A formal appeal must be filed no later than 90 business days after the date of our final response. You may file an appeal when:
- Records or parts of records you have requested have been withheld;
- Our response states that OIG does not possess the records requested, and you have reason to believe otherwise;
- Our response states that you did not adequately describe the records;
- OIG does not address all aspects of your request;
- You believe there is a procedural deficiency, such as OIG improperly calculated fees for processing your request;
- A fee waiver has been denied;
- A request for expedited processing has been denied or not responded to on time; or
- We have not responded to your request within the time limit.
Before filing a formal appeal, you may want to contact the OIG FOIA Officer at FOIA@doioig.gov to see if the issue can be resolved informally.
You must file your appeal in writing and prominently display the phrase "FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT APPEAL" on the first page. You may fax your appeal to the OIG FOIA Appeals Office at 703-487-5432, email it to oig_foiaappeals@doioig.gov, or mail it to:
Office of Inspector General
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW.
MS-4428
Washington, DC 20240
Attn: FOIA/Privacy Act Appeals Office
Contact:
Telephone: 303-236-9161
Fax: 703-487-5432
Email: oig_foiaappeals@doioig.gov
While you are not required to give any explanation, you may strengthen your request by explaining the basis for your appeal.
DOI OIG has 20 business days after receiving your appeal letter to respond, if your appeal meets all regulatory requirements for an appeal. If you have not received a decision on your appeal within 20 workdays, you have the right to seek judicial review in a District Court of the United States.
If the DOI OIG FOIA Appeals Office grants your appeal, it will be remanded to the OIG, and we will either grant access to the records or explain the reason for the delay. If the Appeals Office's decision is to deny your appeal, the Appeals Officer will state the reason for the decision in writing and inform you of the FOIA provision for judicial review.
Additional information pertaining to appeals may be found in Subpart H of the DOI FOIA regulations.