Chief FOIA officer exemption 5 guidance (Federal Emergency Management Agency)

Shawn Musgrave filed this request with the Federal Emergency Management Agency of the United States of America.
Tracking #

2014-FEFO-00302

Est. Completion None
Status
No Responsive Documents

Communications

From: Shawn Musgrave

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:

Any guidance, memo, protocol, directive or other document (or segment of another document) written by or for the Chief FOIA/Privacy Officer that provides departmental application of FOIA exemption 5 from 1990 to the day this request is processed.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

In the event that fees cannot be waived, 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,

Shawn Musgrave

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.

Thank you for your help.

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.

Thank you for your help.

From: FEMA-FOIA

Good morning, FEMA is in the midst of responding to the status of all your FOIA requests. We are currently conducting research.

Thank you.

From: Hawkins, Christopher

Good Morning Mr. Musgrave,

Please find enclosed within the attachment above a letter concerning your Freedom of Information Act request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (2014-FEFO-00302). Please review and heed any necessary stipulations.

Thank You,

Christopher R. Hawkins, Management Analyst
Records Management Division, Disclosure Branch
DHS/FEMA/MS/OCAO
Email: Christopher.hawkins@dhs.fema.gov<mailto:Christopher.hawkins@dhs.fema.gov>
Office: (202)-646-3250
BB: (202) 802-2458

From: Shawn Musgrave

Hello,

Thank you for your response and conditional grant of fee waiver. I must admit confusion that you would review my FOIA and provisionally determine that it is not in my commercial interest and thus qualify for a fee waiver, then concurrently indicate that, should my fee waiver end up being denied, I will be placed in the commercial fee category.

I am a journalist, and have written extensively on FOIA. Your fee waiver review was correct to determine that this request is not in my commercial interest: I hereby certify that this request is submitted for journalistic purposes only, and that I have no commercial interest in submitting it or in obtaining responsive documents.

Please be consistent and classify me as a media requester without regard to the fee waiver.

Thank you,
Shawn

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thank you for your help.

From: Shawn Musgrave

I previously sent you an email on (date) objecting to being considered a commercial requester. In order to avoid any confusion, I want to make sure that you processed that email as a formal appeal of the commercial fee determination.

Please supplement your record with the following information about my media credentials:

I am the editor of the MuckRock (MuckRock.com) website, which publishes original news content on a daily basis. All of MuckRock's content focuses either on FOIA itself or reports off of documents received via public records requests. Below are a number of the dozens of articles I have written for MuckRock:

https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2013/nov/06/mr-de-blasio-open-nypd/

https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2013/oct/25/librarian-rebukes-nun-over-comic-books/

https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2013/oct/03/foia-shutdown-which-agencies-have-put-their-public/

In addition to my capacity as editor of MuckRock, I am also a freelance journalist whose work has been published in such online and print outlets as the Boston Globe, VICE/Motherboard, The Phoenix, The Progressive and Dig Boston. Here are clips of previous articles that I have written for some of these publications:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/04/08/big-brother-better-police-work-new-technology-automatically-runs-license-plates-everyone/1qoAoFfgp31UnXZT2CsFSK/story.html

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/10/25/mass-libraries-strikingly-free-censorship/GV3LPCJO4kdzCb3a9HE6HJ/story.html

https://www.motherboard.vice.com/blog/the-nypd-is-foia-proof

http://www.thephoenix.com/boston/news/153301-fung-wahtf/

http://www.digboston.com/boston-news-opinions/2013/10/news-to-us-cambridge-blocks-big-brother/

My coverage of topics from national security and drones to bike politics and bus inspections has been cited by a host of other news outlets at the international, national and local levels. I have received two grants from the Fund for Investigative Journalists, both for projects that revolve around public records investigations.

In short, it could not be clearer that I am, in fact, a journalist.

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thank you for your help.

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thank you for your help.

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thank you for your help.

From: Disclosure-Unit-TeamC

Good afternoon,

RE: FEMA FOIA Request 2014-FEFO-00302

Your request is at number 18 in queue for review. We will process your request as expeditiously as possible.

Thank your for your continued patience.

FEMA FOIA
Disclosure Branch

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thank you for your help.

From: Disclosure-Unit-TeamC

Good morning Mr. Musgrave,

RE: FEMA FOIA Request 2014-FEFO-00302

One of our analysts is currently processing your request. Once the initial review is completed, one of our attorneys will review your case for legal sufficiency. We will process your request as soon as possible.

Thank you for your continued patience.

FEMA FOIA
Disclosure Branch

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thank you for your help.

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thank you for your help.

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thank you for your help.

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thank you for your help.

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thank you for your help.

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thank you for your help.

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thank you for your help.

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thank you for your help.

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thank you for your help.

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thank you for your help.

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thank you for your help.

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thank you for your help.

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thank you for your help.

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 10, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2014-FEFO-00302.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

From: Disclosure-Unit-TeamC

Good Morning,

Your case is being review by John Fischer I will forward your email so he can respond to your status check.

Tonya Blackwell
Disclosure Branch (FOIA)
Mission Support Bureau
Records Management Division
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Direct: 202-212-3771
Mobile:202-802-2645

From: FEMA-FOIA

Good Afternoon Mr. Musgrave,

This responds to your inquiry on the status update on your Freedom of Information Act request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (2014-FEFO-00302):

I’ve made an inquiry to your request and have been advised that your request is expected to be completed within the next two weeks.

Please be advised that the mail box you are emailing Disclosure-Unit-TeamC is no longer being maintained or monitored. If further information is needed please contact our FOIA mailbox at FEMA-FOIA@fema.dhs.gov<mailto:FEMA-FOIA@fema.dhs.gov> .

Thank you for your continued patience.

Paula Presley
Program Specialist
Disclosure Branch (FOIA Office)
Records Management Division
Federal Emergency Management Agency
US Department of Homeland Security
Office – 202-212-5877
Mobile - 202-320-0187
Paula.presley@fema.dhs.gov<mailto:Paula.presley@fema.dhs.gov>

From:

Good Afternoon, Attached is our final response to your request.  If you need to contact FEMA again concerning your request, please provide the FEMA reference number. This will enable FEMA to quickly retrieve the information you are seeking and reduce their response time. FEMA can be reached at 202-646-3323. Regards, DHS Privacy Office

  • Federal Emergency Management Agency - FOIA 2014-FEFO-00302 - Response

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  • 01/15/2014

    2014-FEFO-00302 Acknowledgement

  • 02/24/2016

    Federal Emergency Management Agency - FOIA 2014-FEFO-00302 - Response