 

Page 1 of 2 

REQUEST TO SUBMITTER OF COMMERCIAL (b)(4) INFORMATION 

(ADDRESS) 

Dear ___ _ 

This is in regard to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from 

(name of requester> dated (date of request) , requesting 

documents concerning (subject) (letter enclosed). 

To assist us in determining whether data should be released, we request your 

firm's views on which items if any, are protected from disclosure under FOIA 

Exemption 4, 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4). Enclosure A lists the documents which are 

responsive to (name of requester) FOIA request for your review. If you 

recommend that items or portions of items be withheld, please provide us with 

the following: 

(1) The data to be withheld and the basis on which the information is 

exempt under the FOIA; 

(2) A detailed explanation of how disclosure would be competitively 

harmful to your company; and 

(3) A statement that the information is confidential, has not been 

disclosed to the public by your company, and is not routinely 

available to the public from other sources. 

Please provide us with your comments within 10 business days from the date of 

receipt of this letter. If you have any questions, please contact (name & 

telephone# 

Enclosures 

Sincerely, 

(NAME) 

Freedom of Information 

Act Officer 

(OR FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR OR SUPPORT CENTER AD SIGNS IF THE 

FIELD OFFICE OR SUPPORT CENTER HAS ACTION) 

C-4 
APPENDIX C 

Illustration 4 

Page 2 of 2 

(A LETTER NOTIFYING THE FOIA REQUESTER OF A DELAY BECAUSE 

OF THE SUBMITTER'S PENDING REVIEW SHOULD ALSO BE SENT. (SEE 

ILLUSTRATION 5) 

(RESPONSE SHOULD BE SENT CERTIFIED MAIL, RETURN RECEIPT 

REQUESTED) 

C-5 
SAMPLE LETTER 

APPENDIX C 

Illustration 5 

LETTER TO REQUESTER OF COMMERCIAL (b)(4) INFORMATION 

(ADDRESS) 

Dear ___ _ 

This is in regard to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request of 

(date of request) . You requested <subject) 

In accordance with 43 CFR 2.15(d), we are allowing (name of company) 

10 business days to provide comments as to whether the documents you 

requested should be considered as confidential commercial and financial 

information. 

We expect to complete our response to you by (date) 

You have the right to treat this delay as a denial of your request. You may 

appeal this matter by writing to: The Freedom of Information Act Appeals 

Officer, Office of the Assistant Secretary - Policy, Management and Budget, 

U.S. Department of the Interior, MS-5412, MIB, Washington, D.C. 20240. A 

copy of your initial request should accompany the appeal. The appeal should 

be marked "FREEDOM OF INFORMATION APPEAL" both on the envelope and 

the face of the letter and it must be received no later than 20 workdays after 

the date of this letter. We hope, however, that you will defer action until a 

decision has been reached on your initial request. 

We regret the delay and appreciate your consideration in this matter. Should 

you have any additional questions, you can contact me on (202) 208-2562. 

Sincerely, 

(NAME) 

Freedom of Information 

Act Officer 

(RESPONSE SHOULD BE SENT CERTIFIED MAIL, RETURN RECEIPT 

REQUESTED) 

C-6 
(ADDRESS) 

Dear __ _ 

SAMPLE LETIER 

ASSURANCE OF PAYMENT 

(Letter to Requester) 

APPENDIX C 

IIIIJ!ItrlltiCin Ei 

Page 1 of 2 

This is in regard to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request of 

(date of request) . concerning (subject) 

In your request, you did not indicate that you were willing to pay fees for the 

information you requested. The following is an estimate of costs for producing 

the information you requested in your FOIA request: 

(SEE APPENDIX D FOR FEE CATEGORIES OF REQUESTERS, AND 

APPLICABLE CHARGES) 

Total No. of Units Unit Charges Amount 

Document Search Time: 

Clerical 

Professional 

Duplication: 

2 $ 9.20/hr. 

10 $18.60/hr. 

(The first 2 hrs. are not charged) 

20 pages $ .13/page 

(The first 1 00 pgs. are not charged) 

$ 18.40 

148.80 

0 

Total $167.20 

C-7 
APPENDIX C 

Illustration 6 

Page 2 of 2 

Prepayment is not requested at this time, however, please furnish written 

assurance of your willingness to pay the full amount for the documents to 

{insert name of individual and address where assurance should be 

sent> . You may wish to modify your request to reduce the fee at this time. 

We will not start processing your request until this written assurance has been 

received. 

Sincerely, 

(NAME) 

Freedom of Information 

Act Officer 

(OR FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR OR SUPPORT CENTER AD SIGNS IF FIELD 

OFFICE OR SUPPORT CENTER HAS ACTION) 

(THE FIRST 10 DAYS REQUIRED FOR RESPONSE WILL BEGIN ONCE THE 

FEE ISSUE IS RESOLVED) 

C-8 
(ADDRESS) 

Dear __ ____.. 

SAMPLE LEITER 

FEE WAIVER CLARIFICATION 

APPENDIX C 

Illustration 7 

Page 1 of 2 

This is in response to your Freedom of Information Act request of 

(date of request> . You requested information concerning 

Csubjectl 

In your letter you also sought a fee waiver. Before we grant a waiver, we must 

determine whether your request meets the twofold objectives for fee waivers 

established by the Department of Justice; that is, whether disclosure of the 

information is in the public interest because it: 

(1) Is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the 

operations or activities of the Government; and 

(2) Is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester (43 CFR 

2.21 (a)). 

Before we make a decision on your request for a fee waiver, we ask that you 

provide information in response to the following questions so that we can 

determine if granting the waiver or a reduction in fees is in the public interest: 

(1) In what way does the record requested concern the operations or 

activities of the Government? 

** (2) Is disclosure likely to contribute to public understanding of these 

operations and activities, and in what way do you have the knowledge 

and ability to disseminate the information to the public effectively? 

(3) Is the requested information already available to the public? [Waiver 

is inappropriate for information already publicly available], and 

(4) Is there a commercial interest that would be furthered if the 

information were disclosed? 

**Typically, OSM already knows the answer to this question and does 

not ask lt. 

C-9 
APPENDIX C 

Illustration 7 

Page 2 of 2 

Our initial estimate of fees for processing your request will be the following: 

(SEE APPENDIX D FOR FEE CATEGORIES OF REQUESTERS, AND 

APPLICABLE CHARGES) 

Total 

No. of Units Unit Charges Amount 

Document Search Time: 

Clerical 1 0 hrs. @ $9.20 hr. $92.00 

Professional or 

Managerial 

Duplication: 

12 hrs. @ $18.60 hr. 186.00 

(The first 2 hrs. are not charged) 

600 pages @ $ .13/page 65.00 

(The first 100 pgs. are not charged) 

Total $343.00 

If we determine from your response that a fee waiver is not justifiable, we will 

request that you prepay 80 percent of the above estimated costs before we 

continue with your response (43 CFR 2.20(h)), and by separate letter, we will 

send you a confirming invoice formally billing you for the amount and indicating 

where your payment should be forwarded. 

Sincerely, 

(NAME) 

Freedom of Information 

Act Officer 

(OR FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR OR SUPPORT CENTER AD SIGNS IF FIELD 

OFFICE OR SUPPORT CENTER HAS ACTION) 

THE FIRST 10 DAYS REQUIRED FOR RESPONSE WILL BEGIN ONCE THE 

FEE WAIVER ISSUE IS RESOLVED 

C-10 
(ADDRESS) 

Dear __ _ 

SAMPLE LETTER 

EXTENSION OF 10-DAY TIME LIMIT 

APPENDIX C 

Illustration 8 

Page 1 of 2 

This is in regard to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request dated 

(date of request) . You requested documents concerning 

(subject) 

CUSE THE FOLLOWING LANGUAGE FOR THE CIRCUMSTANCE THAT 

APPLIES): 

I. "Since we must search for and collect documents from offices other than 

the office processing the request, we are availing ourselves of the 10 

working day extension of response time provided in the Department of 

the Interior FOIA regulations (43 CFR 2.17(c)(1 ))." 

II. "Since we must search for and collect voluminous documents, we are 

availing ourselves of the 10 working day extension of response time 

provided in the Department of the Interior FOIA regulations (43 CFR 

2.17(c)(2))." 

Ill. "Since we must coordinate and consult with our Field Office personnel 

[or Solicitor's Office] [or Agency heads], we are availing ourselves of the 

10 working day extension of response time provided in the Department 

of the Interior FOIA regulations (43 CFR 2.17(c)(3)). • 

C-11 
APPENDIX C 

Illustration 8 

Page 2 of 2 

We will send a final reply to you on or before (10 WORKING DAYS 

FOLLOWING THE FIRST DUE DATE>. 

Sincerely, 

(NAME) 

Freedom of Information 

Act Officer 

(OR FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR OR SUPPORT CENTER AD WILL 

SIGN IF FIELD OFFICE OR SUPPORT CENTER HAS ACTION) 

(THE NEW DUE DATE WILL BE COUNTED FROM THE LAST DAY OF 

THE FIRST DUE DATE PERIOD) 

(ONLY ONE 10-DAY EXTENSION IS ALLOWED UNDER THE FOIAACTION OFFICES WILL HAVE TO PREPARE A DELAY LETTER IF A 

RESPONSE CANNOT BE MADE WITHIN 20 DAYS OF THE RECEIPT 

OF THE FOIA REQUEST) 

C-12 
(ADDRESS) 

Dear __ _ 

SAMPLE LETTER 

APPENDIX C 

Illustration 9 

Page 1 of 2 

DELAY IN PROCESSING REQUEST 

(When response exceeds the 20-day limit) 

This is in regard to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request of (date of 

request) . You requested <subject) 

(SELECT ONE OF THE APPROPRIATE PARAGRAPHCS) BELOW): 

Because of the voluminous records that may be responsive to 

your request, additional time is necessary to enable us to 

determine which records or portions thereof should be provided. 

Accordingly, we anticipate a delay in providing you with our final 

response. 

II The requested documents have been retired to a Federal records 

center. We have asked that they be returned to us and will advise 

you when the material becomes available. 

Ill The records you requested are located at a number of our field 

offices and at headquarters. The <name of responsible office) will 

be coordinating the response since that office has jurisdiction over 

these records. As a result, we will need additional time to search 

for, collect, and review the material. 

IV In accordance with 43 CFR 2.15(d), we are required to notify the 

submitter of material containing commercial and financial 

information when we receive a FOIA request for that material. 

The submitter has taken longer than anticipated to review the 

material. We expect to hear from them by (estimated date) and 

our response to your request will be forthcoming. 

We expect to complete our response to you by _...~c~sp..,e.,.c:!:.ifv~da~t~e)L--_· 

C-13 
APPENDIX C 

Illustration 9 

Page 2 of 2 

You have the right to treat this delay as a denial of your request. You may 

appeal this matter by writing to: The Freedom of Information Act Appeals 

Officer, Office of the Assistant Secretary- Policy, Management and Budget, 

U.S. Department of the Interior, MS-5412, MIB, Washington, D.C. 20240. A 

copy of your initial request should accompany the appeal. The appeal should 

be marked "FREEDOM OF INFORMATION APPEAL" both on the envelope and 

the face of the letter and it must be received no later than 20 workdays after 

the date of this letter. We hope, however, that you will defer action until a 

decision has been reached on your initial request. 

We regret the delay and appreciate your consideration in this matter. Should 

you have any additional questions, please contact (name and telephone 

number) 

Sincerely, 

(NAME) 

Freedom of Information 

Act Officer 

(OR FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR OR SUPPORT CENTER AD SIGNS IF FIELD 

OFFICE OR SUPPORT CENTER HAS ACTION) 

(RESPONSE SHOULD BE SENT CERTIFIED MAIL, RETURN RESPONSE 

REQUESTED) 

C-14 
(ADDRESS) 

Dear Mr. __ 

SAMPLE LEITER 

COSTS EXCEEDING $250 

APPENDIX C 

Illustration 10 

Page 1 of 2 

This letter is in response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request 

dated (date of request> , in which you requested (subject) 

We estimate that the fees to provide the requested information are as follows: 

(SEE APPENDIX D FOR FEE CATEGORIES OF REQUESTERS, AND 

CHARGES) 

Total No. of Units Unit Charae Amount 

Search Time: 

Professional 19 hours $18.60/hr. $316.20 

(The first 2 hrs. of search time are not charged) 

Clerical 3 hours 9.20/hr. 27.60 

Duplication: 243 pages $ .13/pg. 

(The first 100 pages are not charged) 

18.59 

Total $362.39 

Your FOIA request did not indicate whether or not you would be willing to pay 

fees. In accordance with 43 CFR 2.20(g), this letter is to inform you of the 

estimated costs. Once we have been notified of your willingness to pay fees, 

we will proceed with your request. 

C-15 
APPENDIX C 

Illustration 10 

Page 2 of 2 

In accordance with 43 CFR 2.20(h)(1 ), where it is anticipated that allowable 

fees are likely to exceed $250 and the requester does not have a history of 

prompt payment of FOIA fees, OSM may require the requester to make an 

advance payment. Once we have been notified by you that you are willing to 

pay the above costs, and that you authorize OSM to proceed with your request, 

we will send you a confirming invoice formally billing you for 80 percent of the 

above estimated charges, and indicating where your payment should be 

forwarded. 

cc: Chief, Programmatic Accounting 

Sincerely, 

(NAME) 

Freedom of Information 

Act Officer 

(OR FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR OR SUPPORT CENTER AD SIGNS IF FIELD 

OFFICE OR SUPPORT CENTER HAS ACTION) 

(PROCESSING OF THE REQUEST WILL BEGIN WHEN THE ADVANCED 

PAYMENT IS MADE) 

C-16 
SAMPLE LETTER 

APPENDIX C 

Illustration 11 

REFERRAL OF RECORDS TO ANOTHER AGENCY FOR REVIEW 

AND DIRECT RESPONSE 

(NAME) 

FOIA Coordinator 

(ADDRESS) 

Dear __ _ 

While processing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from (name) , 

dated (date) , the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement 

located three documents that originated in your agency. The three documents 

are: [Describe documents or list on a separate enclosure]. 

Enclosed are copies of those documents. We have advised (name of 

requester) that they will receive a direct FOIA response from your office. 

Enclosures 

Sincerely, 

(NAME) 

Freedom of Information 

Act Officer 

(OR FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR OR SUPPORT CENTER AD SIGNS IF THE 

FIELD OFFICE OR SUPPORT CENTER HAS ACTION) 

(ADVISE THE FOIA REQUESTER IN YOUR RESPONSE WHICH 

DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN SENT TO WHAT AGENCY OR DEPARTMENT 

FOR REVIEW) 

C-17 
SAMPLE LEITER 

DENIAL OF ALL RECORDS 

APPENDIX C 

Illustration 12 

Page 1 of 4 

(OR DENIAL OF SOME RECORDS, OR PARTS OF RECORDS) 

(ADDRESS) 

Dear ___ , 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information Act request of (date of 

request) . You requested information concerning (subject) 

Enclosure A lists the documents we are releasing in response to your request. 

Enclosure B lists the documents we are withholding, with the reasons cited. 

You may appeal the [partial denial] denial of your request to the Assistant 

Secretary of the Interior for Policy, Management and Budget under 43 CFR 

2.18 by writing to: Freedom of Information Act Appeals Officer, Office of the 

Assistant Secretary, PMB, U.S. Department of the Interior, MS-5412, MIB, 

Washington, D.C. 20240. Your appeal must be received within 20 work days 

(Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays excepted) of your receipt of this letter. 

