FOIA request - EPA memos

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=090004d28111e4f6)
* Tracking Number: EPA-HQ-2017-003208
* Requester Name: Christopher Collins
* Date Submitted: 01/25/2017
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description: Requesting any and all memo(s) or other types of printed or emailed messages distributed by a Trump administration transition team to communication directors and/or other employees at the Environmental Protection Agency regarding new protocols for communicating with the public and/or the media.

02/14/2017 04:19 PM FOIA Request: EPA-HQ-2017-003210

02/14/2017 04:20 PM FOIA Request: EPA-HQ-2017-003210

Your request for Expedited Processing for the FOIA request EPA-HQ-2017-003210 has been granted. Additional details for this request are as follows:
* Request Created on: 01/25/2017
* Expedited Disposition Reason: N/A
* Request Long Description: Requesting any all emails — sent between Jan. 20, 2017, and the date your office processes this request, inclusive — notifying employees of a temporary suspension of EPA contract and grant awards.

Mr. Eaton: I am writing in regard to your FOIA Request EPA-HQ-2017-003210 in which your seek "any all emails - sent between Jan. 20, 2017, and the date your office processes this request, inclusive - notifying employees of a temporary suspension of EPA contract and grant awards."

Your request as submitted is not a proper request because it does not reasonably describe the records sought as required by both the FOIA statute and the Agency's regulations. See 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(3)(A); 40 C.F.R. § 2.102(c). In order for us to process your request, you should "include specific information about each record sought, such as the date, title or name, author, recipient, and subject matter. If known, you should include any file designations or descriptions for the records that you want. The more specific you are about the records or type of records that 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).

Please contact me within 10 days of the date of this correspondence so that we can assist in clarifying request. If we do not hear from you by that date, we will consider your request voluntarily withdrawn.

Thank you for your interest in EPA.

Becky Dolph

Becky Dolph | Director, FOIA Expert Assistance Team Office
U.S Environmental Protection Agency
Office of General Counsel | 7309B WJCN | 202-564-5771

I will look into confusion on numbers. Nonetheless, your request as drafted is also an improper request. Is there a number where I can reach you, or could you please contact me at 202-564-5771 so that we may discuss your request?
Thanks,
Becky Dolph

Becky Dolph | Director, FOIA Expert Assistance Team Office
U.S Environmental Protection Agency
Office of General Counsel | 7309B WJCN | 202-564-5771

Mr. Collins – I checked to see what the confusion was regarding my correspondence to Joshua Eaton. I wrote to Mr. Eaton regarding his request EPA-HQ-2017-003210. However it appears that you and he both have the same email address in your requests on FOIAonline. I have copied the information from FOIAonline for your two requests below.

Thanks,
Becky Dolph

Becky Dolph | Director, FOIA Expert Assistance Team Office
U.S Environmental Protection Agency
Office of General Counsel | 7309B WJCN | 202-564-5771

Tracking Number :EPA-HQ-2017-003208
<https://foiaonline.regulations.gov/foia/action/agency/createRequest?autopopulateRequesterId=UgDUfp0NqWBflwqzbp8tLqaXOtnHYaz2> Requester : Mr. Christopher Collins
Organization :
MuckRock
Requester Has Account :
No
Email Address :
requests@muckrock.com
Phone Number : N/A
Fax Number : N/A
Address :
411A Highland Avenue
DEPT MR 32411
City :
Somerville
State/Province : MA
Zip Code/Postal Code : 02144
Submitted Date : 01/25/2017

Tracking Number :EPA-HQ-2017-003210
<https://foiaonline.regulations.gov/foia/action/agency/createRequest?autopopulateRequesterId=NXpDzdQXbStflwqzbp8tLgI_5Qeg6IQA> Requester : Mr. Joshua Eaton
Organization :
MuckRock
Email Address :
requests@muckrock.com
Phone Number : N/A
Fax Number : N/A
Address :
411A Highland Avenue
DEPT MR 32425
City :
Somerville
State/Province : MA
Zip Code/Postal Code : 02144
<https://foiaonline.regulations.gov/foia/action/agency/request/detail?requestId=YzZAT_Iv3dfL-rsATth2CQ0meJQplvLK#anc> Submitted Date : 01/25/2017

As I indicated in my first email to you this morning, your request also is an improper request as submitted. In that message I asked you to either contact me at 202-564-5771 or to provide a telephone number at which I could contact you so that we can discuss your request. I see that your signature block includes a telephone number. In looking at my schedule, I am generally available today between 1-3 p.m. ET and I will plan to reach out to you then. If you are not available during that time, I am available tomorrow (Thursday) from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. ET and 3-6 p.m. ET and all day Friday. Hopefully we can connect this week to discuss clarification of your request.

As submitted, your request does not reasonably describe the records sought as required by both the FOIA statute and the Agency's regulations. See 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(3)(A); 40 C.F.R. § 2.102(c). In order for us to process your request, you should "include specific information about each record sought, such as the date, title or name, author, recipient, and subject matter. If known, you should include any file designations or descriptions for the records that you want. The more specific you are about the records or type of records that 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).
Thanks,
Becky Dolph

Becky Dolph | Director, FOIA Expert Assistance Team Office
U.S Environmental Protection Agency
Office of General Counsel | 7309B WJCN | 202-564-5771

Chris: Thank you for taking the time to talk with me regarding you FOIA Request EPA-HQ-2017-003208 pending with EPA. Although your request was not a proper request as submitted, in our conversation we were able to clarify your request so that we are now able to proceed with processing.

