EPA advisors communication with State Policy Network organizations

This message is to confirm your request submission to the FOIAonline application: View Request. Request information is as follows: (https://foiaonline.regulations.gov:443/foia/action/public/view/request?objectId=090004d2812f9c3e)
* Tracking Number: EPA-HQ-2017-007158
* Requester Name: Matt Kasper
* Date Submitted: 05/11/2017
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description: Requesting all internal and external communications, including but not limited to non-EPA affiliated email accounts used for federal government work and communication tools such as Signal and Slack, of the following EPA staffers: George Sugiyama; David Kreutzer; David Schnare; Charles Munoz; Layne Bangerter; Patrick Davis; Douglas Ericksen; Holly Greaves; Ryan Jackson; Byron Brown; Andrew Wheeler.

05/31/2018 05:47 PM FOIA Request: EPA-HQ-2017-007158

Thank you very much for your interest in the Environmental Protection Agency. This correspondence concerns your above- referenced FOIA request relating to email correspondence of the EPA Beachhead Team.
Many people and entities have requested information about these records. We appreciate your patience as we process requests.
Today we are releasing 15,761 pages of records to you. This release may include additional records that you have not requested; however, the records are related and may be of interest to you.  The records are publicly available at this hyperlink: https://foiaonline.regulations.gov/foia/action/public/view/request?objectId=090004d28118de2a.
This release includes documents that have been partially withheld. The reasons for the withholdings are printed over the redactions.  Should you wish to appeal withholding determinations, you will be provided the opportunity at the time of final release.
We will provide you with interim releases as they become available.  If you wish to clarify your request further, or if this release satisfies your request and you would like to close your request, please contact the Office of the Administrator.
Additionally, you may seek assistance from EPA’s FOIA Public Liaison at hq.foia@epa.gov or (202) 566-1667 , or 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-OGIS, College Park, MD 20740-6001; by email, ogis@nara.gov; by telephone, (202) 741-5770 or (877) 684-6448 ; or by fax: (202) 741-5769
If you have additional questions, please contact Nicole Rementer, rementer.nicole@epa.gov .  Please direct media related inquiries to press@epa.gov.

This email is about your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, EPA-HQ-2017-007158; it is assigned to the Office of the Administrator for processing.
The Office of the Administrator has experienced a significant increase in FOIA requests since the start of this administration. As of May 7, 2018, your FOIA request, EPA-HQ-2017-007158, is currently 357 in the queue. We are processing all FOIAs within the scope of our resources, given the sharp increase in requests. If possible, we will provide you with interim releases as they become available.
In fiscal year 2017, the average processing time for complex FOIA requests processed by AO was 388 working days. Using this number as instructive to estimate the time to process your request, the new estimated completion date for this FOIA is November 6, 2018.
The following are some sources of publicly available information that you can access immediately and which may contain information responsive to your request: • Our website: https://www.epa.gov/home/advanced-search
• The EPA newsroom: https://www.epa.gov/newsroom
• FOIAonline for records previously released through FOIA requests: https://foiaonline.regulations.gov/foia/action/public/search/
• Frequently requested records: https://www.epa.gov/foia/national-online-foia-library#request
• MyProperty: https://www3.epa.gov/enviro/facts/myproperty/
• Technical/scientific/educational publications: https://www.epa.gov/nscep
• Superfund sites and data: https://www.epa.gov/foia/national-online-foia-library#superfund
• Historical material reflecting the EPA website as it existed on January 19, 2017 https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/

If you wish to clarify your request, so that once we reach the request in the queue, it might be processed in a shorter amount of time, please contact Nicole Rementer, Rementer.Nicole@epa.gov. If you are no longer interested in the requested records, please let us know so that we can remove your request from the queue. Please be sure to include your tracking number, EPA-HQ-2017-007158, in the email subject to ensure a timely response.
In addition to seeking assistance from the contact above, you may seek assistance from the EPA’s FOIA Public Liaison at hq.foia@epa.gov or (202) 566-1667, or from the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS). OGIS’s services are described on their website, https://www.archives.gov/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-OGIS, College Park, MD 20740-6001; email: ogis@nara.gov; telephone: (202) 741-5770 or (877) 684-6448; or fax: (202) 741-5769.
Thank you,
Nicole Rementer

Thank you for your interest in the Environmental Protection Agency. This correspondence concerns your above-referenced Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request relating to records concerning EPA employee David Schnare.
Many people and entities have requested information about these records. We appreciate your patience as we process these requests.

Today we are releasing 25 pages of records to you. This release may include additional records that you have not requested; however, the records are related may be of interest to you.
This release includes documents that have been partially withheld. The reasons for the withholdings are printed over the redactions.  Should you wish to appeal any withholding determination, you will be provided the opportunity to do so at the time of the final release.
The records are available here: https://www.foiaonline.gov/foiaonline/action/public/submissionDetails?trackingNumber=EPA-HQ-2017-005094&type=request (https://www.foiaonline.gov/foiaonline/action/public/submissionDetails?trackingNumber=EPA-HQ-2017-005094&type=request)
We will provide you with interim releases as they become available when feasible. If you wish to clarify your request further so that EPA can process your request more efficiently, or if this release satisfies your request and you would like to close your request, the Office of the Administrator is happy to work with you.
Additionally, you may seek assistance from EPA’s FOIA Public Liaison at hq.foia@epa.gov or (202) 566-1667, or 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-OGIS, College Park, MD 20740-6001; by email, ogis@nara.gov; by telephone, (202) 741-5770 or (877) 684-6448; or by fax: (202) 741-5769.
If you have any additional questions, please contact Kevin Hill at hill.kevinw@epa.gov. Please direct media related inquiries to press@epa.gov. (https://usepa.sharepoint.com/sites/AO_FOIA_Centralization/Shared%20Documents/Track%202/Processing/Resource%20Management/Definers%20FOIAs/press@epa.gov)
Thank you.
Office of the Administrator Environmental Protection Agency