Your appeal letter, with the legend FREEDOM OF INFORMATION APPEAL, 

must be accompanied by copies of the original request and this initial denial. In 

order to expedite the appellate process and insure full consideration of your 

appeal, your appeal letter should contain a brief statement of the reasons why 

you believe this initial decision to be in error. 

The officials responsible for the [partial denial] denial of your request are 

James C. Blankenship, Jr., Director, Charleston Field Office, Office of Surface 

Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM); Joan F. Shaw, Freedom of 

Information Act Officer, OSM; and Cheryl Sylvester, Staff Attorney, Branch of 

Regulatory Programs, Division of Surface Mining. 

C-18 
APPENDIX C 

Illustration 12 

Page 2 of 4 

The fees for providing this information are as follows: 

(SEE APPENDIX D FOR FEE CATEGORIES OF REQUESTERS, AND 

CHARGES) 

Total No. of Units Unit Charaes Amount 

Document Search Time: 

Professional 45 min. $18.60/hr. 0 

(The first 2 hrs. are not charged) 

Duplication: 365 pages $ .13/pg. $34.45 

(The first 100 pgs. are not charged} 

Total $34.45 

A confirming invoice formally billing you for the amount and indicating where 

your payment should be forwarded will be sent by separate letter. 

Enclosures 

cc: Chief, Programmatic Aocounting 

Sincerely, 

(NAME) 

Freedom of Information 

Act Officer 

(THE FOIA OFFICER SIGNS ALL DENIAL AND PARTIAL DENIAL FOIA 

RESPONSES) 

(RESPONSE SHOULD BE SENT CERTIFIED MAIL, RETURN RECEIPT 

REQUESTED) 

C-19 
Enclosure A 

APPENDIX C 

Illustration 12 

Page 3 of 4 

List of documents being released: 

(NOTE - DOCUMENTS SHOULD BE MARKED WITH CORRESPONDING 

NUMBER OR OTHER IDENTIFIER IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER 

AND DOCUMENTS SHOULD BE LISTED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER) 

A-1. 

A-2. 

A-3. 

A-4. 

A-5. 

A-6. 

A-7. 

A-8. 

A-9. 

A-10. 

Date Subject 

09/14187 

06/24188 

07/06/88 

09/02/88 

09/30/88 

10/03/88 

02/08/89 

02/09/89 

02/09/89 

05/26/89 

Letter to Seabolt from Workman concerning a 

determination of VER. 

Letter to "Boyles from Helmick on a request for a 

permit to mine. 

Letter to Helmick from Blankenship re permit to 

mine. 

Portion of legal documents from Helmick on the deed 

for the property. (See item B-1 of withheld list) 

Memo to Goodwin from Blankenship on a VER 

determination. 

Letter to Helmick from Blankenship regarding 

forwarding VER request. 

Conversation Record - Morton Dean and Boyles on 

MSHA decision of Seabolt's mine. 

Portions of a letter to Boyles from Park on a drill log. 

(See item B-2 of withheld list) 

Letter to Seabolt from Krese on the roof-control plan. 

Letter to Helmick from Blankenship on VER 

determination. 

C-20 
Enclosure B 

APPENDIX C 

Illustration 12 

Page 4 of 4 

Below are the documents being withheld for the reasons cited: 

(A LEGEND SUCH AS THE ONE FOLLOWING MAY BE USED WHEN A 

CITATION IS FREQUENTLY USED): 

Legend: 

(b)(5) = 

B-1. 

B-2. 

5 U.S.C 552(b)(5): "Inter-agency or intra-agency memorandums 

or letters which would not be available by law to a party other than 

an agency in litigation with the agency." 

Date Subject 

09/02/88 

02/09/89 

Portion of legal documents from Helmick on the deed 

for the property. Handwritten description of 

distribution withheld under (b)(5), as pre-decisional. 

(See #4 of release list.) 

Portions of a letter to Boyles from Park on a drill log. 

Drill log reports exempt under 5 U.S.C 552(b)(4) as 

commercial or financial information obtained from a 

person and privileged or confidential. (See #8 of 

release list.) 

C-21 
(ADDRESS) 

Dear __ . 

SAMPLE LETTER 

RECORDS CANNOT BE LOCATED 

APPENDIX C 

Illustration 13 

This is in regard to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request of (date 

of request) . You requested records concerning !subject) We 

have reviewed our files and have been unable to locate any records responsive 

to your request. , 

Under 43 CFR 2.14(c), the Agency is not required to create or compile a record 

to respond to a FOIA request. The Act applies only to records in existence at 

the time the request is made. 

Under 43 CFR 2.18, you may appeal this response by writing to the Freedom of 

Information Act Appeals Officer, Office of the Assistant Secretary- Policy, 

Management and Budget, U.S. Department of the Interior, MS - 5412, MIB, 

Washington, D.C. 20240. Your appeal must be received no later than 20 

workdays after the date of this letter. The appeal should be marked, both on 

the envelope and the face of the appeal letter, with the legend "FREEDOM OF 

INFORMATION APPEAL" Your appeal should be accompanied by a copy of 

your original request and this letter, along with any information you have which 

leads you to believe the records do in fact exist, including where they might be 

found, if the location is known to you. 

Sincerely, 

(NAME) 

Freedom of Information 

Act Officer 

(OR FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR OR SUPPORT CENTER AD SIGNS IF THE 

FIELD OFFICE OR SUPPORT CENTER HAS ACTION) 

(RESPONSE SHOULD BE SENT CERTIFIED MAIL, RETURN RECEIPT 

REQUESTED) 

C-22 
SAMPLE LETIER 

APPENDIX C 

Illustration 14 

A NEW COMPUTER DOCUMENT TOO COSTLY TO PROGRAM 

(ADDRESS) 

Dear __ _ 

This letter is in response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request of 

(date of request) . You requested ApplicanWiolator System (AVS) 

information containing: the name of every corporation or person that violated 

Federal laws and/or regulations as they pertain to the Office of Surface Mining 

Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), the law and/or regulation that was 

violated for each violation incident, the assessed penalty or settlement, and the 

date at which the enforcement action was completed. 

After consultation with the AVS contractor who provides programming services 

for the AVS system, OSM has determined that significant and costly 

reprogramming would be required to compile, retrieve, and process the data 

responsive to your FOIA request. Under FOIA, an agency is not required to 

create a computer program to retrieve data not already so compiled for agency 

purposes. Clarke v. Department of the Treasurv, Civil No. 84-1873, slip op. at 

2-3, (E.D. Pa., Jan. 24, 1986). OSM would not otherwise do the necessary 

reprogramming, and OSM has no use for the resulting compilation and format 

that would justify the cost of the reprogramming to create the document you 

have requested. Therefore, under FOIA, OSM is not required to prepare and 

provide the information you requested, as the document you requested does 

not exist. 

Should you have questions concerning this response or choose to make any 

changes to your original request, please contact me at (202) 208-2562. 

Sincerely, 

(NAME) 

Freedom of Information 

Act Officer 

(OR FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR OR SUPPORT CENTER AD SIGNS IF FIELD 

OFFICE OR SUPPORT CENTER HAS ACTION) 

C-23 
(ADDRESS) 

Dear __ . 

SAMPLE LETTER 

FEES UNDER $15 

APPENDIX C 

Illustration 15 

Page 1 of 2 

(and releasing all documents) 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information Act request of (date of 

request) . You requested information concerning (subject) 

Enclosure A lists the documents which we are providing in response to your 

request. Fees for providing these documents are less than $15 and are not 

being charged in accordance with 43 CFR 2.20(a)(2). 

Enclosures 

Sincerely, 

(NAME) 

Freedom of Information 

Act Officer 

(OR FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR OR SUPPORT CENTER AD) 

C-24 
A-1. 

A-2. 

Enclosure A 

APPENDIX C 

Illustration 15 

Page 2 of 2 

DATE SUBJECT 

08/23/88 

12/16/87 

Site Monitoring Program, Emergency Action Plan and 

Evacuation Procedures - River Hurricane Coal 

Company, Mine No. 1 Outcrop Area Anderson 

Hollow. 

Outcrop Barrier Stability Investigation for River 

Hurricane Coal Company, Mine No. 1 in the Lower 

Elkhorn Seam on Anderson Hollow. 

C-25 
(ADDRESS) 

Dear __ _ 

APPENDIX C 

Illustration 16 

SAMPLE LETTER 

RELEASE OF ALL RECORDS 

(with fees over $15) 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information Act Request of (date of request) 

----'· You requested information concerning (subject) 

Enclosure A lists the documents we are releasing in response to your request. 

The fee charges for providing this information are as follows: 

(SEE APPENDIX D FOR FEE CATEGORIES OF REQUESTERS AND 

CHARGES) 

Total No. of Units Unit Charges Amount 

Document Search Time: 

Professional 45 min. $18.60/hour 0 

(The first 2 hrs. are not charged) 

Duplication: 365 pages $ .13/page $34.45 

(The first 100 pages are not charged) 

Total $34.45 

A confirming invoice formally billing you for the amount and indicating where 

your payment should be forwarded will be sent by separate letter. 

Enclosures 

cc: Chief, Programmatic Accounting 

Sincerely, 

(NAME) 

Freedom of Information 

Act Officer 

C-26 
APPENDIX D 

Table of Contents 

Categories of Requests and Calculating Fee 

Charges ......................................................... Page D-1 

Commercial Use Requests .............................. Page D-1 

Educational and Noncommercial 

Scientific Institution ........................................ Page D-2 

News Media Requests..................................... Page D-2 

Other Requests .......... ~ ..................................... Page D-2 

Computerized Records .................................... Page D-3 

Form to Estimate Fees .................................... Page D-5 
APPENDIX D 

Page 1 of 4 

CATEGORIES OF REQUESTS AND 

CALCULATING FEE CHARGES 

Note: The Department's FOIA regulations provide that we charge different fees 

according to the category of the request. The different categories are: 

Commercial use requests, educational and noncommercial scientific institution 

requests, news media requests and other requests (See 43 CFR 2.20(b) to (e)) 

for further explanations of each category). Paragraphs I. through V. of 

Appendix D provide examples of fee charges applicable to each category of 

request. 

For fees which are under $15, see Appendix C, Illustration 15. 

For fees which exceed $250, see Appendix C, Illustration 10. 

For fees for computerized records, see Appendix D, Paragraph V. 

For fee waivers, see Appendix C, Illustration 7. 

I. Commercial Use Requests: 

Total Total 

No. of Units Unit Charges Amount 

Document Search Time: 

Clerical 00 hrs. @ $ 9.20/hr. * $0000 

Professional or 

Managerial 00 hrs. @ $18.60/hr. * 0000 

Document Review Time: 

Clerical 00 hrs. @ $ 9.20/hr. * 0000 

Professional or 

Managerial 00 hrs. @ $18.60/hr. * 0000 

Duplication: 00 pages @ $ .13/page ** 0000 

Postage: *** 0000 

-------- Total $0000 

A confirming invoice formally billing you for the amount and indicating where 

your payment should be forwarded will be sent by separate letter.   

D-1 
II. Page 2 of 4 

Educational and Noncommercial Scientific Institution: 

Total Total 

No. of Units Unit Charges Amount 

Duplication: 00 pages $ . 13/page **  $0000 

(The first 100 pages are not charged) 

Postage: *** 0000 

Total $0000 

A confirming invoice formally billing you for the amount and indicating where 

your payment should be forwarded will be sent by separate letter.   

Ill. News and Media Requests: 

Total Total 

No. of Units Unit Charges Amount 

Duplication: 00 pages $ .13/page •• $0000 

(The first 100 pages are not charged) 

Postage: ** * 0000 

Total $0000 

A confirming invoice formally billing you for the amount and indicating where 

your payment should be forwarded will be sent by separate letter. **** 

IV. Other Requests: 

Document Search Time: 

Clerical 

Professional or 

Managerial 

Duplication: 

Postage: *** 

Total Total 

No. of Units Unit Charges Amount 

00 hrs. @ $ 9.20/hr. * $0000 

00 hrs. @ $18.60/hr. * 0000 

(The first 2 hrs. are not charged) 

00 pages @ $ .13/page ** 0000 

(The first 1 00 pgs. are not charged) 

Total 

0000 

$0000 

A confirming invoice formally billing you for the amount and indicating where 

your payment should be forwarded will be sent by separate letter.   

D-2 
Page 3 of 4 

v. Fees for Computerized Records: 

Charges for services in processing requests maintained in computerized form 

will be calculated in accordance with criteria provided at 43 CFR Part 2, 

Appendix A, and the Departmental Manual383 OM 15, FOIA Handbook. ADP 

facility managers will ensure that all cost estimates are accurate, and be 

prepared to substantiate the rates. As with other requests, if costs exceed 

$250, OSM may request prepayment of 80 percent. (See Appendix C, 

Illustration 9.) 

Criteria for estimating computer costs: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

Costs for processing a data request will be calculated using the 

same standard direct costs charged to other users of the facility, 

and/or as specified in the user's manual or handbook published by 

the computer center in which the work will be performed. 

Maintain an itemized listing of operations required to process the 

job (i.e., time for central processing unit, input/output remote 

terminal, storage, plotters, printing, tape/disk mounting, etc.) with 

related associated costs. 

Material costs (i.e., paper, disks, tape, etc.) will be calculated 

using the latest acquisition. 

Requests entitled to two hours of free search time under 43 CFR 

2.20(e) will not be charged for that portion of a computer search 

that equals two hours of the salary of the operator performing the 

search. 

Requests entitled to free duplication of the first 100 pages @ 

$.13/page will be allowed the deduction. 

0-3 
Sample listing of computer costs: 

Page 4 of 4 

Total Total 

No. of Units Unit Charges Amount 

MAINFRAME CHARGES 

Disk Input/Output Charge 18,925 $.0020074 X 18,925 $37.99 

($.0020074 per unit) 

Connect Time Charge 1,217 sec. $.0011093 X 1217 1.35 

($.0011 093 per sec.) 

CPU Time Charge 161 ,054 units $.00061 X 161,054 $98.24 

($.00061 per unit time) 

DUPLICATION 60 pages $.13/page 0 

(No charge for the equivalent of the first 100 pages) 

SYSTEMS ANALYSIS 2 hrs. $24.00/hr. 0 

(No charge for the equivalent of the first 2 hrs. of search time) 

Total $137.58 

Footnotes: 

• 

•• 

••• 

** ** 

Billings may include increments as small as 1/4 hr. For clerical: $2.30 

per 1/4 hr. For professional: $4.65 per 1/4 hr. 

See 43 CFR Part 2, Appendix A, (10), concerning unique copying costs 

such as photographs, blueprints, computer tapes, etc. 

OSM will charge mailing costs only for services (DHL, Express Mail, etc.) 

that exceed the cost of first class postage, and have been specified by 

the FOIA requester. 

Once the response has been signed, a copy should be sent via 

memorandum to: 

Chief, Programmatic Accounting 

Division of Financial Management 

P.O. Box 25065, Room D-2025 

Denver, Colorado 80225 

The Programmatic Accounting Office will then send the requester a bill 

for the FOIA response costs. 

D-4 
FOIA 

DOCUMENTATION OF FEES AND ACTUAL COSTS 

CIMS t _____ _ ACTION OPPICB ---------

FEB CATEGORY ______________ _ FEB WAIVER. __________________ __ 

NAME OF RBQUBSTBR~-------------------------------------

SUBJBCT-----------------------------------------------

Action Office Instructions: Complete the information below 

and return to CIMS FOIA Coordinator even if there is no 

collection action, or the requester has withdrawn the FOIA 

request. 

