DOI OS COVID19 (Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor)
| Tracking # |
2021-00809-FOIA-OS 23-00043-R 2021-00199-FOIA-OS 2022-NPFO-00154 2021-158 602978, SOL-2020-00124 602978 |
| Multi Request | DOI OS COVID19 |
| Submitted | March 17, 2020 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Jimmy Tobias
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
1) Any and all emails, including email attachments, sent or received by David Bernhardt, Katharine MacGregor, Todd Willens, Daniel Jorjani, Douglas Domenech, Lori Mashburn, Susan Combs and/or James Cason that mention or refer to the Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19 or COVID19.
2) All policy and legal guidance, any and all internal letters and memos, and any and all drafts and final talking points produced by the Office of the Secretary and/or the Office of the Solicitor that referred to the virus.
This request seeks records produced since February 1, 2020.
I am a reporter for The Guardian.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Jimmy Tobias
From: Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor
Good morning Mr. Tobias,
Attached is the Solicitor's combined acknowledgment letter for your FOIA requests received on March 18 and 25, 2020.
Sincerely,
Lance Purvis
Office of the Solicitor FOIA Officer
From: Jimmy Tobias
Hello SOL FOIA Office,
Please let me know when I can expect to receive records related to this request. Thank you.
Jimmy Tobias
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 17, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #602978, SOL-2020-00124.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 17, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #602978, SOL-2020-00124.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 17, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #602978, SOL-2020-00124.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 17, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #602978, SOL-2020-00124.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 17, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #602978, SOL-2020-00124.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor
Good Afternoon,
Attached is our acknowledgment of your DHS FOIA request. If you need to contact this office again concerning your request, please provide the DHS reference number. This will enable us to quickly retrieve the information you are seeking and reduce our response time. This office can be reached at 866-431-0486.
Regards,
DHS Privacy Office
Disclosure & FOIA Program
STOP 0655
Department of Homeland Security
245 Murray Drive, SW
Washington, DC 20528-0655
Telephone: 1-866-431-0486 or 202-343-1743
Fax: 202-343-4011
Visit our FOIA website (http://www.dhs.gov/foia)
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 17, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #602978, SOL-2020-00124.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 17, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #602978, SOL-2020-00124.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor
Dear Mr. Tobias,
It appears from your below email that you are seeking information regarding a request being handled by the Department of the Interior (DOI) FOIA office. You have contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Privacy Office. Please reach out to the DOI FOIA office at sol.foia@sol.doi.gov<mailto:sol.foia@sol.doi.gov> or the appropriate point of contact provided to you by that office.
Regards,
DHS Privacy Office
Disclosure and FOIA Program
STOP 0655
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
2707 Martin Luther King Jr. AVE SE
Washington, DC 20032
Telephone: 1-866-431-0486 or 202-343-1743
Fax: 202-343-4011
foia@hq.dhs.gov<mailto:foia@hq.dhs.gov%0d>
Visit our FOIA website<https://www.dhs.gov/privacy-office>
Warning: This communication, along with any attachments, is covered by federal and state law governing electronic communications and may contain confidential and legally privileged information such as found under 49 CFR 1520 or the Privacy Act of 1974. It should not be communicated to any person, or agency, unless disclosure is in performance of official DHS duties and there exists a valid need to know. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, use or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this in error, please reply immediately to the sender and delete this message.
[cid:image001.jpg@01D04C5B.4459DFE0]
From: Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor
Good Morning, Attached is our final response to your request. If you need to contact this office again concerning your request, please provide the DHS reference number. This will enable us to quickly retrieve the information you are seeking and reduce our response time. This office can be reached at 866-431-0486. Regards, DHS Privacy Office
Disclosure & FOIA Program
STOP 0655
Department of Homeland Security
245 Murray Drive, SW
Washington, DC 20528-0655
Telephone: 1-866-431-0486 or 202-343-1743
Fax: 202-343-4011
Visit our FOIA website
-
2021-HQFO-00114
From: Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor
RE: FOIA Request # 2021-00199-FOIA-OS
January 06, 2021
Dear Mr. Tobias,
attached is an acknowledgment letter to your FOIA request.
