Opinion ID: 171697
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Karl Hess Reports

Text: The Counties' final FOIA request was sent to the Office of the Secretary of the Interior on March 9, 2005. Aplt.App. 227-30. Like the previous requests, this one sought documents and other records relating to livestock grazing permits administered by the BLM on the National Monument, and the retirement of grazing on those allotments. Aplt.App. 227-30. After conducting two searches, the Office of the Secretary of the Interior released several documents but withheld others pursuant to FOIA Exemptions 5 and 6. Aplt. App. 231-36; see Bd. of County Comm'rs of Kane County, 2007 WL 2156613, at ; Aplt.-Cross-Aplee. Br. 7; see also 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(5)-(6). Included in the withheld documents were three documents authored by Karl Hess, a consultant hired by the Department of the Interior to assess policy alternatives concerning grazing and voluntary retirement of grazing permits in the National Monument. See Bd. of County Comm'rs of Kane County, 2007 WL 2156613, at . The Counties then filed an administrative appeal, which was never resolved by the Department of the Interior, Aplt.App. 46, ¶ 120, and subsequently sought judicial review.