Hours/ 

Units Rate Amount 

Clerical Search $2.30 

(1/4 hr) 

Professional search $4.65 

(1/4 hr) 

Clerical Review $2.30 

(1/4 hr) 

Professional Review $4.65 

(1/4 hr) 

Computerized Records Cost 

Duplication $.13 per page 

unique Copying Cost 

Postage (Cost Exceeding First Class) Cost 

certifications $.25 

TOTAL 

D-5 
§ 1.4 

fll.~ Di~qualifieationa. 

No tndlvldual may practice before the Department If such practice would violate the provisions of 18 U.S.C. 203, 205, or 207. 

APPENDIX E 

43 CFR Subtitle A (10-1-92 Edition) 

pe.rtment on grounds that he is Incom- petent, unethical, or unprofessional, or that he is practicing without au- thority under the provisions of this Part. or that he has violated any provl- · slons of the laws and regulations 9 1.5 Signature to constltute certilieate. governing practice before the DepartWhen an Individual who appears 1n ment, or that he has been disbarred or a representative capacitY signs a paper suspended by any court or admlnistra- ln practice before the Department, his tlve agency. Individuals practicing signature shall constitute his certlfl- before the Department should observe cate: the Canons of Professional Ethics of 

<a> That under the provisions of this the American Bar Association and part and the law, he is authorized and those of the Federal Bar Association, 

party 

qualified to represent the particular by which the Department will be In the matter; guided In disciplinary matters. Cb> That, If he Is the partner of a <b> Whenever In the discretion of present or former officer or employee, the Solicitor the circumstances war· Including a special Government em- rant consideration of the question ployee, the matter tn respect of which whether disciplinary action should be .he intends to DractJ=js_nnt._A.MAtt.Pr __ taken ao.!Qit_an _individual Whn is 

In which such officer or employee of practicing or has practiced before the 

ment 

the Government or special Govern- Department, the Solicitor shall ap- employee participates or has point a hearing officer to consider and participated personally and substan- dispose of the case. The hearing offi- tially as a Government employee cer shall give the Individual adequate through decision, approval, disapprov- notice of, and an opportunity for a a!, recommendation, the rendering of hearing on, the specific charges advice, Investigation or otherwise and against him. The hearing shall afford that the matter is not the subject of the Individual an opportunity to such Partner's official Government re- present evidence and cross-examine sponsiblllty; witnesses. The hearing officer shall <c> That. If he Is a former officer or render a decision either <1> dismissing 

ment 

employee, including a special Govern- the charges, or <2> reprimanding the employee. the matter In respect Individual or suspending or excluding 

matter 

of which he Intends to practice is not a him from practice before the Depart- In which he participated per- ment. 

ment 

sonally and substantially as a Govern- Cc> Within 30 days after receipt of employee through decision, ap- the decision of the hearing officer re- proval, disapproval, recommendation, prlmanding, suspending, or excluding the rendering of advice, Investigation, an Individual from practice before the or otherwise, while so employed and, If Department, an appeal may be filed a period of one year has not passed with the Solicitor, whose decision since the termination of his employ- shall be final. ment with the Government, that the matter was not under his official re- sponsibility as an officer or employee of the Government; and Cd) That he has read the paper; that 

to the best of his knowledge, Informa- tion, and belief there is good ground to 

support its contents; that it contains 

no scandalous or indecent matter; and that It is not Interposed for delay. 

PART 2-RECORDS AND TESTIMONY; 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 

Subpart A-Opinions In Adiudicatlon of Cases, 

Admlnlstrotive Manuals 

Sec. 

2.1 Purpose and scope. 

2.2 Opinions in adJudication of cues. 2.3 Admin1strat1ve manuals. 

§ 1.6 Diseiplinary proceedinp. 

Ca> Disciplinary proceedings may be Subport - ...... ,. for locorda 

Instituted against anyone who is prac- 2.11 Purpose and scope. tieing or has practiced before the De- 2.12 Definitions. 

6 
Sec. 

2.13 Records available. 

2.14 ReQuests for records. 2.15 PreliminarY processing of requests. 

2.16 Action on initial requests. 2.17 Time llmlts for processing Initial requests. 2.18 Appeala. 2.19 Action on appeala. 

2.20 Fees. 

2.21 Waiver of fees. 

2.22 

mation 

Special rules governing certain inforconcerning coal obtained under the Mineral Leuine Act. 

Subpart c-Dedaaalflcation of Qassiflecl 

-....... 2.41 Decla&slftcatton 

ments. of classified docuS..bpart D-Prlvacy Ad 

2.45 Purpose and scol)e. 

2.46 Definitions. 2.47 Records subject to Privacy Act. 

2.48 Standards for maintenance of records subJect to the Act. 2.49 [Reserved] 

2.50 FEDERAL REGISTE'It notices describing 

systems of records. 2.51 Assuring integrity of records. 2.52 Conduct of employees. 2.53 Government contracts. 2.54-2.55 !Reserved! 2.56 Disclosure of records. 2.57 Accounting for d.lsclosures. 

2.58-2.59 !Reserved! 2.60 Request for notification of existence of records: Submission. 2.61 Requests for notification of existence of records: Action on. 2.62 Requests for access to records. 2.63 Requests for access to records: Sub- mission. 

2.64 Requests for access to records: Initial decision. 

2.65 Requests for notification of existence of records and for access to records: Ap- peals. 2.66 Requests for access to recorda: Special situations. 

2.67-2.69 (Reserved] 

2.70 Amendment of records. 2.71 Petitions for amendment: Submission and form. 

2. 72 Petitions for amendment: Processing and initial decision. 2.73 Petitions for amendments: Time lf.mtts tor processing. 2.74 Petitions for amendment: Appeals. 2.75 Petitions for amendment: Action on appeals. 

2.76 [Reserved] _ . . --·-· _. __ ~-·n statements of disagreement. 2. 78 [Reserved] 

§2.2 

See. 

2.79 Exemptions. 

Subpart E-c.mpulsory Pr«ell ancl Testlrnany 

of Employees 

2.80 Compulsory process. 

2.82 Testimony of employees. 

AJ>nlmiX A TO PART 2-Fas 

APPE!miX B TO PART 2-Bt.TREAOS AIO) OFFICES OF THE DEPARTKZHT OF THJ: INTERI· 

OR 

u.s.c. 

Atm<ORITY: 5 u.s.c. 301, 552 and 552a: 31 9701; and 43 u.s.c. 1460. 

SoURce 40 FR 7305, Feb. 19, 1975, Unless 

otherwise noted. 

Subpart A-Opinians in AdJudlcatlan af Cases, Administrative Manuals 

§ 2.1 Purpose and scope. 

This subpart contains the regula- tions of the Department of the Interi- or concerning the availability to the public of opinions issued in the adJudi- cation of ca..es and of administrative manuals. Persons Interested in obtain- ing access to other records are directed to the procedures for submlssion of Freedom of Information requests set out in Subpart B of this part. 

§ 2.2 Opinions in adjudication of cases. 

CalCl> Copies of final decisions and orders issued on and after July 1, 1970, in the following categories of ca..es are available for Inspection and copying in the Office of Hearings and Appeals, Ballston Building No. 3, 4015 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Va. 22203: 

Cil Contract appeals; 

Ciil Appeals from decisions rendered by departmental officials relating to the use and disposition of public lands and their resources and the use and disposition of mineral resources in cer· tain acquired lands of the United States and in the submerged lands of the Outer Continental Shelf; 

Cliil Appeals from orders and deci· sions issued by departmental officials and administrative law judges in pro- ceedings relating to mine health and safety; and 

Civ l Appeals from orders and decl · sions of !>dm.!ni§J;rative.Ja'll . .fJ>d~P'I.Jn 

·-Iiidlan -probate matters other than 

those involving estates of Indians of 

7 
s 2.3 

the Five Civilized Tribes and Osage Indians. 

< 2 > Copies of final opinions and 

orders issued in the following categories of cases are available for Inspec- tion and copying in the Docket and Records Section, Office of the Solie!· 

tor, Interior Building, Washington, 

DC 20240: 

(i) Tort claims decided in the headquarters office of the Office of the So· lie! tor, and appeals from decisions of 

Regional Solicitors or Field Solicitors 

on tort claims; 

<ii> Irrigation claims under Public Works Appropriation Acts <e.g., 79 Stat.. 1103) or 25 U.S.C. 388 decided in 

the headquarters office of the Office of the Solicitor. and appeals from decisions of Regional Solicitors on irriga- tion claims; ~iii1 .. A .. ppe3.1r.. und~r ~ 2.18 !''!s~~~t!.!!.e 

availability of records; <lv> Appeals from decisions of offi- cials of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Indian enrollment appeals; and 

< v > Appeals from decisions of officers of the Bureau of Land Management and of the Geological Survey in pro- ceedings relating to lands or interests 

In land, contract appeals, and appeals in Indian probate proceedings, Issued prior to July 1, 1970. 

<3> An Index-Digest is Issued bY the 

Department. All decisions, opinions and orders issued In the categories of 

cases described In paragraphs <a><ll, <I>, <Ill, and <llil of this section <that Is, contract appeals, land appeals, and 

mine health and safety appeals>. are covered In the Index-Digest; In addition, the Index-Digest covers the more 

Important decisions, opinions and orders In the remaining categories of 

cases described In paragraphs <a><1>0v> and <a><2> <I> through Ov> of this section, and the more Important opinions of law issued by the Office of the Solicitor. The Index-Digest is 

available for use by the public In the Office of Hearings and Appeals, Ballston Building No. 3, 4015 Wilson Bou- levard, Arlington, Va. 22203, In the 

Docket and Records Section, Office of the Solicitor, Interior Building, Wash· 

!ngton, DC 20240, and In the offices of the Regional Solicitors and Field Solicitors. Selected decisions, opinions, and orders are published In a series en43 CFR Subtitle A (10-1-92 Edition) 

titled "Decisions of the United States 

Department of the Interior" <cited as 

I.D.l, and copies may be obtained by 

subscription from the Superintendent 

of Documents, U.S. Government Print· 

ing Office, Washington, DC 20402. 

< 4 > Copies of final opinions and 

orders Issued by Regional Solicitors on 

tort claims and Irrigation claims, and 

copies of final opinions and orders on 

appeals In Indian probate proceedings 

Issued by Regional Solicitors prior to 

July 1, 1970, are available for Inspection and copying In their respective of· 

flees. Copies of final opinions and 

orders Issued by Field Solicitors on 

tort claims are available for Inspection and copying In their respective offices. 

<b>O> Copies of final decisions and 

orders Issued prior to July 1, 1970, on 

appeals to the Director, Bureau of ---Land Management, and by hearing examiners of the Bureau of Land Man· 

agement, in proceedings relating to 

lands and Interests In land are available for Inspection and copying In the 

Office of Hearings and Appeals. Ball· 

ston Building No. 3, 4015 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, va. 22203, and In 

the offices of the Departmental ad- ministrative law judges. 

8 

<2> Copies of final decisions, opinions and orders Issued on and after July 1, 1970, by departmental administrative 

law judges In all proceedings before 

them are available for Inspection and 

copying In their respective offices and 

In the Office of Hearings and Appeals, Ballston Building No. 3, 4015 Wilson 

Boulevard. Arlington, VA 22203. 

<3> Copies of final decisions, opinions and orders Issued by administrative 

law judges In Indian probate proceed· !ngs are available for Inspection and 

copying in their respective offices. 

§ 2.3 Administrative manuals. 

The Departmental Manual Is avail· 

able for Inspection In the Departmen- tal Library, Interior Building, Wash· 

!ngton, DC, and at each of the region· 

al offices of bureaus of the Depart- ment. The administrative manuals of 

those bureaus which have Issued such 

documents are available for Inspection 

at the headquarters officers and at the 

regional offices of the bureaus. 
Office of the Secretary of the Interior 

Subpart B-llequests for Records 

SoURcE: 52 FR 45588, Nov. 30, 1987, unless otherwise noted. 

§2. II Purpose and acope. 

ca> This subpart contains the proce- dures for submission to and consider- ation by the Department of the Interi- or of requests for records under the Freedom of Information Act. Cbl Before involtlng the formal pro- cedures set out below, persons seeltlng records from the Department may 

find it useful to consult with the ap- propriate bureau FOIA officer. Bureau offices are listed in Appendix B to this part. 

<c> The procedures in this subpart do not apply to: 

c 1 > Records published in the FEDERAL REGISTER, opinions in the adjudication of cases, statements of policy and in- terpretations, and administrative staff 

made 

manuals that have been published or available under subpart A of this part. 

<2> Records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes and cov- ered by the disclosure exemption de- scribed in f 2.13<c><7> if- m The investigation or proceeding involves a possible violation of crimi- nal law; and 

Oil There is reason to believe that- CAl The subject of the investigation or proceeding is not aware of its pend- ency, and 

<B> Disclosure of the existence of the records could reasonablY be ex- pected to interfere with enforcement proceedings. 

<3> Informant records maintained by a criminal law enforcement compo- nent of the Department under an in- formant's name or personal Identifier, if requested by a third party according to the informant's name or personal identifier, unless the informant's status as an informant has been offi- cially confirmed. 

§ 2.12 Deflnitlono. 

<a> Act and FOIA mean the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552. <b> Bureau refers to all constituent tuit:atus ui i.he Depan.ment oi tne ln.· 

terior, the Office of the Secretary, and the other Departmental offices. A list 

9 

§ 2.13 

of bureaus is contained in Appendix B to this part, 

cc> Working cta11 means a regular Federal workday. It does not include Saturdays, Sundays or public legal holidays. 

§ 2.13 Reeorda available. 

<a> Department POliCif, It is the pOlicy of the Department of the Inte- rior to make the records of the De- partment available to the public to the greatest extent possible, in keeping with the spirit of the Freedom of In- formation Act. 

<b> StatutoTif disclosure requirement. 

The Act requires that the Depart- ment, on a request from a member of the public submitted in accordance with the procedures in this subpart, make requested records available for Inspection and copying. 

cc> StatutOTif exemptions. Exempted from the Act's statutory disclosure re- quirement are matters that are: 

(1)(1) SpecificaJiy authoriZed under criteria established by an Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy and 

<Ill Are in fact properly classified pursuant to such Executive order; <2> Related solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of an agency; 

<3> SPecifically exempted from dis- closure by statute <other than the Pri- vacy Act>. provided that such statute- <1> Requires withheld that the matters be 

manner 

from the public in such a 

as to leave no discretion on the issue, or 

withholding 

<II> Establishes particular criteria for 

or refers to particular types of matters to be withheld; 

<4> Trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential; <5> Inter-agency or intra-agency memorandums or letters which would not be available by law to a party other than an agency in litigation with the agency; 

<8> Personnel and medical files and Slin1lar files the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarrant- ed invasion of personal privacy; 
§ 2.14 

( 7 l Records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes. but only to the extent that the production of such law enforcement records or In· 

formation-

<il Could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceed· ings, 

<ill Would deprive a person of a right to a fair or an impartial adjudi- cation, 

<!ill Could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted Invasion of personal privacy, <lv> Could reasonably be expected to disclose the identity of a confidential 

source, including a State, local, or for- eign agency or authority or any pri- vate institution which furnished infor- mation on a confidential basis, and, in the case of a record or information com}liled-· Dy a --crilntnal law·· enforcement authority in the course of a criminal investigation, or by an agency conducting a lawful national securitY intelligence investigtlon, information furnished by a confidential source, 

<v> Would disclose techniques and procedures for law enforcement inves· tlgations or prosecutions or would dis· close guidelines for law enforcement Investigations or prosecutions If such disclosure could reasonably be expect- ed to risk circumvention of the law, or <vll Could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical safety of 

any individual; 

<B> Contained in or related to exami- nation, operating, or condition reports prepared by, on behalf of, or for the 

use of an agency responsible for the regulation or supervision of financial institutions; or 

< 9 > Geological and geophysical infor- mation and data, including maps, con- cerning wells. 