Sincerely,
Kaira Wells
From: Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor
January 29, 2021 SENT VIA E-MAIL TO: requests@muckrock.com Re: FOIA Request Number 2021-FEFO-00245 Acknowledgment Dear Jimmy Tobias: This email acknowledges receipt of your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to United States Department of the Interior on March 25, 2020 and later referred to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on January 27, 2021 . You are seeking REFERRALthe following:1) Any and all emails, including email attachments, sent or received by David Bernhardt, Katharine MacGregor, Todd Willens, Daniel Jorjani, Douglas Domenech, Lori Mashburn, Susan Combs and/or James Cason that mention or refer to the Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19 or COVID19.2) All policy and legal guidance, any and all internal letters and memos, and any and all drafts and final talking points produced by the Office of the Secretary and/or the Office of the Solicitor that referred to the virus. Your request has been assigned the following tracking number 2021-FEFO-00245 . Due to current working conditions in response to the COVID -19 outbreak, please expect a delay in our response. Please be assured that we continue our commitment to provide timely FOIA responses and are processing your FOIA request as soon as possible. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this matter, pPlease reference FOIA request number lease contact the assigned FOIA specialist directly at, ou may also contact FEMA at juan.vegasandoval@fema.dhs.gov. For a faster response please contact the FOIA specialist by email. Y (mailto:juan.vegasandoval@fema.dhs.gov) , (202) 646-3323, or you may contact FEMA’s Public Liaison in the same manner. (mailto:FEMA-FOIA@fema.dhs.gov) FEMA-FOIA@fema.dhs.gov 2021-FEFO-00245. Thank you for your interest in FEMA. Sincerely, Disclosure Branch Information Management Division Office of the Chief Administrative Officer Federal Emergency Management Agency U.S. Department of Homeland Security
From: Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 17, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #2021-158.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 17, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #2021-158.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 17, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #2021-158.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 17, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #2021-158.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 17, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #2021-158.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor
Good afternoon,
2021-FEFO-00245
The purpose of this email will be to provide a status update on the above referenced request. Records responsive to you request have been placed into the queue for review by one of our analyst. We estimate that you will receive a response to this request on or near September 6, 2020. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience with us. We will notify you if this date should change. Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Juan Vega
Government Information Specialist | Information Management Division | Office of the Chief Administrative Officer
Office: (202) 646-3323 | Work Mobile: (202) 674-2989
juan.vegasandoval@fema.dhs.gov<mailto:juan.vegasandoval@fema.dhs.gov>
Federal Emergency Management Agency
fema.gov<http://www.fema.gov/>
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 17, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #2021-158.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor
Good afternoon,
Thank you for your email. I don’t seem to find a request 2021-FEFO-00158. However, I see from the email chain that the FOIA request 2021-FEFO-00245 was referenced and associated with your email. For 2021-FEFO-00245, records have been received and they are in the queue pending review by one of our analyst. Once the analyst finishes the review, they will be released to you.
We thank you for your patience with us.
Sincerely,
Juan Vega
Government Information Specialist | Information Management Division | Office of the Chief Administrative Officer
Office: (202) 646-3323 | Work Mobile: (202) 674-2989
juan.vegasandoval@fema.dhs.gov<mailto:juan.vegasandoval@fema.dhs.gov>
Federal Emergency Management Agency
fema.gov<http://www.fema.gov/>
-
~WRD0001
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 17, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #2021-158.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 17, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #2021-158.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 25, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #2021-158.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor
Good afternoon,
FEMA does not have records of a FOIA request 2021-158. I see that your email is addressed to the Department of Interior and I recommend you reach out to them if this is regarding a FOIA request submitted to them.
Sincerely,
Juan Vega
Government Information Specialist | Information Management Division | Office of the Chief Administrative Officer
Office: (202) 646-3323 | Work Mobile: (202) 674-2989
juan.vegasandoval@fema.dhs.gov<mailto:juan.vegasandoval@fema.dhs.gov>
Federal Emergency Management Agency
fema.gov<http://www.fema.gov/>
-
~WRD0000
From: Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor
Good afternoon Jimmy Tobias, we have conducted an initial survey to identify the quantity and nature of the records. We are now processing your request. We expect to release our response within the next three weeks or sooner.
We apologize for any delay in sending you a response to your request. Thanks for your patience!!
It is always the intention of FEMA to provide excellent customer service. If further assistance is required, please contact David McCoy directly at 202-716-6907 or electronically at david.mccoy@fema.dhs.gov<mailto:david.mccoy@fema.dhs.gov>. Please refer to FEMA 2020-FEFO-00245.
Please reply to this email to confirm receipt
David D. McCoy
Government Information Specialist Information Management Division | Office of the Chief Administrative Officer
Office: (202) 212-5061 | Work Mobile: (202) 716-6907
david.mccoy@fema.dhs.gov
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 25, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #2021-158.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 25, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #2021-158.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 25, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #2021-158.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor
Good Morning,
Attached is our acknowledgment of your DHS FOIA request. If you need to contact this office again concerning your request, please provide the DHS reference number. This will enable us to quickly retrieve the information you are seeking and reduce our response time. This office can be reached at 866-431-0486.