Thank you very much for your interest in the Environmental Protection Agency. This correspondence references the above Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for records of the EPA Office of the Administrator. We appreciate your patience as we process these requests.
Today we are releasing 5,221 pages of records and one native spreadsheet file to you. This interim release contains materials responsive to your FOIA request. This release may include additional records that you have not requested; however, the records may be of interest to you. We are releasing these records proactively to you at no cost.
This release includes documents that have been partially withheld. The reasons for the withholdings are printed over the redactions. Should you wish to appeal any withholding determination, you will have the opportunity to do so. We will provide you with appeal rights at the time of the final production.
The records are available here: https://foiaonline.gov/foiaonline/action/public/submissionDetails?trackingNumber=EPA-HQ-2017-005073
If it is possible, we will provide you with interim releases as they become available. If you wish to clarify your request further so that EPA can process your request in a shorter amount of time, or if this release satisfies your request and you would like to close your request, the Office of the Administrator is happy to work with you.
Additionally, you may seek assistance from EPA’s FOIA Public Liaison at hq.foia@epa.gov or (202) 566-1667, or 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-OGIS, College Park, MD 20740-6001; by email, ogis@nara.gov; by telephone, (202) 741-5770 or (877) 684-6448; or by fax: (202) 741-5769.
If you have any additional questions about your request, please email ao_foia@epa.gov.
Please direct media related inquiries to press@epa.gov. Thank you,
EPA Office of the Administrator

The FOIA request - EPA-HQ-2017-007158 has been supplemented with additional supporting files. Additional details for this item are as follows:
* Tracking Number: EPA-HQ-2017-007158
* Requester: Matt Kasper
* Submitted Date: 07/07/2018
* Description: Requesting all internal and external communications, including but not limited to non-EPA affiliated email accounts used for federal government work and communication tools such as Signal and Slack, of the following EPA staffers: George Sugiyama; David Kreutzer; David Schnare; Charles Munoz; Layne Bangerter; Patrick Davis; Douglas Ericksen; Holly Greaves; Ryan Jackson; Byron Brown; Andrew Wheeler.

EPA-HQ-2017-007158 has been approved for an interim release.
Records were released to the public as a result of this request. You may retrieve these records immediately using the following link: Over the next 2 hours, these records are also being added to FOIAonline's search pages, further enabling you to retrieve these documents associated with your FOIA request at any time. View Records (https://www.foiaonline.gov/foiaonline/action/public/submissionDetails?trackingNumber=EPA-HQ-2017-007158&type=request)

Dear Mr. Kasper,

I'm inquiring about your FOIA request with the EPA, tracking number: EPA-HQ-2017-007158.

In recent years the Office of the Administrator FOIA Office has experienced a substantial increase in the volume and complexity of FOIA requests. The increase created a significant backlog and bottle-neck effect in FOIA processing. I am inquiring if you are still interested in the above request, and if so, then I am seeking clarification on your request. Also, we've recently added a lot of records to our EPA website and I wanted to provide you with the link.

Link to EPA FOIA reading room: https://www.epa.gov/foia/national-online-foia-library#request

Your request seeks "Requesting all internal and external communications, including but not limited to non-EPA affiliated email accounts used for federal government work and communication tools such as Signal and Slack, of the following EPA staffers: George Sugiyama; David Kreutzer; David Schnare; Charles Munoz; Layne Bangerter; Patrick Davis; Douglas Ericksen; Holly Greaves; Ryan Jackson; Byron Brown; Andrew Wheeler."
As worded, this request does not reasonably define a set of records to search as required by the FOIA and EPA regulations. 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(3); 40 C.F.R. § 2.102(c). EPA regulations state that a request "should reasonably describe the records you are seeking in a way that will permit EPA employees to identify and locate them. Whenever possible, your requester should include specific information about each record sought, such as the date, title or name, author, recipient, and subject matter" and also that "[t]he more specific you are about the records or type of records you want, the more likely EPA will be able to identify and locate records responsive to your request." 40 C.F.R. § 2.102(c). Records are reasonably described if the description "enable[s] a professional employee of the agency who is familiar with the subject area of the request to locate the records with a reasonable amount of effort." Marks v. United States, 578 F.2d 261, 263 (9th Cir. 1978) (emphasis added).
Your request does not provide a subject matter that would allow a subject matter expert to identify and locate responsive records with a reasonable amount of effort. However, we are committed to assisting you to get access to records that you are interested in. Please contact me at (202) 564-1439 to discuss or by email if you prefer. Thank you again for your time and interest in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Best,
Justin

Justin Romano
Attorney-Adviser
Office of the Executive Secretariat
Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (1105A)
Washington, D.C. 20460
202-564-1439
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EPA-HQ-2017-007158 has been processed with the following final disposition: Request Withdrawn