<d> Deciaiom on reqU&t.. It Is the policy of the Department to withhold information falling within an exemp. tlon only lf-

<1 > Disclosure Is prohibited by statute or Executive order or 

<2> Sound grounds exist for invoca- tion of the exemption. 

<e> Diacloaure 0/ reaaonablv aegrega.- ble nmaezempt mD.tertal. If a requested record contains material covered by an exemption and material that Is not 

exempt, and It Is determined under 

43 CFR Subtitle A (10..1-92 Edition) 

the procedures in this subpart to with- hold the exempt material, any reason- ably segregable nonexempt material shall be separated from the exempt material and released. 

§ 2.14 Requests for reeords. 

<a> Submiaaion 0/ request&. < 1> A request to inspect or copy records shall be made to the installation where the records are located. If the records are located at more than one installation 

or If the specific location of the records Is not known to the requester. he or she may direct a request to the 

head of the appropriate bureau or to the bureau's FOIA officer. Addresses for bureau heads and FOIA officers 

are contained in Appendix B to this 

pari. 

1.?>. E?t:l!~til')?'!!. (!~ A r~~tv~~t ft:'! records located in all components of the Office of the Secretary <other than the Office of Hearings and Ap- peals> shall be submitted to: Director, Office of Administrative Services, U.S. 

Department of the Interior, Washing- ton. DC 20240. A request for records located In the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall be submitted to: Director. Office of Hearings and Appeals, 4015 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Vir- ginia 22203. 

(I!) A request for records of the Office of Inspector General shall be submitted to: Inspector General, Office of the Inspector General, U.S. 

Department of the Interior, Washing- ton, DC 20240. 

<Ill> A request for records of the Office of the Solicitor shall be submit- ted to: Solicitor, Office of the Solicitor. U.S. Dep&rlment of the Interior, Washington, DC 20240. 

(b) Form 0/ reqU&t.. (1) Requests under this subpar! shall be In writing and must specifically Invoke the Act. 

<2> A request must reasonably de- scribe the records requested. A request reasonably describes the records re- quested If It will enable an employee of the Department familiar with the subject area of the request to locate the record with a reasonable amount of effort. If such information Is avail- able, the request should Identify the subject matter of the record, the date when It was made, the place where It 

10 
Office of the Seaelary of the lntarior 

was made, the person or office that made it, the present custodian of the record. and any other Information 

that 1\111 assJst ln locating the request- ed record. If the request involves a matter known by the requester to be in litigation, the request should also 

state the case name and court hearing the case. 

<3l(i) A request shall- <Al Specify the fee category <com- mercial use, news media, educational institution, noncommercial scientific institution. or otherl in which the re- quester cla.lms the request to fall and the basis of this claim <see I 2.20<bl through <el tor definitions> and <Bl State the maximum amount of 

fees that the requester is willing to 

pay or include a request for a fee waiver. 

<ill Requesters are advised that, under I 2.20 <fl and (g), the time for resPOnding to requests may be de· layed-

<Al If a requester has not sufficient- ly identified the fee category applica- ble to the request, <Bl If a requester has not stated a willingness to pay fees as high as an- ticipated by the Department or <Cl If a fee waiver request is denied and the requester has not included an alternative statement of willingness to 

pay fees as high as anticipated by the Department. 

<4l A request seeking a fee waiver shall, to the extent POSSible, address why the requester believes that the criteria for fee waivers set out in I 2.21 

are met. 

< 5 l To ensure expeditious handling, requests should be prominently marked, both the envelope and on the face of the request, with the legend "FREEDOM OF INFORMATION RE- QUEST." 

<cl Creation of recoTIU. A request may seek only records that are in ex- istence at the time the request is re- ceived. A request may not seek records that come into existence after the date on which it Is received and may not require that new records be cre- ated in resPOnse to the request by, for example, combining or compllln&' se- lc~~d 1tctra.i ti UW UU..Uult.i tllt::s,- prepar· ·~ 

ing a new computer program, or calcu· latlng proPOrtlona, percentages, fre-

§ 2.15 

quency distributions, trends or com- parisons. 1n those instances where the Department determines that creating a new record will be less burdensome than disclosing large volumes of unas- sembled material, the Department may, in Its discretion, agree to creation of a new record as an alternative to disclosing existing records. 

12.15 Preliminary procesainr or request& 

<al Scope of reqlle3U. <ll Unless are- quest clearly specifies otherwise, re- quests to field installations of a bureau may be presumed to seek only records at that installation and re- quests to a bureau head or bureau FOIA officer may be presumed to seek only records of that bureau. 

<2l If a request to a field installation of a bureau specifies that It seeks records located at other installations of the same bureau, the installation shall refer the request to the other installation<sl or the bureau FOIA of· fleer for appropriate processing. The time llmlt proVIded in I 2.17<al does not start untn the request is received at the installation haVIng the records 

or by the bureau FOIA officer. <3l If a request to a bureau specifies that It seeks records of another bureau, the bureau may return the re- quest <or the relevant portion thereof) to the requester with instructions as to how the request may be resubmit- ted to the other bureau. 

<bl Intradepartmental consultation 

and referral. <ll If a bureau <other than the Office of Inspector Oenerall receives a request for records in Its possession that orlginsted with or are of substantial concern to another bureau, It shall consult with that bureau before deciding whether to re· lease or withhold the records. 

<2l As an alternative to consultation, a bureau ma:v refer the request <or the relevant protlon thereof) to the bureau that originsted or is substan· tially concerned with the records. Such referrals shall be made expedl· tlously and the requester shall be noti- fied in Writing that a referral has been made. A reierrai Ul1der tnlil'p&ralli"aph - · does not restart the time limit proVId· ed in §2.17. 

11 
~ 2.16 

( Cl Records of other departments and 

agencies. ( 1 > Il a requested record in the possession of the Department of the Interior originated with another Federal department or agency. the re· 

quest shall be referred to that agency unless-

(!) The record Is of primary Interest 

to the Department. 

(It) The Department Is In a better position than the originating agency to assess whether the record Is exempt from disclosure. or 

43 CFR Subtitle A (10-1-92 Edition) 

formation Is confidential. ha.s not been disclosed to the public by the submit· 

ter. and Is not routinely available to the public from other sources. 

<3> If a submitter's statement cannot 

be obtained within the time limit for processing the request under § 2.17, the requester shall be notified of the delay as provided In 1 2.17<fl. 

<4> Notification to a submitter is not required If: 

(I) The bureau determines, prior to giving notice, that the request for the record should be denied; <ttl> The originating agency Is not subject to the Act. <II> The Information ha.s previously The Department has primary Interest been lawfully published or officially In a record If It wa.s developed or pre· made avallable to the public; pared pursuant to Department regula- em> Disclosure is required by a stat- tiona, dlrectives or request. ute <other than the FOIA> or regula· <2> In accordance with Execuctlve tion <other than this subpart>; Order 12356, a request for documents ctv> Disclosure Is clearly prohibited that w-ere clasoif1cd boy cu.IUtl1cr a..;;aJ.ey----ay-- ii. --sW..tute. ~ U.c::tSc.dUtU in 

shall be referred to that agency. § 2.13<c><3>; (d) Comultation with submitters of Cv> The Information wa.s not desig- commercial and financial in,torma· nated by the submitter a.s confidential tion. Cl > If a request seeks a record when It was submitted, or a reasonable containing trade secrets or commercial time thereafter. If the submitter wa.s or financial Information submitted bY specifically afforded an opportunity to a person outside of the Federal gov- make such a designation; however, a ernment, the bureau processing the re- submitter will be notified of a request quest shall provide the submitter with for Information that was not designat- notice of the request whenever- ed as confidential at the time of sub- (!) The submitter has made a good mission, or a reasonable time thereat- faith designation of the Information ter. If there Is substantial reason to be- as commercially or financially sensl- lleve that dlsclosure of the Informa- tive, or tion would result In competitive harm. Ctll The bureau has reason to believe <vi> The designation of confidential- that dJsclosure of the Information may tty made by the submitter is obviously result In commercial or financial frivolous; or Injury to the submitter. evil> The Information was submitted 

Where notification of a voluminous number of submitters is required. such notification may be accomplished bY posting or publishing the notice In a place reasonably calculated to accom- plish notification. 

<2> The notice to the submitter shall afford the submitter a reasonable period within which tu provide a de- tailed statement of any objection to 

disclosure. The submitter's statement shall explain the basis on which the Information is claimed to be exempt under the FOIA, tncludlng a specifica- tion of any claim of competitive or other business harm that would result from disclosure. The statement shall also Include a certification that the Into the Department more than 10 years prior to the date of the request, unless the bureau has reason to believe that 

It continues to be confidential. 

<5> If a requester brings suit to compel dJsclosure of Information, the submitter of the Information wUI be promptly notified. 

I 2.16 Aetlon on Initial requests. 

<a> Authority. Cl> Requests to field installations shall be decided by the head of the installation or bY such higher authority as the head of the bureau may designate In writing. <2> Requests to the headquarters of 

a bureau shall be decided only by the head of the bureau or an official 

12 
Office ef the IUNIM f ef the IIINrtor 

whom the head of the bureau has In 

writing designated. 

<3> Requests to the Office of the 

Secretary may be decided by the DIrector of Administrative Services. an 

Assistant Secretary or Assistant Secretary's designee. and any official whom 

the Secretary has In writing designat- ed. 

<4> A decision to withhold a request- ed record, to release a record that is 

exempt from disclosure, or to deny a 

fee waiver shall be made only after 

consultation with the office of the ap- propriate associate, regional, or field 

solicitor. 

<bl Form oJ grant. < ll When a requested record has been detennlned to 

be available, the official processing the 

request shall notify the requester as to 

when and where the record is available for inspection or, as the case may be, when and how copies will be pro- vided. If fees are due, the official shall 

state the amount of fees due and the 

procedures for payment, as described 

in § 2.20. 

<2> If a requested record <or portion thereof} Is being made available over 

the objections of a submitter made In 

accordance with § 2.15<d>. both the requester and the submitter shall be notified of the decision. The notice to 

the submitter <a copy of which shall 

be made available to the requester> shall be forwarded a reasonable 

nWI\ber of days prior to the date on 

which disclosure Is to be made and 

shall Include: 

(I} A statement of the reasons why the submitter's objections were not 

sustained: 

<Ill A specification of the portions of 

the record to be disclosed, If the submitter's objections were sustained In 

part; and 

am A specified disclosure date. 

<3> If a claim of confldentiallty has 

been found frivolous In accordance 

with 1 2.15(dl<4l<vt> and a detennlnation Is made to release the Information 

without consultation with the submitter, the submitter of the Information 

shA.ll _hp nnt!f!~ 12! the d~~!~r. ~dthe reasons therefor a reasonable 

number of daY& prior to the date on 

which disclosure Is to be made. 

13 

§1.17 

<c> Form oJ deniaL < ll A decision 

withholding a requested record shall 

be In writing and shall Include: 

<il A reference to the specific exemp- tion or exemptions authorizing the 

withholding; 

(ii) If neither a statute or an Execu. 

tive order requires withholding, the 

sound ground for withholding; 

(!Ill A listing of the names and titles 

or positions of each person responsible for the denial: and 

<ivl A statement that the denial may be appealed to the Assistant Secretary-Policy, Budget and Administration and a description of the proce- dures in§ 2.18 for appeal. 

<2> A decision denying a request for 

failure to reasonably describe request- ed records or for other procedural deficiency or because requested records 

cannot be located shall be in writing and shall include: 

<il A description of the basis of the 

decision: 

<iil A list of the names and titles or 

positions of each person responsible; and 

<Iii> A statement that the matter 

may be appealed. to the Assistant Secretary-Policy, Budget and Administration and a description of the proce- dures In § 2.18 for appeal. 

§ 2.17 Time limits for processing initial re· 

questa. 

<a> B<Uic limit. Requests for records 

shall be processed promptly. A determlnstion whether to grant or deny a 

request shall be made within no more 

than 10 working days after receipt of a 

request. This detennination shall be 

communicated Immediately to the requester. 

<bl Running oJ b<Uic time limit. <1 l 

The 10 working day time limit begins 

to run when a request meeting the re· 

qulrements of §2.14<bl Is received at a 

field installation or bureau headquarters designated In §2.14<a> to receive 

the request. 

<2> The running of the basic time 

limit may be delayed or tolled as ex-

::!:ili:ed !.~ : 2.20 -<.f;. {6} and G~i .tf a. .-c. 

quester-

<il Has not stated a willingnes to pay fees as high as are anticipated and has 
!j2.18 

not sought and been granted a full fee 

waiver, or 

<ill Has not made a required advance 

payment. 

<c> Extensiom of time. In the follow· 

ing unusual circumstances, the time 

limit for acting on an initial request 

may be extended to the extent reason· 

ably necessary to the proper process- ing of the request, but in no case may the time limit be extended for more 

than 1 o working days: 

( 1> The need to search for and col· 

lect the requested records from field 

facilities or other establishments that 

are separate from the installation 

processing the request; 

<2> The need to search for, collect, and appropriately examine a volumi· 

nous amount of separate and distinct rec~rds demande~ tn a single reauest: 

or 

<3> The need for consultation, which 

shall be conducted with all practicable speed with another agency having a 

subst,;.,tial interest in the determina· 

tion of the request or among two or 

more components of the Department having substantial subject-matter In· 

terest therein. 

(d) Notice of extension. A requester shall be notified in writing of an ex· 

tension under paragraph <c> of this 

section. The notice shall state the 

reason for the extension and the date 

on which a determination on the re· 

quest is expected to be made. 

<e> Treatment of delay as deniaL If 

no determination has been reached at 

the end of the 10 working day period for deciding an Initial request, or an 

extension thereof under paragraph <c> 

of this section, the requester may deem the request denied and may ex· 

ercise a right of appeal in accordance 

with§ 2.18. 

<f> Notice of delay. When a determl· 

nation cannot be reached within the 

time limit, or extension thereof, the 

requester shall be notified of the 

reason for the delay, of the date on 

which a determination may be expect· ed, and of the right to treat the delay 

as a denial for purposes of appeal to 

the Assistant Secretary-Policy, Budget and Administration, including 

a description of the procedures for 

filing an appeal in § 2.18. 

14 

43 CFR Subtitle A (10-1-92 Edition) 

§ 2.18 Appeals. 

<a> Right of appeal. A requester may appeal to the Assistant Secretary- Policy, Budget and Administration 

when-

<1) Records have been withheld, 

<2> A request has been denied for 

!allure to describe requested records 

or for other procedural deficiency or 

because requested records cannot be 

located, 

<3> A fee waiver has been denied, or 

<4> A request has not been decided 

within the time limits provided in 

§ 2.17. 

<b> Time tor appeal. An appeal must 

be received no later than 20 working days after the date of the initial 

denial, in the case of a denial of an 

entire request, or 20 working days ai~er r~ctJ!lis have been made available, in the case of a partial denial. 