Regards,
DHS Privacy Office
Disclosure & FOIA Program
STOP 0655
Department of Homeland Security
245 Murray Drive, SW
Washington, DC 20528-0655
Telephone: 1-866-431-0486 or 202-343-1743
Fax: 202-343-4011
Visit our FOIA website (http://www.dhs.gov/foia)
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 25, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #2022-NPFO-00154.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor
Good Morning, Attached is our final response to your request. If you need to contact this office again concerning your request, please provide the DHS reference number. This will enable us to quickly retrieve the information you are seeking and reduce our response time. This office can be reached at 866-431-0486. Regards, DHS Privacy Office
Disclosure & FOIA Program
STOP 0655
Department of Homeland Security
245 Murray Drive, SW
Washington, DC 20528-0655
Telephone: 1-866-431-0486 or 202-343-1743
Fax: 202-343-4011
Visit our FOIA website
From: Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor
Hello, Jimmy Tobias Attached is the final response to your FOIA request 2021-00199-FOIA-OS. If you have any questions, please contact Nida Habib Nida.Habib@hhs.gov. Thank You
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2021-00199-FOIA-OS
From: Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor
Good afternoon, Mr. Tobias:
This email acknowledges receipt of a FOIA referral on April 10, 2023 to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) based on your FOIA submission to Department of Interior (DOI), Office of the Solicitor on March 25, 2020. While processing your FOIA request, DOI located pages that contained information that originated from the VA. We contacted Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and was advised these pages fall under their purview. Therefore, your request is being referred to their office for processing and direct response to you. Their contact information is below:
Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
(105HIG) VACO
Washington, DC 20038
(877) 461-5038
(202) 273-9387 (fax)
Email: vhafoiarequests@va.gov<mailto:vhafoiarequests@va.gov>
Questions regarding the status of your request should be directed to their office.
This concludes the FOIA Service's response. We appreciate your interest in the VA.
Thank you,
VA FOIA Service
Compliance, Risk and Remediation (CRR)
Office of Information and Technology (OI&T)
Washington, DC 20240
Department of Veteran Affairs
E-Fax: 202-632-7581
FOIA Hotline: 877-750-3642
Vacofoiase@va.gov<mailto:Vacofoiase@va.gov>
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 25, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #2021-00199-FOIA-OS.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor
Hello Jimmy Tobias,
Please find attached to this email the responsive records and initial agency decision letter for FOIA request 23-00043-R.
Thank you,
Julie A. Lowery, MHA, RHIA
Julie A. Lowery, MHA, RHIA
Privacy Specialist
VHA Privacy Office
Office of Health Informatics (OHI) 105HIG
Telephone: (734) 968-0125
FAX Number: (734) 222-6004
julie.lowery2@va.gov<mailto:julie.lowery2@va.gov>
From: Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor
Case No.2021-00809-FOIA-OS January 23, 2024 Jimmy Tobias
MuckRock News: The Guardian Dear Mr. Tobias: This office is presently conducting a review of our pendingFreedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to ascertain if the information subjectto the request is still desired. YourJanuary 12, 2021 FOIA request is a part of this review: ( Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records: 1) Any and all emails, including email attachments, sent or received by David Bernhardt, Katharine MacGregor, Todd Willens, Daniel Jorjani, Douglas Domenech, Lori Mashburn, Susan Combs and/or James Cason that mention or refer to the Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19 or COVID19. 2) All policy and legal guidance, any and all internal letters and memos, and any and all drafts and final talking points produced by the Office of the Secretary and/or the Office of the Solicitor that referred to the virus. This request seeks records produced since February 1, 2020. (Date Range for Record Search: From 2/1/2020 To 3/23/2021 ). We apologize for the delay in responding to yourrequest. However, because of theincreasing number of requests received by the Department of Health & HumanServices, we found it necessary to adopt the ruling in the case of OpenAmerica v. Watergate Special Prosecution Force, 547 F.2d 605 (D.C. Cir.1976) and exercise due diligence by following a first-in, first-out FOIAprocessing. If you are still interested in pursuing this request, pleaserespond to this e-mail and we will complete the processing of your request. If we have not received any communication from you within 30working days from the date of this communication, we will assume you are no longerinterested in continuing to pursue the request and it will be administrativelyclosed. For further information concerning this matter, please contactEdward Roberts, Government Information Specialist, edward.roberts@hhs.gov . Sincerely yours, Arianne Perkins Director, Initials FOIA Requests FOI/Privacy Acts Division
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