|
|
|
| Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act |
Electronic Reading Room |
|
Welcome to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), Office of Inspector General (OIG) Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act Page. This page provides basic guidance about the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 5 U.S.C. 552, and the Privacy Act (PA) of 1974 5 U.S.C.552a, to assist members of the public in exercising their rights to obtain agency records created by the DOI, OIG. |
|
| Freedom of Information Act |
|
Requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act should be submitted to:
U.S. Department of the Interior
Office of Inspector General
Attn: Sandra Evans, FOIA Officer
1849 C Street, N.W.
MS-4428-MIB
Washington, D.C. 20240
|
|
A written request may be faxed to (703) 487-5406 or e-mail may be sent to FOIA@doioig.gov.
|
|
| A FOIA request must be in writing. No telephone requests will be accepted. If you do not know the exact title of the document you are seeking, you should provide a reasonable description of the document. The more information that you can provide about the document, such as its author or date, the more expeditiously your request will be processed. |
|
FOIA Appeal of OIG Documents
If you wish to file a FOIA appeal, please follow the guidance set forth in 43 CFR Part 2 shown below:
2.28 When may I file an appeal?
(a) You may file an appeal when: (1) Records or parts of records have been withheld; (2) The bureau informs you that you have not adequately described the records you are seeking, or that it does not possess responsive records and you have reason to believe it does or you question the adequacy of the bureaus search for responsive records; (3) A decision has not been made on your request within the time limits provided in 2.12; (4) The bureau did not address all aspects of your request for records; (5) You believe there is a procedural deficiency (e.g., fees are improperly calculated); (6) A fee waiver has been denied; or (7) A request for expedited processing has been denied or not responded to on time. (Special procedures apply to this type of appeal (see 2.14, 2.29(c), and 2.32(b)). An appeal of this type relates only to the request for expedited processing and does not constitute an appeal of your underlying request for records. (b) Before filing an appeal, you may wish to communicate with the contact person listed in the FOIA response or the bureaus FOIA Officer to see if the issue can be resolved informally. Informal resolution of your concerns may be appropriate where the bureau has not responded to your request or where you believe the search conducted was not adequate. In this latter instance, you may be able to provide additional information that may assist the bureau in locating records. However, if you wish to file an appeal, it must be received by the FOIA Appeals Officer within the time limits in 2.29.
2.29 How long do I have to file an appeal?
(a) Appeals covered by 2.28(a)(1), (2), and (4) thru (6). Your appeal must be received by the FOIA Appeals Officer no later than 30 workdays after the date of the final response or 30 workdays after receipt of any records that are provided to you. (b) Appeals covered by 2.28(a)(3). You may file an appeal any time after the time limit for responding to your request has passed. (c) Appeals covered by 2.28(a)(7). You should file an appeal as soon as possible.
2.30 How do I file an appeal?
(a) You must submit your appeal in writing, i.e., by mail, fax or e-mail, to the FOIA Appeals Officer, U.S. Department of the Interior (see Appendix A for the address). Your appeal must include the information specified in paragraph (b) of this section. Failure to send your appeal directly to the FOIA Appeals Officer may result in a delay in processing. (b) Your appeal must contain copies of all correspondence between you and the bureau, including your request and the bureaus response (if there is one). DOI will not begin processing your appeal and the time limits for responding to your appeal will not begin to run until these documents are received. (c) You also should include in as much detail as possible any reason(s) why you believe the bureaus response was in error. (d) Include your name and daytime telephone number (or the name and telephone number of an appropriate contact), e-mail address and fax number (if available), in case DOI needs additional information or clarification of your appeal. (e) If you file an appeal concerning a fee waiver denial or a denial of expedited processing, you should, in addition to complying with paragraph (b) of this section, demonstrate fully how the criteria in 2.19(b) (see Appendix D) or 2.14(a) are met. You also should state in as much detail as possible why you believe the initial decision was incorrect. (f) All communications concerning your appeal should be clearly marked with the words: FREEDOM OF INFORMATION APPEAL.
The address/phone number/ fax number for FOIA Appeals is:
Department of the Interior
FOIA Appeals Officer
1849 C Street, NW
MS-6566, MIB
Washington, DC 20240
202/208-5339
Fax: 202/208-6677
|
|
| The Privacy Act |
|
| Request for information under the Privacy Act should be sent to the same address as FOIA request. |
|
| Additional Information |
|
| FOIA and Policy Guidance includes the statutory and regulatory citations relevant to the FOIA and DOI policies and procedures. |
|
| PA and Policy Guidance includes statutory and regulatory citations relevant to PA and DOI policies and procedures. |
|
| Page last updated: October 14, 2008 |
|