<c> Form of appeaL <1> An appeal shall be initiated by filing a written 

notice of appeal. The notice shall be 

accompanied by copies of the original 

request and the initial denial and 

should, in order to expedite the appel· late process and give the requester an 

opportunity to present his or her argu. 

ments, contain a brief statement of 

the reasons why the requester believes 

the Initial denial to have been in error. 

<2> The appeal shall be addressed to 

the Freedom of Information Act AP· 

peals Officer, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary-Policy, Budget and Admin· 

istratlon, U.S. Department of the Inte· 

rior, Washington, DC 20240. 

<3> To expedite processing, both the 

envelope containing a notice of appeal and the face of the notice shoUld bear 

the legend "FREEDOM OF INFOR· 

MATION APPEAL." 

§ 2.19 Action on appeala. 

<a> Authority. Appeals shall be decid· 

ed by the Assistant Secretary-Policy, Budget and Administration, or the As· 

alstant Secretary's designee, after con· 

sUltatlon with the Solicitor, the Dlrec· 

tor of Public Affairs and the appropri· ate program Assistant Secretary. 

<b> Time limit. A final determination 

shall be made within 20 working days after receipt of an appeal meeting the 

requirements of § 2.18<c>. 
Office of the Saoretary af the Interior 

(C) E:rtension& 0/ time. ( ll If the time llmlt for resPOnding to the Initial 

request for a record was not extended under the provisions of 1 2.17<c> or was extended for fewer than 10 worl<lng 

days. the time for processlnr of the appeal may be extended to the extent reasonably necessary to the proper processing of the appeal, but In no 

event may the extension, when taken together with any extension made during processing of the Initial request, result In an aggregate extension with respect to any one request of 

§2.20 

located, or In which the requester resides or has his or her principal place of business or In the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and shall set forth the names and 

titles or positions of each person re- SPOnsible for the denial. 

<2> If a requested record <or portion thereof) Is being made available over the objections of a submitter made In 

accordance with 1 2.15<dl. the submit· ter shall be provided notice as de- scribed In I 2.16<b><2>. 

more than 10 worl<lng days. The time I 2.20 Feeo. 

for processing of an appeal may be ex- <a> Policy. < 1> Unless waived pursu- tended only it one or more of the un· ant to the provisions of I 2.21, fees for usual circumstances listed In I 2.17<c> responding to FOIA requests shall be requires an extension. charged In accordance with the provi- <2> The appellant shall be advised In slons of this section and the schedule writing of the reasons for the exten- of charges contained In Appendix A to slon and the date on which a final de- this part. 

termination on the appeal Is expected <2> Fees shall not be charged If the to be dispatched. <3> If no determination on the total amount chargeable does not appeal has been reached at the end of exceed $15.00. the 20 working day period, or the ex- <3> Where there Is a reasonable basis tension thereof, the requester Is to conclude that a requester or group deemed to have exhausted his admln- of requesters acting In concert has dl· lstratlve remedies, giving rise to a vided a request Into a series of re- right of review In a district court of quests on a single subject or related the United States. as specified In 5 subjects to avoid assessment of tees. u.s.c. 552<a><4l. When no determina- the requests may be aggregated and tlon can be reached within the appll- fees charged accordingly. cable time llmlt, the appeal will never· <bl Commercial me request&. <ll A theless continue to be processed. on requester seeking records for commer- explratlon of the time llmlt, the re- c1a1 use shall be charged fees for costs quester shall be Informed of the Incurred In document search. dupllca· reason for the delay, of the date on tlon and review. which a determination may be reached <2> A commercial use requester may to be dispatched and of the right to not be charged fees for time spent re· seek judicial review. solving legal and policy Issues affect- <dl Form 0/ decision. <ll The final lng access to requested records. determination on an appeal shall be In (3) A commercial use request Is a re· writing and shall state the basis for quest from or on behalf of a person the determination. If the determlna- who seeks Information for a use or tlon Is to release the requested records purpose that further the commercial, or portions thereof. the Assistant Sec· trade or profit Interests of the request· retary-Pollcy, Budget and Admlnls- er or the person on whose behalf the tratlon shall Immediately make the request Is made. The Intended use of records available or Instruct the ap- records may be determined on the propriate bureau to make them lmme- basis of Information submitted by a re- dlately available. If the determination quester and from reasonable Infer· upholds in whole or part the Initial ences based on the Identity of the re- denlal of a request for records, the de- quester and any other available lnfor- termlnation shall advise the requester matlon. of the rillht to obtain judicial review <cl Educational and noncommercial 

In the U.S. District Court for~~the dis- _ SJ!ienti~fi~ ;.,_.,il,t!':l>'~re-r~~!!Y.-ll A r~-~ 

~ trict In which the withheld records are quester seel<lng records under the aus15 
; 2.20 

pices of an educational Institution In 

furtherance of scholarly research or a 

noncommercial scientl!lc Institution In 

furtherance of scientific research shall 

be charged for document duplication. 

except that the first 1 oo pages of 

paper copies <or the equivalent cost 

thereof If the records are In some 

other form> shall be provided without 

charge. 

<2> Such requesters may not be 

charged fees for costs Incurred In-

(!) Searching for requested records. 

<Ill Examining requested records to 

determine whether they are exempt 

from mandatory disclosure. 

<!Ill Deleting reasonably segregable 

exempt matter, 

Ov> Monitoring the requesters' In· 

spection of agency records, or 

<v> Resolving legal and policy Issues 

affecting access to requested records. · {3} A:a--~!-cd.ueatkmal--ir..st-i·ttttivu" ia--a. 

preschool, a public or private elemen· 

tary or secondary school, an Institution of graduate higher education, an 

Institution of undergraduate higher 

education, an Institution of professional education, or an Institution of vocational education, which operates a program or programs of scholarly research. 

< 4> A "noncommercial scientific In· 

stitutlon" Is an Institution that Is not 

operated for commerce, trade or profit 

and that Is operated solely for the pur- . pose of conducting scientific research 

the results of which are not Intended 

to promote any particular product or 

Industry. 

<d> Netos media requests. <1> A representative of the new media shall be 

charged for document duplication, 

except that the first 100 pages of 

paper copies <or the equivalent cost 

thereof If the records are In some 

other form> shall be provided without 

charge. 

<2> Representatives of the news 

media may not be charged fees for 

costs Incurred lnm Searching for requested records, 

<Ill Examlnlnr requested records to 

determine whether they are exempt 

from mandatory disclosure, 

<!Ill Deleting reasonably segregable 

exeml¢ matter, 

<lvl Monitoring the requester's In· 

spection of agency records, or 

43 CFR Subtitle A ( 10-1-92 Edition) 

<v> Resolving legal and policy Issues 

affecting access to requested records. 

<3>(!) A "representative of the news 

media" Is any person actively gatherIng news for an entity that Is organized and operated to publish or 

broadcast news to the public. The 

term "news" means information that 

Is about current events or that Is <or 

would be> of current Interest to the 

public. Examples of news media entitles Include, but are not limited to, television or radio stations broadcasting 

to the public at large, and publishers 

of periodicals <but only In those Instances when they can qualify as disseminators of "news"> who make their 

products available for purchase or subscription by the general public. As traditional methods of news delivery 

evolve <e.g., electronic dissemination 

of newspapers through telecommunica.tiouo ~-scni~)'. t;i.i(;h -<Erraattv-cmedia would be Included In this category. 

<Ill Free-lance journalists may be 

considered "representatives of the 

news media" If they demonstrate a 

solid basis for expecting publication 

through a news organization, even 

though not actually employed by it. A 

publication contract or past record of 

publication, or evidence of a specific 

free-lance assignment from a news organization may Indicate a solid basis 

for expecting publication . <e> Other requests. <1> A requester 

not covered by paragraphs (b), <c> or 

(dl of this section shall be charged 

fees for document search and duplication, except that the first two hours of 

search time and the first 100 pages of 

paper copies <or the equivalent cost 

thereof If the records are In some 

other form> shall be provided without 

charge. 

<2> Such requesters may not be 

charged for costs Incurred In-

(!) El<amlning requested records to 

determine whether they are exempt 

from disclosure, 

<Ill Deleting reasonably segregable 

exempt matter, 

<Ill> Monitoring the requester's In· 

spectlon of a~rency records, or 

<lvl Resolving lelia! and policy Issues 

affecting access to requested records. 

<1> Requuts tor clar(ficatton. Where 

a request does not provide sufficient 

16 
Office of tho Sacrot•r of tho Interior 

in!onnatlon to determine whether It Is 

covered by paragraph <bl, <cl, <dl or < e 1 of this section, the requester should be asked to provide additional 

clarification. If It Is necessary to seek 

such cJarfilcatlon, the request may be 

deemed to have not been received for 

purposes of the time limits established 

1n 1 2.17 until the clarification Is received. Requests to requesters for clarIfication shall be made promptly. (g) Nottce oJ anttctpated tees. Where 

a request does not state a wllllngness to pay fees as high as anticipated by the Department, and the requester has not sought and been granted a full 

waiver of fees under I 2.21, the request 

may be deemed to have not been received for purposes of the time limits 

established In I 2.17 until the requester has been notUied of and agrees to 

pay the anticipated fee. Advice to requesters with respect to anticipated fees shall be provided promptly. <hl Advance pavment. (1) Where it Is 

anticipated that allowable fees are 

likely to exceed $250.00 and the requester does not have a history of 

prompt payment of F'OIA fees, the requester may be required to make an 

advance payment of the entire fee 

before processing of his or her request. <2> Where a requester has previously failed to pay a fee within 30 calendar 

days of the date of billing, processing of any new request from that requester shall ordinarily be suspended until 

the requester pays any amount still 

owed, Including applicable Interest, and makes advance payment of allow· 

able fees anticipated In connection 

with the new request. <3> Advance payment of fees may 

not be required except as described In 

parsgrsphs <hl <ll and <2> of this aectlon. 

< 4 l Issuance of a notice requlrlna payment of overdue fees or advance 

payment shall toll the time limit In 

I 2.17 until receipt of payment. <ll Fonn oJ pavment. Payment of 

fees should be made by check or 

money order payable to the Department of the Interior or the bureau 

furnishing the Information. The term 

United States or the Initial& "U.S." 

should not be Included on the check or 

Wunt:y order; W"nenf~appropriat.e, tne 

official respanalble for handlln& a re-

§ 2.21 

quest may require that payment by check be made In the form of a certl· 

fled check. 

<J> BUltng procedures. A bill for col· 

lectlon. F'onn DI-1040, shall be prepared for each request that requires collection of fees. The requester shall 

be provided the first sheet of the Dl1040. This Accounting Copy of the 

Form shall be transmitted to the agen· cy's finance office for entry Into &e· 

counts receivable records. Upon receipt of payment from the requester, the recipient shall forward the pay. 

ment along with a copy of the DI-1040 

to the finance office. 

<k> Collectton oJ lee& The bill for 

collection or an accompanying letter 

to the requester shall Include a state· 

ment that Interest will be charged In 

accordance with the Debt Collection 

Act of 1982, 31 U.S.C. 3717. and lmple· menttng regulations, 4 CFR 102.13, if 

the fees are not paid within 30 calendar days of the date of the bill for col· 

lectlon Is mailed or hand-delivered to 

the requester. This requirement does 

not apply If the requester Is a unit of 

state or local government. Other authorities of the Debt Collection Act of 

1982 shall be used, as appropriate, to 

collect the fees <see 4 CFR Parts 101-

1051. 

IZ.21 Waiver orfeeo. 

<a> StatutoT!I tee watver. <ll Documents shall be furnished without 

charge or at a charge reduced below 

the fees chargeable under I 2.20 and 

appendix A to this part U disclosure of 

the Information Is In the public Interest because lt-

<ll Is likely to contribute significant· ly to public understanding of the oper· atlons or activities of the government and 

<Ill Is not prlm&rlly In the commer· 

ciallnterest of the requester. 

<2> Factors to be considered In determining whether disclosure of in!ormatlon "Is likely to contribute slgnUlcant· 

Jy to public understanding of the oper- ations or activities of the government" 

are the fbllowlna: 

<ll Does the record concern the operattons or acttvtttes oJ the government? ·· HellOraa concern theopelitlons ora:c=-- · tlvltles of the government U they 

17 
; 2.21 

relate to or will Illuminate the manner 

in which the Department or a bureau 

is r.arrying out identifiable operations 

or activities or the manner In which 

an operation or activity affect.<; the 

public. The connection between the 

records and the operations and activities to which they are said to relate 

should be clear and direct, not remote 

and attenuated. Records developed 

out.o;ide of the government and submit· 

ted to or obtained by the Department 

may relate to the operations and ac· 

tivities of the government If they are 

Informative on how an agency is carryIng out Its regulatory, enforcement, 

procurement or other activities that 

Involve private entities. 

(til If a record concerns the oper· 

ations or activities of the government, 

is lt.o; disclosure likely to contribute to 

public understanding of these oper· 

11tiuu::t lllu.i l:ic"i..ivities?·"Th"e"itkeiihuod oi 

a contribution to public understanding will depend on consideration of the 

content of the record, the identity of 

the requester, and the Interrelationship between the two. Is there a logical connection between the content of 

the requested record and the operations or activities In which the requester is Interested? Are the disclosable content.<; of the record meaningfully Informative on the operations or activities? Is the focus of the requester 

on contribution to public understandIng, rather than on the Individual understanding of the requester or a 

narrow segment of Interested persons? 

Does the requester have expertise In 

the subJect area and the ability and intention to disseminate the Information 

to the general public or otherwise use 

the Information In a manner that will 

contribute to public understanding of 

government operations or activities? Is 

the requested Information sought by 

the requester because It may be informative on government operations 

or activities or because of the Intrinsic 

value of the Information Independent 

of the light that It may shed on government operations or activities? 

<Ill> U there is likely to be a contribution to public understandlnl, will 

that contribution be aign1J'Icanrl A 

contribution to public understandlnl 

will be algnlflcant If the Information 

disclosed Ia new, clearly support.<; 

43 CFR Subtitle A ( 1 0-1-92 Edition) 

public oversight of Department operations, Including the quality of Department activities and the effect of 

policy and regulations on public 

health and safety, or otherwise confirms or clarifies data on past or 

present operations of the Department. 

A contribution will not be significant 

If disclosure will not have a positive 

Impact on the level of public understanding of the operations or activities 

Involved that existed prior to the disclosure. In particular, a significant 

contribution Is not likely to arise from 

disclosure of Information already in 

the public domain because it has, for 

example, previously been published or 

is routinely available to the general 

public In a public reading room. 

<3> Factors to be considered In determlnlng whether disclosure "Is primarily In the commercil!linterest of the requester" are the following: 

(!) Does the requester have a commercial interest that would be furthered by the requested disclosure? A 

commercial Interest is a commercial, 

trade or profit Interest as these terms 

are commonly understood. An entity's 

status is not determinative. Not only profit-making corporations, but also 

Individuals or other organizations, 

may have a commercial interest to be 

served by disclosure, depending on the 

circumstances Involved. 

<Ill If the requester has a commercial Interest, will disclosure be primarily In that Interest? The requester's 

commercial Interest Is the primary Interest If the magnitude of that Interest Is greater than the public Interest 

to be served bY disclosure. Where a requester is a representative of a news 

media organization seeking Information as part of the news gathering 

process, It may be presumed that the 

public Interest outweighs the organization's commercial interest. 

<4> Notice 0/ denial. U a requested 

statutory fee waiver or reduction is 

denied, the requester shall be notified 

In writing. The notice shall include: 

m A statement of the basis on which 

the waiver or reduction has been 

denied. 