You have agreed to clarify your request to seek the following:
1) Any memo, email or other document issued from 1/1/2017 to the present from any of the temporary employees who joined the Agency as part of what is referred to as the "beachhead team" directing EPA staff to cease communications with the public and 2) Any subsequent memo, email or other document issued to staff to effectuate any direction from the beachhead team directing EPA staff to cease communications with the public. This portion of your request is limited to the memo, email or other document issued by the most senior career staff member of EPA, either in the Office of the Administrator or the Office of Public Affairs; you do not seek memos, emails, or other documents further disseminating this information throughout the Agency;

3) Any memo, email or other document issued from 1/1/2017 to the present from any of the temporary employees who joined the Agency as part of what is referred to as the "beachhead team" directing EPA staff to freeze or otherwise suspend all contracts and grants and 4) Any subsequent memo, email or other document issued to staff to effectuate any direction from the beachhead team directing EPA staff to freeze or otherwise suspend all contracts and grants. This portion of your request is limited to the memo, email or other document issued by the most senior career staff member of EPA either in the Office of the Administrator or the Office of Administration and Resources Management; you do not seek memos, emails, or other documents further disseminating this information throughout the Agency; and

5) any new communication policies developed or implemented by the EPA Office of Public Affairs from 1/1/2017 - 3/1/2017.

I appreciate your cooperation in clarifying your request and your interest in the EPA.

Becky Dolph

Becky Dolph | Director, FOIA Expert Assistance Team Office
U.S Environmental Protection Agency
Office of General Counsel | 7309B WJCN | 202-564-5771

Chris – Your request is being process now. It will be completed by the end of the month if not before.
Thanks,
Becky Dolph

Becky Dolph | Director, FOIA Expert Assistance Team Office
U.S Environmental Protection Agency
Office of General Counsel | 7309B WJCN | 202-564-5771

Good Morning Mr. Eaton,

This email is in response to the communications that were recently forwarded to me.   Without the FOIA Request Tracking Number clearly provided in each of follow-up correspondence, any inquiry regarding an open FOIA that is sent to the National FOIA Office cannot be processed.  With the inclusion of the Request Number in your most recent inquiry, the FOIA Office was able to identify my office as the point of contact.

I’ve attached the correspondence our Office of General Counsel sent to your provided email address on February 23, 2017 requesting clarification on your request.  Contact information was provided to you at that time, and you were advised to reach out to Becky Dolph, either by phone or by email.  We were in the process of closing this request out for failure to respond, but we are responding to other FOIAs requesting “1) Any memo, email or other document issued from 1/1/2017 to the present from any of the temporary employees who joined the Agency as part of what is referred to as the "beachhead team" directing EPA staff to freeze or otherwise suspend all contracts and grants and 2) Any subsequent memo, email or other document issued to staff to effectuate any direction from the beachhead team directing EPA staff to freeze or otherwise suspend all contracts and grants. This portion of the request is limited to the memo, email or other document issued by the most senior career staff member of EPA either in the Office of the Administrator or the Office of Administration and Resources Management; you do not seek memos, emails, or other documents further disseminating this information throughout the Agency.”

We will treat your request as clarified to seek that information if you so choose, otherwise you would need to submit a new request with more specific parameters.

Please let me know if you have any questions, I can be reached at 202-564-7177 or Sandfoss.kristina@epa.gov.

Thank you for your interest in the EPA and have a wonderful day!
Kristina

Apologies for the miscommunication.

EPA-HQ-2017-003210 has been processed with the following final disposition: Full grant.
Records were released to the public as a result of this request. You may retrieve these records immediately using the following link: View Records.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. (https://foiaonline.regulations.gov:443/foia/action/public/view/request?objectId=090004d28111e9af)

Good Morning Mr. Collins: Attached are documents In reference to your FOIA request.

Kind Regards,
Candy

Candace S White
Program Analyst
Office of Public Affairs
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
202-564-4308 Desk
202-731-3188 Cell
white.candace@epa.gov<mailto:white.candace@epa.gov>

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can - Arthur Ashe

CONFIDENTIALITY: This communication may contain privileged or other confidential information. If you are not the intended addressee, or believe you have received this communication in error, you may neither copy, disseminate, nor distribute it to anyone else or use it in any unauthorized manner; to do so is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you receive this email by mistake, please advise the sender immediately by using the reply facility in your mail software and delete it from your computer. "Information in this message may be subject to the Privacy Act (5 USC 552a) and should be treated accordingly."

Hi Chris - this email is to let you know that we are still working on your request. We hope to be in touch again soon. We are processing a very large number of requests right now. Thanks for your patience and please let me or Candace White, copied above, know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Julia Valentine

Julia P. Valentine
Office of Public Affairs
202.564.2663 direct
202.740.1336 m/txt

08/08/2017 01:01 PM FOIA Request: EPA-HQ-2017-003208

06/02/2018 12:09 PM FOIA Request: EPA-HQ-2017-003208

This email is about your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, EPA-HQ-2017-003208; 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-2017-003208, is currently 113 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 July 23, 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 Christopher Creech, Creech.Christopher@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-2017-003208, 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,
Christopher Creech

Hello,
Please find an interim release for your request attached.
Thank you

The FOIA request EPA-HQ-2017-003208 has had its Tracking Number changed to EPA-2017-003208. This is normally due to the request being transferred to another agency (for example, EPA to Dept. of Commerce) or to a sub-agency to process it. Additional details for this request are as follows:

* Old Tracking Number:
EPA-HQ-2017-003208
* New Tracking Number:
EPA-2017-003208
* Requester Name:
Mr. Christopher Collins
* Date Submitted:
07/07/2018
* Long Description:
Requesting any and all memo(s) or other types of printed or emailed messages distributed by a Trump administration transition team to communication directors and/or other employees at the Environmental Protection Agency regarding new protocols for communicating with the public and/or the media.

Final Disposition, Request EPA-2017-003208