Opinion ID: 166190
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Contributing to the Public's Understanding

Text: 15 FOIA fee waivers are limited to disclosures that enlighten more than just the individual requester but will contribute to the general public's understanding of the government's operations or activities. To clarify the second part of the fee waiver test, DOI regulations direct requesters to address the following criteria: 16 (i) How are the contents of the records you are seeking meaningfully informative on the Department's or a bureau's operations and activities? Is there a logical connection between the content of the records and the operations or activities you are interested in? 17 (ii) Other than enhancing your knowledge, how will disclosure of the requested records contribute to the understanding of the public at large or a reasonably broad audience of persons interested in the subject? 18 (iii) Your identity, vocation, qualifications, and expertise regarding the requested information (whether you are affiliated with a newspaper, college or university, have previously published articles, books, etc.) may be relevant factors. However, merely stating that you are going to write a book, research a particular subject, or perform doctoral dissertation work, is insufficient, without demonstrating how you plan to disclose the information in a manner which will be informative to a reasonably broad audience of persons interested in the subject. 19 (iv) Do you have the ability and intention to disseminate the information to the general public or a reasonably broad audience of persons interested in the subject? 20 (A) How and to whom do you intend to disseminate the information? 21 (B) How do you plan to use the information to contribute to public understanding of the Government's operations or activities? 22 43 C.F.R. Part 2, App. D(b)(2)(i)—(iv). 23 In the materials submitted to the BLM, Forest Guardians asserted that the requested records provide important information related to the BLM's facilitation of the collateralization of grazing permits and may show how, if at all, the BLM's land management policy is influenced by particular special interest groups. The use of public funds to facilitate the collateralization of grazing permits on public land is certainly important to the public's understanding of the BLM. An understanding of how the BLM makes policy decisions, including the influence of any outside groups on this process, is also important to the public's understanding of the BLM. Cf. Judicial Watch, Inc., 326 F.3d at 1313-14 (noting that question of whether documents related to IRS commissioner's possible conflict of interest contribute to public's understanding of IRS operations does not depend on whether, in fact, the commissioner had a conflict of interest). The redacted records sought by Forest Guardians reveal the names of the particular lending institutions, the total dollar amount of loans secured by grazing permits, and the BLM field office to which such permits are attached. The records will therefore inform the public of the extent of the BLM's facilitation of the collateralization of grazing permits by way of the BLM's administrative policies and regulations. Additionally, by identifying particular lenders and revealing the monetary and geographical scope of the collateralization program, the records arguably elucidate the decision-making process of the BLM related to its land management policy. 24 In its fee waiver request Forest Guardians explained the organization's mission and goals. Forest Guardians also provided a detailed explanation of the means by which it communicates information to the public and how it planned on disseminating the requested records. See 43 C.F.R. Part 2, App. D(b)(2)(iv)(A)—(B). Among other things, Forest Guardians publishes an online newsletter, which is e-mailed to more than 2,500 people and stated that it intend[s] to establish an interactive grazing web site with the information obtained from the BLM. By demonstrating that the records are meaningfully informative to the general public and how it will disseminate such information, Forest Guardians has shown that the requested information is likely to contribute to the public's understanding of the BLM's operations and activities.