<11> A listing of the names and titles 

or positions of each person responsible 

for the denial. 

18 
Office of 1M Sure Ia; 1 of the lnterfw 

c w l A statement that the denial may 

be appealed to the Assistant Secretary-PolicY. Budget and Admlnlstra- tlon and a description of the proce- dures In f 2.18 for appeal, 

<bl l)i8cretionaT!I 1D4t~>era. Fees oth- erwiSe chargeable may be waived at the disCretion of a bureau If a requeat involves: 

OJ Furnlshlng unauthenticated copies of documents reproduced for gratuitous distribution; C2l Furnishing one copy of a person- al document <e.g., a birth certificate) to a person who has been required to furnish It for retention by the Depart- ment: 

C3l Furnishing one copy of the tran- script of a hearln& before a hearing of- fleer In a grievance or slmUar proceed- Ing to the employee for whom the hearing was held. 

C4l Furnishing recorda to donors with respect to their gifts; 

<5> Furnishing recorda to Individuals or private non-profit organizations having an official voluntary or cooper- ative relationahlp with the Depart- ment to assist the Individual or organi- zation In Its work with the Depart- ment; 

<6l Furnishing records to state, local and f orelgn governments, public Inter- national organizations, and Indian tribes, when to do so without charge Is 

an appropriate courtesy, or when the recipient Is carr;vlng on a function re- lated to that of the Department and to do so wW help to accomplish the work of the Department; 

<7> Furnishing a record when to do so aaves costs and ;vlelds Income equal 

to the direct cost of providing the records <e.g., where the Department's fee for the service would be Included In a bUllng against the Department>; C8l Furnishing records when to do so Is In conformance with generally es- tablished buslnesa custom <e.g., fur- nishing personal reference data to pro- spective employers of former Depart- ment employees>; 

C9l Furnishing one copy of a record In order to assist the requester to ~W,t!d.'l !L~-:d:l! bc:::u::f!ta to wl"'Jch he or she Is entitled <e-&., veterans or their dependents, employees with Gov- ernment employee compensation 

el&lma or persons Insured by the Gov- ernment>. 

I Z.ZZ SpedaJ ruleo JOYeminl' certain lnfOI'IIIIItlon eoneemlftl' toa1 oblained 

under the Mineral Leuinl' Aet. 

<a> Dellntttons. As used In the sec- tion: 

<ll Act means the Mineral Leasing Act of February 25, 1920, as amended by the Act of August 4, 1976, Pub. L. 

114-377, 90 Stat. 1083 <30 u.s.c. 181 et 

oeq. l, and the Mineral Leaalng Act for Acquired Lands, as amended <30 u.s.c. 351etoeq.l 

(2l Ezr>lonztton license means a li- cense Issued by the Secretary of the Interior to conduct coal exploration operations on land subJect to the Act pursuant to the authoritY In section 2<bl of the Act. as amended <30 U.S.C. 201(b)). 

<31 Fatr-J114rket value 0/ coal to be leased means the mlnlmum amount of a bid the Secretary has determined he Is wWinr to accept In leasing cOal within leaalng tracts offered In general lease aales or reserved and offered for lease to public bodies, Including Feder- al agencies, rural electric cooperatives, or non-profit corporations. controlled by an;v of such entitles pursuant to section 2<a> of the Act C30 U.S.C. 201<aKlll. 

< 41 lntormatton means data, statls- tlca, aamples and other facts, whether anal¥Zed or procesaed or not, pertain- Ing to Federal cOal resources, which fit within an exemption to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552<b>. <b> AI>Jlltcabtlttl/. This section ap- plies to the following categories of In- formation: 

<ll C4teiiOT!I A. Information provided to or obtained by a bureau under sec- tion 2<bK3> of the Act from the holder of an exploration license; 

<21 C4tefiOTII B. Information acquired from commerctal or other sources under service contract with Oeologieal Survey pursuant to section BA<b> of the Act, and information developed by the Oeologieal Survey under an ex- ploratory program authorized by sec- tivu ::Au: W~c Act-; -- --------

<3> Cll.tei/OT!I C. Information ob- tained from commercial sources which tbe commercial source aequlred while 

19 
§ 2.41 

not under contract with the United States Government; 

< 4 J Category D. Information provid· 

43 CFR Subtitle A (10-1-92 Edition) 

Subpart C-Declauification of 

Classified Documenh 

partment 

ed to the 

or 

Secretary 

agency pursuant 

by a federal de· § 2.41 Dedanification of classified docu. to sec- ments. 

tion SA<el of the Act; and <a> Request for classification 

<5> Category E. The review. 

fair-market <ll Requests for a classification value of coal to be leased review 

ments and com· of a document of the Department of received by the Secretary With the Interior pursuant to section 5(cl of respect to such value. 

<c> Availabilit!l of i11!ormation. 

Executive Order 11652 (37 FR 5209. In· March 10, 1972> and section III B of formation obtained by the Depart· ment from various sources Will 

the National Security Council Direc· 

made available to the public 

be tlve Governing Classification, Down· as fol· grading, Declassification and Safe· lows: 

<ll Category A-111formation. Cate· guarding of National Security Infor· 

gory A Information shall not be mation <37 FR 10053, May 1972> shall dJs. be made In accordance with the proce· 

areas 

closed 

to 

to 

which 

the public until after the dures established by this section. the Information per· <2> Any person desiring a classlfica· talns have been leased by the Depart· tlon review of a document of the De· ·~ment;-o'i-w:atil 

mines that release 

~ th~ Secct!t.:ary deter~ ---p:...-t:n::at-uf- th~-l:ii.tcriur e:uni:.il..i..ui.ul!rin· 

of the Information formation classified as National Secu· to the public would not damage the rtty Information by reason of the pro· competitive position of the holder of 

any 

viSions predecessor of Executive Order 12065 <or executive order> and the exploration 

comes first. 

license, whichever which Is more than 10 years old, 

should address such request to the <2> Category B-111formation. Cate· Chief. Division of Enforcement and gory B Information shall not be with· security Management, Office of Ad· 

available 

held from 

by 

the 

means 

public; 

of and 

It Will be made minlstratlve Services, u.s. Department at the time of the Interior, Washington, DC of open filing or publication by Geo· 20240. 

logical Survey. <3> Category C-111formation. Cate· (3) Requests need not be made on 

gory C Information shall not be made any special form. but shall, as speci· 

available to the public until fled In the executive order, describe after the the document With sufficient particu· areas to which the Information per· larlty to enable identification of the 

ment. 

talns have been leased by the Depart· document requested With expenditure 

< 4 l Category D-I11formation. 

of no more than a reasonable amount 

gory D Cate· of effort. Information shall be made <4> Charges for locating and repro. available to the public under the duclng copies of records will be made terms and conditions to which. at the when deemed applicable In accordance time he or she acquired it. the head of with appendix A to this Part and the 

the 

the 

Secretary 

department or agency from whom requester will be notified. later obtalned mation agreed. the infor· <bl Action on requests for classi/ica· 

<5> category E-111formation. 

tion review. <1> The Chief, Division of 

cate· Enforcement gory E information shall not be made and Security Manage. ment, shall, unless the request Is for a public until the lands to which the In· 

request 

document over 30 years old, assign the to the bureau having custody formation 

or until the pertains 

Secretary 

have 

has 

been 

determined leased, of the requested records for action. In the case of requests for declasslflca· that Its release prior to the issuance of tion of records 1n the custody of the a lease Is In the public interest. Office of the Secretary and less than 

30 years old, the request shall be proc- essed by the Chief, Division of En· forcement and Security Management. 

20 
- OMe.., tht •••••• ,., .... h;l....., 

Requesta for deelaaatfleatton of docu- menta over 30 :vears shall be referred directlY to the Archivist of the United States. The bureau whJch has been as- signed the request, or the Chief, Dlvi· 

sion of Enforcement and Security Management, in the case of requests assigned to him. shall Immediately ac- knowledge the request in writing. Every effort will be made to complete action on each request withln thlrt:v < 30) days of its receipt. If action cannot be completed withln thirty <301 days, the requester shall be so advised. <21 If the requester does not receive a decision on his request within sixty < 60 > days from the date of receipt of 

most 

his request, or from the date of his recent response to a request for more particUlars, he may apply to the Department of the Interior Oversight Committee for Security, U.S. Depart- ment of the Interior, Washington, DC 20240, for a decision on his request. The Committee must render a decision within thirty (30) days. <c) Form of decision and appeal to 

Oversight Committee for Securit!f. In the event that the bureau to whlch a request is assigned or the Chief. Dlvi· sion of Enforcement and SecuritY Management. in the case of a request assigned to him, determines that the requested information must remain classified by reason of the provisions of Executive Order 11652, the request- er shall be given prompt notification of that decision and, whenever possible, shall be provided With a brief statement as to why the information or material cannot be declassified. He shall also be advised that If he desires he may appeal the determination to the Chairman, Department of the In- terior Oversight Committee for SecuriWashington, 

ty, U.S. Department of the Interior. DC 20240. An appeal shall include a brief statement as to why the requester dlaagrees With the decision which he Is appealing, The Department Oversight Committee for 

Within 

Security shall render Its decision thlrty <301 days of receipt of an appeal. The Departmental Committee shall be authorized to over-rule previ- ous determinations in.:oozhole nr In !'Art. . 

when, in Its Judgement. continued pro- tection Is no longer required. 

liAS 

<dl Appeal to lnteTai1enCI/ Clau(ffcctton Revteu> Committee. Whenever the Department of the Interior Oversight Committee for Security confirms a determination for continued classifica- tion, it shall so notify the requester and advise him that he is entitled to appeal the decision to the Interagency Classification Review Committee es- tablished under section S<Al of the Ex- ecutive Order 11652. Such appeals shall be addressed to the Interagency Classification Review Committee, the Executive Office Building, Washing- ton, DC 20500. 

<e> Suggestions and complaints. Any person may also direct suggestions or 

complaints With respect to the admin- istration of the other provisions of Executive Order 11652 and the NSC Di- rective bY the Department of the Inte- rior to the Department of the Interior Oversight Committee for Security, u.s. Department of the Interior. Washington, DC 20240. 

!40 F'R 7305, Feb. 19, 1975, as amended at 47 

F'R 38327, Aug. 31, 19821 

Subpart D-Privacy Ad 

SoURCE: 40 F'R 44505, Sept. 28. 1975, 

unless otherwise noted. 

12.45 Purpooe and aeope. 

This subpart contains the regula- tions of the Department of the Interi- or Implementing section 3 of the Pri- vacy Act. Sections 2.47 through 2.57 describe the procedures and policies of the Department concernJ.ng mainte- nance of records which are subject to the Act. Sections 2.60 through 2.66 de- scribe the procedure under whlch indi- viduals may determine whether sys- tems of records subJect to the Act con- tain records relating to them and the procedure under which they may seek access to existing records. Sections 2.70 through 2.77 describe the proce- dure under whlch individuals may petition for amendment of records sub- Ject to the Act relating to them. Sec- tion 2.79 lists records s:vstema that 

qUirementA 

have been exempted from certain re- or the Act. - ·· · · - ·-

!41 PR 18883, Dee. 22. 1111131 

21 
Office of the s..,.tary of the Interior 

the testimony of the officer or em- ployee of the Department ls desired, before permission to testify will be 

granted under thl.5 sectlon. 

(CJ The Solicitor of the Department of the Interior ls authorized to exer- cise all of the authority of the Secre- tary of the Interior under this section. 

APPENDIX A TO PART 2-FEEs 

The following uniform tee schedule is applicable to all constituent units of the De· 

members 

partment. It states the fees to be charged to of the publtc tor services per. formed in searching for, revtewtng and du- plicating requested records in connection with FOIA requests made under Subpart B of this part and to services perfonned making in 

documents avaJiable for inspection and copying under Subpart A of this part. 

The duplicating fees stated in the schedule are also applicable to dupUcating of records 

in response to requests made under the Pri- vacy Act. The schedule also states the fee to be charged for certUicatJon of documents. 

ments 

< 1 > Copie&, bcuic tee. For copies of docu- reproduced on a standard office copy- ing rilachlne in sizes to 8 'h: • x 14 •, the charge will be $0.13 per page. 

Example&: For one copy of a three-page document. the fee would be $0.39. For two copies of a three-page document. would the fee be $0. 78. For one copy of a 60-page document. the tee would be $7.80. 

<2> Cof)ie.r, documents requtring .rpecial 

handling. For copies of documents which re- quire special handling because of their age. size. etc .• cost wUl be baaed on direct costs of reproducing the materials. 

<3>-<4> [Reserved] 

<5> Searches. For each quarter hour. or portion thereof. spent by clerical personnel in manual searches to locate requested records: $2.30. For each quarter hour. or 

managerial 

portion thereof. spent by professional or personnel in manual searches to locate requested records because the search cannot be performed by clerical personnel: S4.A!i. 

Search time for which fees may be charged 

material includes all time spent looking for that is responsive to a request, in- cluding line-by-line or page-by-page search to determine whether a record is responsive. even if the search falls to locate records or the records located are determined to be exempt from dlsclosure. Searches will be conducted in the most etflcient and least ex- Pensive manner, so as to rninJm.ize costs toT both the agency and the requester. IJne-by- line or page-by-page identitication should not be necessary it It ta clear on the face of a document that It Is covered by a request. 

APPENDIX F 

Pt. 2, App. A 

<6> Review of record&. For each quarter hour. or portion thereof. spent by clerical 

personnel in revieWing records: $2.30. For 

each quarter hour, or portlon thereof, spent by profess1onal or managerial personnel in reViewing records: S4.65. 

Review is the examins.tlon of documents located in response to a commercial use re- quest to detennine whether any portion of any document located is permitted Withheld to be and the subsequent processing of documents for disclosure by excising exempt material or otherwise preparing 

them for release. Review does not include time spent in resolving general legal or policY issues regardinB' the application of exemptions. 

<7) [Reserved] 

<8> Cert(ftcation. For each certificate of verification attached to authenticated copies of records furnished to the publJc the charlie will be $0.25. 

<9> [Reserved] <10> Computerized records. Char.res for services in processing maintained requests for records in computerized form w111 be 

calculated in accordance with the followin~r 

criteria: 

<a> Costs for processing a data request Will 

be calculated using the same standard direct costs charged to other users of the facility, and/or as specified in the user's manual or handbook published by the computer center in which the work will be performed. <b> An itemized listtn~r of operations re- quired to process the job will be prepared <i.e., time for central processing unit. input/ output. remote terminal. storage, plotters. printing. tape/disc mounting, etc.) With re- lated associated costa: applicable to each op- eration. 

<c> Material costs <i.e .• paper. disks. tape. etc.> will be calculated using the latest ac- quisition price paid by the faciUty. <d> ADP facUlty managers must assure that all cost estimates are accurate, and if challen~red. be prepared to substantiate that the rates are not higher than those charged to Other users of the fac1lity for similar work. Upon request. itemized listings of op- erations and associated costs for processing the job may be furnished to members of the public. 

<e> Requesters entitled to two hours of free search time under 43 CFR 2.20<e> shall not be chareed for that portion of a comput· er search that equals two hours of the salary of the operator perfonninB' the search. 

<11> Postage/mailing costs. Ma.illng charges may be added tor services <such as express mall> that exceed the coat of first class postace. 

