EPA Koonin
| Tracking # |
EPA-HQ-2017-01088 |
| Submitted | Aug. 25, 2017 |
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Communications
From: Ryan Koronowski
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. §552 et seq. (“FOIA”), I am requesting copies of the following agency records and other public records under your agency’s control:
(1) all correspondences, which include but are not necessarily limited to, written or electronic communications, letters, emails, attachments, phone logs, instant messages, instant communications, texts, calendar appointments, and other documents transmitted to or transmitted by Administrator Scott Pruitt, Chief of Staff Ryan Jackson, Associate Administrator Samantha Dravis, Deputy Chief of Staff Byron Brown, Mandy Gunasekara, Brittany Bolen, and Layne Bangerter that contain the word “Koonin.”
I also request that you state the specific legal and factual grounds for withholding any documents or portions of documents, should you withhold any. Please identify each document that falls within the scope of this request but is withheld from release. If requested documents are located in, or originated in, another installation or bureau, I would request that you please refer this request or any relevant portion of this request to the appropriate installation or bureau.
To the extent that the information is available in electronic format, I would prefer to receive that information via email or CD, particularly if providing the information reduces the time or expense involved. Otherwise, I will expect to receive the information in paper form.
This information is being sought on behalf of ThinkProgress.org (an online news service) for dissemination to the general public and this request is not being made for commercial purposes. I am a reporter with ThinkProgress, an online news site with a national audience seeking these documents entirely for news-gathering purposes.
Please provide the records requested above regardless of your fee waiver decision. In order to expedite a response, ThinkProgress will, if necessary, pay fees in accordance with FOIA regulations for all or a portion of the requested records. Please contact me before doing anything that would cause the fee to exceed $50.
I also request expedited processing. Release of the information is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the Government and the EPA, which have broad reaching impact on the health, safety, and well-being of the American public and are currently a subject of national news value. There have been numerous media reports that the current EPA’s leadership is trying to reshape the scientific debate on climate change through a “red team/blue team” exercise. Mr. Koonin is being reported as being a candidate to lead this exercise. Disclosure of this information is urgently needed to help the public understand how and why Mr. Koonin is being considered a candidate to lead a scientific debate where the outcome may have a profound effect on the EPA’s mission to protect the health, safety, and general welfare of the public.
I look forward to your reply within 10 business days, or, at the latest, 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Thank you for your cooperation with this request. I am willing to discuss ways to make this request more manageable to your office. Please do not hesitate to contact me at the number above or on my direct line at 202-478-6333 or rkoronowski@thinkprogress.org
Sincerely,
Ryan Koronowski
From: foia_hq@epa.gov
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=090004d281549217)
* Tracking Number: EPA-HQ-2017-010882
* Requester Name: Ryan Koronowski
* Date Submitted: 08/25/2017
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description: Requesting documents that contain the word "Koonin".
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 Aug. 25, 2017. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: newton.jonathan@epa.gov
10/05/2017 03:41 PM FOIA Request: EPA-HQ-2017-010882
From: newton.jonathan@epa.gov
Your request for Expedited Processing for the FOIA request EPA-HQ-2017-010882 has been denied. Additional details for this request are as follows:
* Request Created on: 08/25/2017
* Expedited Disposition Reason: Did not meet media criteria
* Request Long Description: (I) all correspondences, which include but are not necessarily limited to, written or electronic communications, letters, emails, attachments, phone logs, instant messages, instant communications, texts, calendar appointments, and other documents transmitted to or transmitted by Administrator Scott Pruitt, Chief of Staff Ryan Jackson, Associate Administrator Samantha Dravis, Deputy Chief of Staff Byron Brown, Mandy Gunasekara, Brittany Bolen, and Layne Bangerter that contain the word "Koonin."
From: Environmental Protection Agency
06/01/2018 01:04 PM FOIA Request: EPA-HQ-2017-010882
This email is about your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, EPA-HQ-2017-010882; 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-2017-010882, is currently 650 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 February 20, 2019.
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-2017-010882, 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
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 25, 2017. You previously indicated that it would be completed on Feb. 20, 2019. I wanted to let you know that I am still interested in the following documents, and to see if that date was still accurate. You had assigned it reference number #EPA-HQ-2017-01088.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 25, 2017. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on Feb. 20, 2019. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #EPA-HQ-2017-01088.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 25, 2017. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on Feb. 20, 2019. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #EPA-HQ-2017-01088.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 25, 2017. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on Feb. 20, 2019. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #EPA-HQ-2017-01088.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 25, 2017. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on Feb. 20, 2019. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #EPA-HQ-2017-01088.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 25, 2017. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on Feb. 20, 2019. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #EPA-HQ-2017-01088.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 25, 2017. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on Feb. 20, 2019. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #EPA-HQ-2017-01088.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 25, 2017. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on Feb. 20, 2019. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #EPA-HQ-2017-01088.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 25, 2017. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on Feb. 20, 2019. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #EPA-HQ-2017-01088.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Environmental Protection Agency
Hi Mr. Koronowski,
I'm adding another email address on file in FOIAonline for you as I have not heard back on the below email. I'm writing regarding the subject FOIA request. Please let me know if the records referenced below satisfy your request. Feel free to call or email me. Thank you.
Regards,
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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From:
Yes, this should be fine, thank you.
-
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From: Environmental Protection Agency
Thank you for the quick response. We will be in touch regarding your other open requests.
Thank you,
Justin
From: Environmental Protection Agency
Hi Ryan,
I had this below email chain outstanding and I'm now adding the other email accounts I have for you. I provided some information on public records available below. I am wondering if you are still interested in your "Koonin" request which is the subject FOIA number. Please let me know if you would like us to process this request or if you are no longer interested in these records. Feel free to reach me by phone or email. Thank you kindly and have a great weekend.
Regards,
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
-
image001_XXI1XBo
From: Environmental Protection Agency
EPA-HQ-2017-010882 has been processed with the following final disposition: Request Withdrawn.
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