Opinion ID: 454902
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Instance One

Text: 12 The basis of the first instance of alleged noncompliance with FOIA was a letter to EPA's Region 10 office dated September 29, 1981 requesting, as later characterized by Zemansky, documents relating to (1) EPA water quality surveys in Alaska and (2) interactions between EPA and the TAPS builder, Alyeska. Zemansky complains on appeal that EPA's response overlooked the second group entirely.... EPA has produced no affidavit or specific explanation of any search for records of the second group requested. 2 (Emphasis is Zemansky's.) The EPA maintains that its affidavits were sufficient. 13 The affidavits portray an adequate search for documents related to interactions between EPA and Alyeska. Micheline Ward, the FOIA coordinator for the Region 10 Water Division since June, 1982, was assigned to review Zemansky's requests and search for, or initiate searches for, relevant documents. In her affidavit, Ward describes her search for certain documents requested in the letter of September 29, 1981 generally regarding the trans-Alaska pipeline system, thus clearly addressing herself to the second group. Ward reports finding an October 22, 1981 letter to Zemansky from James Sweeney, the then-Director of the Alaska Operations Office (AOO), stating that none of the requested material could be found at the AOO. The files also showed that Ward's supervisor had contacted Sweeney's successor, who also reported finding no relevant documents. 14 Ward also contacted Sweeney, who told her that he had no knowledge of any existing AOO documents other than some that had been sent to the Seattle regional office for EPA attorney Cheryl Koshuta to review as part of her work in another Zemansky-EPA suit. At Ward's request, Koshuta reviewed the documents that had been sent to her (consisting of one large box of files) and found nothing generally regarding the Trans-Alaska-Pipeline. Based on her personal knowledge of the contents of the files, Koshuta concluded that the files in my custody do not contain documents which are in response to the FOIA request of September 29, 1981. 15 Ward's supervisor, Robert Burd, submitted an affidavit explaining that the AOO files had been shipped to the Seattle office for Koshuta's use. Burd also reports checking with Sweeney's successor at AOO, who reported finding nothing responsive to the request. 16 Contrary to Zemansky's assertions, the affidavits do not ignore the second group of documents requested in the September 29, 1984 letter, that is, those relating to inter-actions between EPA and the TAPS builder Alyeska. The affidavits all report searches for documents responsive to this letter and generally related to TAPS.