35 

<12Hl3J £Reserved] <14> Other 11ervices. When a response to a request requires services or materials other 
Pt. 2, App. I 43 CFR Subtlflo A (10-1-91 Edition) 

than those described In this schedule, the Chief. Rerulatory Development and Issues direct cost of such services or materials to Manaaement, Office of Surface Minine' the Government may be charged, but only Reel•m•tton and Enforcement 1l the requester has been notified of such Chief. Directives Manaa"ement Branch, coat before It Is Incurred. PoUcy and Directives .Man....,ment, u.s. 

CIS> Effective date. This schedule applies Fish and WUciUfe Service, 

Information 

to all requestes Act 

made under the Freedom ofJChlef, Paperwork Management Unit, U.S. and Privacy Act &fter ne.. Geololrical Survey, The National Center. comber 30, 1987. Reston, VA 22092 

[ 52 FR 45592, Nov. 30,1987] Freedom of Information Act Officer, Miner- a1.s Maoaeement Service, 12203 Sunrise 

· Valley Drive, Reston, VA 22091 

APPENDIX B TO PART 2-'RTTli'IUn!li: &'!'lrn 

OFFICES OF THE DEPAR1'MENT OP THE 

IN"rERIOR 

1. Bureau..s and Office• of the Department of the Interior. (The address for all bureaus and offices, unless otherwise indicated, is 

U.S. Department of the Interior, Washing- ton, DC 20240.) 

Seeretary of the Interior, Office of the Seerotary 

Office of Adm1n.lstrtat1ve Services (for Office of the Seeretary components> 

Assistant Secretary, Territorial and Interna- tional Affairs 

Commissioner, Bureau of Indian Affairs 

Director, U.S. Fish and WUciUfe Service 

Director. National Park Service, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, DC, 20013-7127 

Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation 

Director, Bureau of Land Manacement 

Director, Minerals Manacement Service Director, Bureau of Mines, Columbia Plaza, 2401 E Street NW., Wa.shlngton. DC 20241 

Director, Geological Survey, The National Center, Reston, VA 22092 

Director. Offlce of Surface Mlnlng Reclattla· 

tlon and Enforcement 

Director, Offlce of Hearings and Appeal.s, 

4015 WUson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22203 

Inspector General, Office of Inspector General 

Soltcitor, Office of the Sollcttor 

2. Freedom of In.tormatwn O!Jicen of tile 

Department of tile Interior. <The address for all Freedom of Information Officers, unless 

otherwise Indicated, Is U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC 20240,) 

Director, Offlce of Admlnlatratlve Services <for Office of the secretary componenta>. U.S. Department of the Interior 

Director, Office of Adminiatra.tion. Bureau of Indian Affairs 

Freedom of Information Act Officer, Bureau of Land Management Assistant Director, Plnance and Manace- ment, Bureau of Mines, Columbia Plaza. 2401 E Street NW .. Wa.shlngton, DC 20241 

Freedom of Information Act Officer. BureaU of Reclamation 

Chief, D!Vlslon of Media Information. National Park Service 

Information Officer. Office of Inspector General 

3. 0/Jf.ce 0/ Hearings a.nd AJJpeals--Field 

Offlces: 

Administrative Law Judge, 1111 Northshore Drive, Sulte 202, Bldg. # 1, Knoxville, TN 

37919 

A.dmlniatratlve Law Judges, 6432 Federal B1d& .. Salt Lake City, UT 84138 AdmJDistrattve Law Judge <Indian Probate>, Federal Bldg .. Rm. 3427, 230 N. First Ave., 

Phoenix, AZ 85025 

Administrative Law Judge Undian Probate>. 2020 Hurley Way, Suite 150, Sacramento, 

CA 95825 

Administrative Law Judges <Indian Pro· batel. Federal BuDding, Rooms 674 and 

888, Fort Snelll.ng, Twin Cities, MN 55111 Admin1strative Law Judge <Indian Probate>, 421 Gold SW .. Rm. 303, Albuquerque, NM 

87102 

Adm.lnistrative Law Judge <Indian Probate>, 215 Dean A. McOee Ave., Rm. 218, Oklahoma City, OK 73102 

Aclministratlve Law Judee <Indian Probate), Federal Bldg. & Courthouse, 515 9th St., 

Suite 201, Rapid City, SD 57701 Admtntstrattve Law Juda'e <Indian Probate>. Federal Bldg. & Courthouse, Rm. 3329, 

316 N. 26th St., BW!np, MT 59101 

4. Of/ice 0/ the Soltcitor-Field Offices. 

~ Soliciton: 

Relional Solicitor. U.S. Department of the Interior, 701 C Street, Anchorage, AK 

99513 

Regional Solicitor, U.S. Department of the Interior, Room E-2753, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825 

Reetonal Solicitor, U.S. Depa.rtment of the Interior. P.O. Box 25007, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225 

Rea!onal Sollcltor, U.S. Department of the 

Interior. Richard B. Russell Federal BuDding, 75 S!>rln& Street, SW.. Suite 

1328, Atlanta, OA 30303 

Regional Solicitor, U.S. Department of the Interior. Suite 612, One Gateway Center, Newton Comer, KA 02158 

Reetonal Sollcitor, U.S. Department of the Interior. Room 3068, Page Belcher Feder- al BuDding, 333 West 4th Street, Tulsa, 

OK 74103 

36 
APPENDIX G 

THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 

5 U.SeC. §552 

As Amended 

§55:. Public information: agency rules, opinions, orders, records, and proceedings 

(a) Each agency shall make available to the public information as follows: 

(l) Each agency shall separately state and currently publish in the Federal Register for the guidance of the public--

(A) descriptions of its central and field organization and the established places at ~hich, the employees (and in the case of a uniformed service, the members) from whom, and the methods whereby, the public may obtain information, ~ake submittals or requests, or obtain decisions; 

(B) statements of the general course and method by ~hich its functions are channeled and determined, including the nature and requirements of all formal and informal procedures available: 

(C) rules of procedure, descriptions of forms avail- able or the places at which forms may be obtained, and instructions as to the scope and contents of all papers, reports, or examinations; 

(D) substantive rules of general applicability adopted as authorized by law, and statements of general policy or interpretations of general applicability formulated and adopted by the agency: and 

(E) each amendment, revision, or repeal of the fore- going. 

Except to the extent that a person has actual and timely notice of ~he terms thereof, a person may not in any manner be required ~o ~esort to, or be adversely affected by, a matter required to be ~ublished in the Federal Register and not so published. For the purpose of this paragraph, matter reasonably available to the class of persons ~ffected thereby is deemed published in the Federal Register ~hen incorporated by reference therein with the approval of the Director of the ~eder~l Register.. 

(2) Each agency, in accordance with published rules, shall ~ake available for public inspection and copying--

(A). final opinions, including concurring and dissent- ing op1n1ons, as well as orders, made in the adjudication of cases; 

. (B) those statements of policy and interpretations ~h1ch have been adopted by the agency and are not published in the Federal Register: and 

(C) administrative staff manuals and instructions to staff that affect a member of the public; 
FlU:EDOK or DIJ'ORMA'l'ICH AC'l' 

~nless the materials are promptly published and copies o~rared tor sale. To the extent required to prevent a clearly unwarranted ,,.,as1on of personal privacy, an aqency may delete identi~ying :eca1ls ~hen it makes available or publishes an opinion, statement of ~olicy, interpretation, or star~ manual or instruction. Ho~ever, in each case the justification fer the delation shall be explained fully in writing• Each aqency shall also maintain and ~ake available for ptiblic inspection and copying current indexes providing identifying information tor the public as to any matter issued, adopted, or promulgated attar July 4, 1967, and required by 

this paragraph to be made available or published. Each agency shall promptly publish, quarterly or more frequently, and distribute (by sale or otherwise) copies of each index or supplements thereto unless it determines by order published in the Federal Register that the publication would be unnecessary and impracticable, in which case the aqency .shall nonetheless provide copies of such index on request at a cost not to exceed the direct cost of duplication. A final order, opinion, statement of policy, interpretation, or staff manual or instruction that a~rects a member of the public may be 'relied on, used, or cited as precedent by an agency against a party other than an agency only if--

(i) it has been indexed and either made available 

or published as provided by this paragraph: or 

(ii) the party has actual and timely notice or the terms thereof. 

(3) Except with respect to the records made available under paragraphs (l) and (2) or this subsection, each aqency, upon any request for records which (A) reasonably describes such records and (B) is made in accordance with published rules stating the time, place, fees (if any), and procedures to be followed, shall make the records promptly available to any person. 

(4) (A) (i) In order to carry out the provisions o~ this sect~on, each agency shall promulgate regulations, pursuant to notice and receipt of public comment, specifying the schedule of fees applicable to the processing o~ requests under this section and establishing procedures and guidelines for determining when such fees should be waived or reduced. Such schedule shall conform to the guidelines which shall be promulgated, pursuant to notice and receipt of public comment, by the Director o~ the O~fice of Hanagement and Budget and which shall provide for a uniform schedule of fees fer all agencies. 

(ii) Such agency requlations shall provide that --

(I) fees shall be limited to reasonable standard charges for document search, duplication, and review, whe~ records are requested for •:omme~·cial •.taa: 

(II) fees shall be limited to reasonable standard charges for document duplication when records are not sought fer commercial usa and the request is made by an educational 

or noncommercial scientific institution, whose purpose is scholarly or scientific research: or a representative of the news media: and 

(III) for any request not described in (I) or (II), fees shall be limited to reasonable standard charges for document search and duplication. 

(iii) Documents shall be furnished without any charge or at a charge reduced below the fees established under clause (ii) if disclosure of the information is in the pUblic 

- 346 -
FREEDOM OF IHFORKATIOH ACT 

~n~arest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government 

~he 

and is not primarily in the commercial interest of requester. 

(iv) Fee schedules shall provide for the recovery of only the direct costs of search, duplication, or review. Review costs shall include only the direct costs incurred during the initial examination of a document for the purposes of 

determining whether the documents must be disclosed under this section and for the purposes of withholding any portions exempt from disclosure under this section. Review costs may not include any costs incurred in resolving issues of law or policy that may be raised in the course of processing a request under this section. No fee may be charged by any agency under this section --

(I) of the fee 

fee: or 

if the costs of routine collection and processing are likely to equal or exceed the amount of the 

(II) for any request described in clause (ii) (II) or (III) of this subparagraph for the first two hours of search time or for the first one hundred pages of duplication. 

(v) No agency may require advance payment of any fee unless the requester has previously failed to pay fees in a timely fashion, or the agency has determined that the fee will exceed $250. 

(vi) Nothing in this subparagraph shall supersede fees chargeable under a statute specifically providing for setting the level of fees for particular types of records. 

(vii) In any action by a requester regarding the waiver of fees under, this section, the court shall determine the matter de novo, provided that the court's review of the matter shall be limited to the record before the agency. 

(B) on complaint, the district court of the United states in the district in which the complainant resides, or has his principal place of business, or in which the agency records are situated, or in the District of Columbia, has jurisdiction ~o enjoin the agency from withholding agency records and to order the production of any agency records improperly withheld from the complainant. In such a case the court shall determine the matter de novo, and may examine the contents of such agency records in camera to determine whether such records or any part thereof shall be withheld under any of the exemptions set forth in subsection (b) of this section, and the burdan is on th£ ag~ncy to sus~ain its action. 

(C) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 

comp~aint 

defendant shall serve an answer or otherwise plead to any made under this subsection within thirty days after serv~c~ up~n the defendant of the pleading in which such 

cause 

compla~nt ~s made, unless the court otherwise directs for good shown. 

, (D) [Except as to cases the court considers of greater ~mpcrtance, proceedings before the district court, as au~horized by this subsection, and appeals therefrom, take preceden7e on the docket over all cases and shall be assigned for hear~ng and tr~al or for argument at the earliest 

- 347 -
FREECOK OF IBFORHATION ACT 

prac~icabla da~a and expedited in avery way.] Repealed. ?ub. ~. 98-620, Title IV, 402(2), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. :JJS, 3357. 

(E) The court may assess against the United States 'easonable attorney fees and other litigation costs reasonably incurred in any case under this section in which the complainant has substantially prevailed. 

(F) li'henever the court orders the production of any agency records improperly withheld from the complainant and assesses against the united States reasonable attorney fees and other litigation costs, and the court additionally issues a written finding that the circumstances surrounding the withholding raise questions whether aqency personnel acted arbitrarily or capriciously with respect to the withholding, the Special counsel shall ·promptly initiate 'a proceeding to determine whether disciplinary action is warranted against the officer or employee who was primarily responsible for the withholding. The special counsel, after investigation and consideration of the evidence submitted, shall submit his findings and recommendations to the administrative authority of the agency concerned and shall send copies of the findings and recommendations to the officer or employee or his representative. The administrative authority shall take the corrective action that the Spacial counsel recommends. 

(G) In the evant of noncompliance with the order of the court, the district court may punish fc- contempt the responsible employee, and in the case c a uniformed service, the responsible member. 

( 5) 

and rnake 

votes of 

Each agency having more than one member shall maintain available for public inspection a record of the final each member in every agency proceeding. 

(6) (A) Each agency, upon any request for records made· under paragraph (l), (2), or (3) of this subsection, shall--

(i) determine within ten days (excepting Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays) after the receipt of any such request whether to comply with such request and shall immediately notify the person making such request of such determination and the reasons therefor, and of the right of such person to appeal to the head of the agency any adverse determination; and 

(ii) make a determination with respect to any appeal within twenty days (excepting Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays) after the receipt of such appeal. If on appeal the denial of the request fer records is in whole or in part upheld, the agency shall notify the person making such request of the provisions for judicial review of that determination under paragraph (4) of this subsection. 

(B) In unusual circumstances as specified in this subparagraph, the time limits prescribed in either clause (i) or ~lause (ii) of subparagraph (A) may be extended by written not1ce to the person making such request setting forth the reasons for such extension and the date on which a determinat~on is expected to be dispatched. No such notice shall spec1fy a date that would result in an extension for ~ere than ~en working days. As used in this subparagraph, unusual c1rcumstances• means, but only to the extent reas~nably necessary to the proper processing of the part1cular request--

•· 
FREEDOM OF IHrORHA~ION ACT 

~ecords 

(i) the need to search for and collect the requested from field facilities or other establishments are separate that from the office processing the request: 

Cii) the need to search for, collect, and 

and 

appropriately distinct examine a voluminous amount of separate records which are demanded in a single request: or 

(iii) the need for consultation, which shall be 

conducted with all practicable speed, with another agency having a substantial interest in the determin- ation of the request or among two or more components of the agency having substantial subject-matter interest therein. 

records (C) 

under Any person making a request to any agency for 

shall be paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of this subsection deemed to have exhausted his administrative with remedies 

with respect to such request if the agency fails to comply the applicable If time limit provisions of this paragraph. 

that 

the 

the 

Government 

agency 

can show exceptional circumstances exist and is exercising due diligence in responding the request, to 

agency additional 

the court may retain jurisdiction and allow the 

Upon any determination 

time to complete its review of the records. 

for records, by an agency to comply with a request 

such person making 

the records shall be made promptly available to 

of any 

such request. Any notification of denial 

forth request for records under this subsection shall set the names and titles or positions of each person responsible for the denial of such request. 

