EPA Administrator Michael Regan's Meetings With Business Representatives On PFAS Strategy

This message is to confirm your request submission to the FOIAonline application: View Request. Request information is as follows: (https://www.foiaonline.gov/foiaonline/action/public/submissionDetails?trackingNumber=EPA-2022-000672&type=request)

* Tracking Number: EPA-2022-000672
* Requester Name: Kevin Gosztola
* Date Submitted: 10/31/2021
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description:
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

Any files, records, or copies of files or records between March 11, 2021, and October 29, 2021, that may include minutes and/or summaries of meetings, which Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan had with senior employees from companies like Arkema, Chemours Company, Corteva, Daikin, DuPont (or DowDuPont), Solvay, 3M, or Wolverine World Wide on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances or PFAS and the development of a strategy to deal with contamination. These meetings may have been in-person or virtual via meeting software.

Also, any files, records, or copies of files or records between March 11, 2021, and October 29, 2021 that may include the minutes and/or summaries of meetings Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan had with representatives of business associations or trade or commerce groups, such as the American Chemistry Council, the North Carolina Manufacturers Association, United States Chamber of Commerce, and the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.

If any Environmental Protection Agency officials met with senior employees of the aforementioned companies or representatives of any of the aforementioned business groups on EPA Administrator Michael Regan's behalf, please include those records as well.

Given the high amount of public interest, Iask that any and all fees be waived. In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of any and all charges in advance of fulfilling my request.

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.

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,

Kevin Gosztola

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/

11/01/2021
Kevin Gosztola
MuckRock News DEPT MR 120821
411A Highland Ave
Somerville, MA, 02144-2516

requests@muckrock.com
RE: Freedom of Information Act Request - EPA-2022-000672
Hello:
This letter concerns the above-mentioned Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National FOIA Office (NFO) on 10/31/2021. You are seeking the following records: To Whom It May Concern: Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records: Any files, records, or copies of files or records between March 11, 2021, and October 29, 2021, that may include minutes and/or summaries of meetings, which Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan had with senior employees from companies like Arkema, Chemours Company, Corteva, Daikin, DuPont (or DowDuPont), Solvay, 3M, or Wolverine World Wide on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances or PFAS and the development of a strategy to deal with contamination. These meetings may have been in-person or virtual via meeting software. Also, any files, records, or copies of files or records between March 11, 2021, and October 29, 2021 that may include the minutes and/or summaries of meetings Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan had with representatives of business associations or trade or commerce groups, such as the American Chemistry Council, the North Carolina Manufacturers Association, United States Chamber of Commerce, and the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. If any Environmental Protection Agency officials met with senior employees of the aforementioned companies or representatives of any of the aforementioned business groups on EPA Administrator Michael Regan's behalf, please include those records as well. Given the high amount of public interest, Iask that any and all fees be waived. In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of any and all charges in advance of fulfilling my request. 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. 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, Kevin Gosztola Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/
Your FOIA request was assigned for processing. If you have any questions about your request, please contact the office mentioned below and reference your FOIA request tracking number EPA-2022-000672. Office of the Administrator FOIA Program:  You may contact AO's Victor Farren at (202) 564-0808 or farren.victor@epa.gov. (mailto:farren.victor@epa.gov.)

If you need any further assistance or would like to discuss any aspect of your request, you may seek assistance from EPA’s FOIA Public Liaison at hq.foia@epa.gov or call (202) 566-1667. You may also seek assistance from the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS). You may contact OGIS in any of the following ways: by mail, Office of Government Information Services, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001; email: ogis@nara.gov; telephone: (202) 741-5770 or (877) 684-6448; or fax: (202) 741-5769. For all media inquiries, please contact press@epa.gov.

Sincerely,

National FOIA Office
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Hello,
Please see the attached letter.
Sincerely,
EPA National FOIA Office

Your request for Fee Waiver for the FOIA request EPA-2022-000672 has been
denied.

* Fee Waiver Original Justification:
Given the high amount of public interest, Iask that any and all fees be waived. In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of any and all charges in advance of fulfilling my request.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
* Fee Waiver Disposition Reason:
See letter sent on November 5, 2021

Dear Mr. Kevin Gosztola,

I would like to thank you for your interest in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and our critical mission to protect human health and the environment.

The EPA has received your Freedom of Information Act request for EPA-2022-000672 (files/records between March 11, 2021, and October 29, 2021, that may include minutes and/or summaries of meetings, which Administrator Michael Regan had with senior employees from companies and business associations) and has assigned this case to me.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions. I am pleased to assist you.

Thank you,

Mariana Cubeddu
FOIA Analyst, Office of the Executive Secretariat (OEX)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Office of the Administrator (OA)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. (MC 1105A)
Washington, D.C. 20460 | WJCN 2315
Phone: 202-564-6566| cubeddu.mariana@epa.gov<mailto:cubeddu.mariana@epa.gov>

Dear Kevin Gosztola <requests@muckrock.com>,
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Dear Kevin,

Thank you for checking the status of your FOIA Request with EPA.

Your request was assigned to Jonathan Newton , who is copied on this email and will respond directly to you.

Thank you for your interest in EPA.

All the best,

Ryan Dominguez
| National FOIA Office

Dear Kevin Gosztola,
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Regards,

EPA National FOIA Office

Dear Kevin Gosztola,

Please select the link below to create your password.
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Regards,
EPA National FOIA Office

To the U.S. EPA FOIA Requester Community,

Some in the EPA Requester community have encountered problems creating FOIAXpress Public Access Link (PAL) accounts in the Agency's new FOIA application FOIAXpress. With the FOIAXpress application, the PAL is the best method for EPA to release voluminous records to our Requesters, without encountering MB-limiting firewalls and such transmission impediments.

The Agency is working diligently to solve this FOIAXpress issue. In the interim, we have taken the step to "push" a system-generated invitation to create a PAL account to you. You should receive an email from address noreply_nfo@epa.gov<mailto:noreply_nfo@epa.gov> with instructions on how to take the next steps to successfully establish the PAL account.

If you chose to establish this account, this would then ensure that all future interim and final responses from your FOIA requests to EPA will be available for download via the PAL. It will also allow you to submit any new requests to U.S. EPA using your PAL account.
Regards,
Rebecca Clausen, on behalf of the
EPA FOIAXpress Implementation Team

Dear Kevin Gosztola,
An existing FOIA request profile has been located in EPAs FOIAXpress database with the email address requests@muckrock.com and a temporary password has been sent to that email address.
Please check your email and return to https://foiapublicaccessportal.epa.gov/ to sign in. (https://test-foiapublicaccessportal.epa.gov/)
To sign in to EPA's Public Access Link,
To sign in your account in EPA’s Public Access Link,

* Click Sign In (upper right)
* Enter your email address in the User Name field
* Enter your temporary password in the Password field
* Click the Sign In button
* Click My Account (upper right) Review and update your profile For your security, kindly change the password provided by us.
Regards,

EPA National FOIA Office

Dear Kevin Gosztola,
An existing FOIA request profile has been located in EPAs FOIAXpress database with the email address requests@muckrock.com and a temporary password has been sent to that email address.
Please check your email and return to https://foiapublicaccessportal.epa.gov/ to sign in. (https://test-foiapublicaccessportal.epa.gov/)
To sign in to EPA's Public Access Link,
To sign in your account in EPA’s Public Access Link,

* Click Sign In (upper right)
* Enter your email address in the User Name field
* Enter your temporary password in the Password field
* Click the Sign In button
* Click My Account (upper right) Review and update your profile For your security, kindly change the password provided by us.
Regards,

EPA National FOIA Office