Opinion ID: 171697
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: E-mail Communication on Backup Tapes

Text: Included in the Counties' FOIA requests was a request for all e-mail communications sent or received from employees at the National Monument pertaining to Canyonlands from June 1, 1999, to March 11, 2003 (the date of the FOIA request). Aplee. Supp.App. 140-41. David Hunsaker, manager of the National Monument, responded to the FOIA request, noting that records were available for the e-mail communications on staff computers at that time and that any printed copies of e-mails were available in staff files. However, Mr. Hunsaker indicated that older e-mail records, which were included in the Counties' request, are not maintained by the National Monument staff but are instead held on backup tapes housed at the Utah State Office of the BLM. Aplee. Supp.App. 142. The Counties then requested those backup-tape e-mail records. Aplee. Supp. App. 122-23. The Utah State Office responded to the Counties, seeking clarification of the request and noting that production of the requested records would be extremely time consuming and cost prohibitive given the more than 600 backup tapes. Aplee. Supp.App. 124-25. The Utah State Office further noted that the estimated cost of complying with the request based upon 72 employees would be in excess of $800,000. Aplee. Supp.App. 124. The Utah State Office later revised that estimate due to clarification from the Counties, concluding that production of the materials on the backup tapes would be $280,430.70 based upon 17 employees, and noting that it would not begin processing the request without a fee waiver from the Counties. Aplee. Supp.App. 126. On October 14, 2003, the Counties requested a waiver of fees pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(A)(iii). Aplee. Supp.App. 127-34; see 43 C.F.R. §§ 2.19, 2.20. On November 6, 2003, the Utah State Office denied the request on the grounds that copies of some of the e-mails had been previously provided and that any remaining e-mails on the backup tapes would not make a significant contribution to public understanding of government operations as required for a fee waiver under the statute. Aplee. Supp.App. 119-21. The Counties then appealed the denial of the fee waiver to the Department of the Interior's FOIA appeals office. Aplee. Supp. App. 112-18. That office, however, did not resolve the appeal and advised the Counties of their right to seek judicial review of the matter. See Bd. of County Comm'rs of Kane County, 2007 WL 2156613, at .