(b) This section does not apply to matters that are--

an Executive (1) (A) 

order 

specifically authorized under criteria established by 

defense or 

to be kept secret in the interest of national 

pursuant foreign policy and (B) are in fact properly classified to such Executive order: 

and practices 

(2) related solely to the internal personnel rules of an agency: 

(other (3) specifically exempted from disclosure by statute 

statute 

than section 552b of this title), provided that such 

public (A) requires that the matters be withheld from the 

issue, or 

in such a manner as to leave no discretion on the (B) establishes particular criteria for withhold- ing or refers to particular types of matters to be withheld: 

(4) trade secrets and commercial or financial tion obtained informa- from a person and privileged or confidential: 

letters (5) 

which inter-agency would 

or intra-agency memorandums or 

than an agency 

not be available by law to a party other in litigation with the agency: 

disclosure (6) personnel 

of which would 

and medical files and similar files the 

invasion of constitute a clearly unwarranted personal privacy: 

purposes, 

(7) records or information compiled for law enforcement 

enforcement 

but only to the extent that the production of such law re7ords or information to 1nterfere ~lth 

(A) could reasonably be expected enforcement proceedings, person of a (B) would deprive a r1ght to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication, could reasonably be expected (C) 

to constitute an unwarranted invasion 

- 349 -
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AC'l' 

ot ;arsenal privacy, (D) could reasonably be expected to disclose :~e 

==~e~gn 

"dan~ity of a confidential source, includinq a State, local, or agency or authority or any private institution which :-.:~n~shed information on a confidential basis, and, in the case of 3 ~ecord or information compiled by a criminal law enforcement 3u"hority in the course of a criminal investigation or by an agency conducting a lawful national security intelliqence investiqation, information furnished by a confidential source, (E) would disclose ~echniques and procedures for law enforcement investiqations or 

prosecutions, or would disclose guidelines for law enforcement. investigations or prosecutions if such disclosure could reasonably be expected to risk circumvention of the law, or (F) could reasonably be expected to endanqer the life or physical safety of 

any individual: 

(8) conta.ined in or related to examination, operatinq, or condition reports prepared by, on behalf of, or for the use of an agency responsible for the requlation or supervision of 

financial institutions: or 

(9) gecloqical and geophysical information and data, includinq maps, concerninq wells. 

Any reasonably seqreqable portion of a record shall be provided :o any person requesting such record after deletion of the portions -.,hich are exempt under this subsection. 

(c) (1) Whenever a request is made which involves access to records described in subsection (b) (7) (A) ~nd --

(A) the investiqation or proceeding involves a possible violation of criminal law: and 

(B) there is reason to believe that (i) the subject of the investigation or proceeding is not aware of its pendency, and (ii) disclosure of the existence of the records could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement pro- ceedings, 

:he agency may, during only such time as that circumstance con~inues, treat the records as not subject to the requirements of chis section. 

(2) Whenever informant records maintained by a criminal law enforcement aqency under an informant's name or personal identifier are requested by a third party according to the informant's name or personal identifier, the aqency may treat the records as not subjec~ to the requirements of this section unless the informant's s~a~us as an informant has been officially confirmed. 

(3) Whenever a request is made which involves access to records maintained by the.Federal Bureau of Investiqation per~aining to foreign intelliqence or counterintelliqence, or international terrorism, and the existence of the records is 

may, 

classified information as provided in subsection (b) (1), the Bureau as lonq as the existence of the records remains classified information, treat the records as not subject to the requirements of this section. 

(d) This section does not authorize withholding of information or limit the availability of records to the public, except as specifically stated in this section. This section is not au:hority to withheld information from congress. 
FREEDOM OF IHFORKA'l'IOH AC'l' 

(e) on or before March 1 of each calendar year, each aqency shal! submit a report coverinq the precedinq calendar year to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of the Senate :~r ~eterra1 to the appropriate committees of the Conqress. The ~epor~ shall include--

(1) the number of determinations made by such aqency not to comply with requests for records made to such aqency under subsection (a) and the reasons for each such de~ermination: 

(2) the number of appeals made by persons under subsection (a) (6), the result of such appeals, and the 

reason for the action upon each appeal that results in a 

denial of information: 

(3) the names and titles or positions of each person resconsible for the denial of records requested under this sec~ion, and the number of instances of participation for 

each; 

(4) the results of each proceedinq conducted pursuant to subsection (a) (4) (F), includinq a report of the disciplinary action taken aqainst the officer or employee •.vho was primarily responsible for improperly withholdinq records or an explana~ion of why disciplinary action was not 

taken: 

(5) a copy of every rule made by such aqency reqardinq this section; 

(6) a copy of the fee schedule and the total amount of fees collected by the aqency for makinq records available under this section; and 

(7) such other information as indicates efforts to ad~inister fully this section. 

The Attorney General shall submit an annual report on or before ~arch 1 of each calendar year which shall include for the prior calendar year a listinq of the number of cases arisinq under this sec~ion, the exemption involved in each case, the disposition of such case, and the cost, fees, and penalties assessed under sub- sections (a) (4) (E), (F), and (G). such report shall also include a description of the efforts undertaken by the Department of Justice to encouraqe aqency compliance with this section. 

(f) For purposes of this section, the term waqencyw as defined in section 551(1) of this title includes any Executive department, military department, Government corporation, Government controlled corporation, or c·~he1.· estaDlishment in the executive branch of the Government (includinq the Executive Office of the President), or any independent requlatcry aqency. 

• • * * • 

Section 1804. Effective Dates (not to be codified]. 

(a) The amendments made by section 1802 (the modification of Exemption 7 and the addition of the new subsection (c)] shall be effective on the date of enactment of this Act (October 27 19861 

and shall apply with respect to any requests for records, ~hether' or not the request "'as made prier to such date, and shall apply to any civil action pendinq en such date. 

- 351 -
FREEDOM OJ' IliJ'ORHATIOH ACT 

(b) (1) The amendments made by section 1803 [the new fee and ~ee ·.,aiver provisions J shall be effective 180 days after the date ~f ':he enac~men~ of this Act [April 25, 1987], except that ~egula~ions to implement such amendments shall be promulgated by 

sucn l80th day. 

(2) The amendments made by section 1803 shall apply with 

respect to any requests for records, whether or not the request was 

made prior to such date, and shall apply to any civil action 

pending on such date, except tnat review charges applicable to 

records requested for commercial use shall not be applied by an 

agency to requests made before the effective date specified in 

paragraph (1) of this subsection or before the agency has finally 

issued its regulations. 
APPENDIX H 

f'edenl R..Pater I Vol. 52. No. 1Z2 I Thunda~·. June 2.5. 11187 I Pr'llsidellttel D1 

Presidential Documents 

Executive Order 12600 of June 23, 11187 

Predisclosure Notification Procedures for Confidential 

Commercial Infonnatioa 

By the authority vested in me 81 Preaident the United States of America. ,by the Constitution and statutes of 

tion procedures and in order ID provide predisclosure notific.a· 

commercial 

under the Freedom of Information Act concerning confidential 

more uniform. 

information. and to make existing agency notification pro\isions it ia hereby ordered aa follows: 

Freedom 

Section 1. 

of 

The head of each Eltecutive department and agency aubject to the 

procedures Information Act ahall to the extent permitted by law, establiah 

information 

to notify submitters of recorda containing confidential commercial as described requested under 

in aection 3 of thia Order. when those recorda are 

amended. if after 

the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). 5 U.S.C. 552. as reviewing appeal by the requeat. the responsive recorda. and any the requester, the deputment or asency determines required to disclose that It may be 

faith efforts 

the records. Such notice requires that an agency use good· to adviae submitters of confidential commercial procedures established information of the 

volwninoua number of 

under thia Order. Further. where notification of a eubmittera pliahed by posting ia required. euch notlficetlon may be accom· or publiahina the notice in a place reaeonably calculated accomplieh notification. to 

Sec. 2. For purposes of thie Order, the following definitions apply: 

(a) "Confidential coDUDercial government by a 

information" mean• recorda provided to the submitter leaae under Exemption 

that arauably contain material exempt from rebecause disclosure 

4 of the Freedom of Information Act. 5 U.S.C. 552{b)(4), 

petitive harm. 

could reuonably be expected to cau11 eubatantial com· 

mercial 

[b) "Submitter" 

information 

meana any penon or entity who provide• confidential com· to the government. The term "eubmitter" 

not limited 

includes. but ie 

to. corporations, alate sovemmanta. and foreisn governments. 

1, 

S.C. 

11188. 

S. (a) For confidential commercial Information eubmitted prior to January 

permitted 

the 

by 

head of each Executive depar!lllent or agency ehall to the extent 

whenever: lew, provide a eubmittar with notice punuant to eection 1 

deaignated 

(I) the recorda 

by 

are len than 10 yean old and the Information haa been the submitter u confidential commercial information: or 

information 

(li) the department 

could 

or agency haa reaaon to believe that diacloaure of the 

harm. reaaonably be expectad to cauee eubetantial competitive 

(b) For confidential commercial 1988. the head of information eubmitted on or after January 1. 

permitted by 

each Eltecutive department or •seney shall, to the extent law, eetablieh procedure• commercial to permit eubmitten of confidential information to deli~~D&te, at the time the information to the Federal ie eubmitted government or a reasonable time thereafter. any information diecloaure of which the 

cauee 1ub1tantial 

the submitter claim• could re81onably be expected to 

the expiration. after competitive harm. Such asency procedure• may provide for 

designation• of competitive 

a specified period of lima or chana•• in circumatances. of hann made by 1ubmitten. Additionally. auch 
F"-1 R..Uter I Vol. 5%. No. 1Z2 I Thuraday. June 2S. 1987 I Presidential Document• 

procedure• may pennit the agency to designate specific cla11e1 .of information 

by 

that will be treated by the agency u if the information had been 10 designated 

the 

the 

extent 

subm1tter. 

permuted 

The head of each Executive department or agency shall. to 

1ection 1 by law, provide the submitter notice in accordance with 

may be 

of this Order whenever the department or agency determines tha 1 it 

required to diaclose recorda: 

(i) designated punuant to this subsection: or 

(ii) the discloaure of whic;b the department or agency haa reaaon to believe 

could reasonably ba expected to cause substantial competitive harm. 

Sec. 4. When notification 

procedures 

ia made pursuant to aection 1, each agency's 

reasonable 

shall. to the extent permitted by law. afford the submitter a 

the disclosure period of time in which the submitter or ita deai&nee may object to 

grounds upon which 

of any specified portion of the information and to alate all disclosure Ia opposed. • 

Sec. s. Each agency ahall give c;areful consideration 8J'Ounda to all auch specified 

the 

for nondiaclosure prior to maldng an administrative determination of 

ed 

issue. In all instances when the agency determine~ to diacloae the request· 

written 

records, 

statement 

ita procedures ahall provide that the agency give the aubmitter a 

sustained. 

briefly explaining why the submitter's objectiona are not 

reasonable 

Such 

number 

statement shall. to the extent permitted by law, be provided a of daya prior to a apecified diacloaure date. 

confidential 

Sec:. a. Whenever a FOIA requester brinp auit aeeklna to compel diacloaure of commercial lnforma lion. each agency'a procedurea ahall require that the submitter be promptly notified. • 

shall 

Sec:. '1. 

be 

The dni&nation and notification procedurea required by thia Order 

procedures 

utabliahed by regula tiona, after notice and public comment. If similar or regulation• already eXist. they should be reviewed for conformibe 

ty and 

modified 

revised whel'll neceaaary. EXiatlng procedures or regulationa need not 

if they are in compliance with thla Order. 

S.C. a. The notice requirements of thla Order need not be followed if: 

(a) The agency determines that the Information should not ba diacloaed; 

(b) The Information baa been publiahed or haa been officially made available to the pubUc: 

(c) Diacloaure of the Information Ia required by law (other than 5 U.S.C. 552); 

(d) The diacloaurela required by an qency rule that (1) waa adopted purauant to notice and public comment, (2} apeciflea narrow claaan of recorda submit· 

Act. 

ted to the qency that are to be relea~ed under the Freedom of IJiformation and (3} providaa in exceptioaal c:ircllmJtanca 

submitter providat written for notice when the jualificatiOD. at the lima tha Information Ia aubmit· ted or a l'llaaonabla lime thereafter, that diadotura of the Information could 

l'llaaonably ba expected to cause aubalalltial competitive harm: 

(e) The Information requeated Ia not daaflnated by the aubmitter 81 exempt from diacloaure in accordance with qmcy replationa promulgated pursuant to section 7, when the submitter bad an opportwlity aubmlaaioa to' do 80 at the lime of of the Information or a l'llaaoneble qency baa lima therlafter. onleaa the 

would mull 

aubttantlal 1'1181on to believe that dlaclolure of the Information 

ill competitive harm; or 

(f) 

tiona 

The 

pl'ODllllgated 

daaip1alion made by the submitter in accordance with qency regula- pureuant to aection '1 appean obvinualy frivoloua; except 

of 

that. 

any 

ill auch caM. the a1mcy muat provide the submitter with wrlttan notice 

number 

final adminletrative diacloaura datermiDation within a raaaonable 

of daye prtor to the specified disclosure date. . 

S.C. 

dlacloae 

L Whenever an agency notifies a submitter that it may be required to 

notify 

illformaUon pursuant to section 1 of thla Order. tha qency ehall alao the requester that notice and an opportunity to comment an being 
Federal llel(loler I \'ol. 5Z, !'lo. 1:: I Thursday, June zs. 1987 I Presidential Oocumenlf 23783 

,,_,,_ 

oll':U&pml 

• n-....os.-M 

provided the aubmiller. Whenever an agency notifies a aubmitter of a final 

dectsion pursuant to tection s of thia Order. the agency shall also nohfy the requester. 

Set. 10. This Order i1 intended only to improve the internal management of 

the Federal government. and ia not intended to create any nght or benefit. aubstantive or procedural. erJorceable at la\Y by a party agatnst the United 

States. its agencies. ita officers. or any penon. 

'IliE WHITE HOUSE. 

June Z3. 1981. 

' 
United 'Stat~s Department of the Interior 

OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING 

Reclamation and Enforcement 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240 

SEP 2 0 1993 

{~ 1 w. Hord Tipton 

1. Purpose. The purpose of this directive is to implement the Freedom of 

OFFICIAL 

FILE COPY 

Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552, in accordance with the procedures 

established in the Department of the Interior regulations contained in 43 CFR 

Part 2, Subpart B-Requests for Records. It also provides internal guidelines 

and procedures for routing requests, reviewing documents for FOIA allowed 

exemptions, and responding to requests made to the Office of Surface Mining 

Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) under the FOIA, in keeping with the spiri·~~-=---f 

of the FOIA (43 CFR 2.13(a)(b).) 

SURNAME 

2. Summarv of Changes. This directive revises and supersedes Directivel----f 

INF-3, Title Transmittal Number 721, dated May 14, 1992. The significant DATE 

revisions are as follows: 1-o-:,"'",,""'c"'"o: --1 

a. Section 3.e., Agency Record, has been expanded to refer reader SURNAME 

to INF-1, Records Management Manual, for guidance on filing procedures and 1-D-:Ac:::T::-o:---1 

records disposition. · 

OF~ICE b. Sections 4.b.(11), 4.b.(16), and 4.b.(22) have been revised to add~~~-1 

the requirement that responses that quote the appeal rights must be mailed by suRNAME 

Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested. DATE 

c. Section 4.b.(20), Billing for Collection of Fees, has been expands 

to address non-payment of fees by the requester and subsequent action. 

d. Appendix C, Illustration 5. A new sample letter has been added 

which should be sent to the requester of commercial (b)(4) information when 

the company that provided the information must be contacted for clearance to 

release the information. 

OFFICE 

SURNAMI! 

DATE 

OF ... ICI! 

SURNAME 

e. Appendix C, Illustration 6. A new sample letter has been added t DATE 

be sent to the requester asking for the assurance of payment of fees. 

'