MILAIR records re EPA travel 2017

Nick Surgey filed this request with the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States of America.
Tracking #

EPA-HQ-2017-011892

Status
Completed

Communications

From: Nick Surgey

To Whom It May Concern:

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

Records relating to the use of MILAIR transportation services by staff or appointees of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since January 20, 2017. Records should include but are not limited to any email communications relating to such requests, any written requests, passenger manifests, and any documents relating to costs for use of MILAIR services.

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 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,

Nick Surgey

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=090004d2816118a2)
* Tracking Number: EPA-HQ-2017-011892
* Requester Name: Nick Surgey
* Date Submitted: 09/28/2017
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description: Requesting records relating to the use of MILAIR transportation services by staff or appointees of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since January 20, 2017.

From: Environmental Protection Agency

03/26/2018 06:54 AM FOIA Request: EPA-HQ-2017-011892

RE: FOIA REQUEST EPA-HQ-2017-011892

Dear Nick Surgey,

Thank you very much for your interest in the Environmental Protection Agency. This correspondence references the above Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, which seeks information about the EPA Administrator’s travel, schedule, or both. Many people or entities have requested information about these records. We appreciate your patience as we process these requests.
I. Interim Response
Today we are releasing 612 pages of records to you. The 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.  Please find the records here: https://foiaonline.regulations.gov/foia/action/public/view/request?objectId=090004d28134aaec. (https://foiaonline.regulations.gov/foia/action/public/view/request?objectId=090004d28134aaec)

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.
Records Released on 03.23.2018:

* 1.      EPA Admin Travel 02.21.2017-03.19.2017 (4-page PDF)
* 2.      EPA Admin Travel 03.20.2017-06.01.2017 (29-page PDF)
* 3.      EPA Admin and Staff Travel 06.02.2017-06.18.2018 (58-page PDF)
* 4.      EPA Admin and Staff Travel 06.15.2017-08.29.2017 (33-page PDF)
* 5.      EPA Admin Travel 08.30.2017-02.14.2018 (68-page PDF)
* 6.      EPA Admin Calendar 02.12.2017-04.07.2017 (171-page PDF)
* 7.      EPA Admin Calendar 02.12.2017-05.19.2017 (145-page PDF)
* 8.      EPA Admin Calendar 05.19.2017-06.19.2017 (104-page PDF)
II. Unusual Circumstances and Extension of Time

To complete your request, EPA will need to search for and collect the requested records from multiple EPA offices that are separate from the Office of the Administrator (AO).  As a result of these unusual circumstances, an extension of time to respond to your request is necessary under 40 C.F.R. § 2.104(d).

The AO has received an unprecedented amount of FOIA requests during fiscal year 2017.  In fiscal year 2016, AO received only 203 FOIA requests, whereas in fiscal year 2017, AO received 1,043 FOIA requests.  This is a 413% increase in FOIA requests from fiscal years 2016 to 2017. We are still processing these requests.

For your information, we use multiple tracks to process requests, but within those tracks we work in an agile manner. The time needed to complete our work on your request will necessarily depend on a variety of factors, including the complexity of our records search, the volume and complexity of any material located, and the order of receipt of your request.

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 3/26/2019.
III. Opportunity to Discuss and Modify

EPA’s FOIA regulations state:

Whenever possible, your request 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).

We would like to provide you the opportunity to discuss the request with us and clarify or narrow the request.  As indicated in 40 C.F.R. § 2.102(c), if you would like to speak with us about your request, please include or be prepared to discuss any specific information about the records you seek, including time-period, authors, or a more detailed description of the records’ subject matter. IV. Publicly Available Information and Next Steps

The following are sources of publicly available information that you can access immediately:


* Our website: https://www.epa.gov/home/advanced-search (https://www.epa.gov/home/advanced-search)
* FOIAonline for records previously released through FOIA requests: https://foiaonline.regulations.gov/foia/action/public/search/ (https://foiaonline.regulations.gov/foia/action/public/search/)
* ·         Environmental Topics Information repositories: https://www.epa.gov/environmental-topics/z-index (https://www.epa.gov/environmental-topics/z-index)
* ·         Technical/scientific/educational publications: https://www.epa.gov/nscep (https://www.epa.gov/nscep)
* Staff Manuals and Guidance: https://www.epa.gov/foia/national-online-foia-library#admin (https://www.epa.gov/foia/national-online-foia-library#admin)
* Policy Statements: https://www.epa.gov/foia/national-online-foia-library#statement (https://www.epa.gov/foia/national-online-foia-library#statement)
* ·         Superfund sites and data: https://www.epa.gov/foia/national-online-foia-library#superfund (https://www.epa.gov/foia/national-online-foia-library#superfund)

If it is possible for us to do so, 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 contact Christopher Creech at creech.christopher@epa.gov or (202) 564-4286, or Fredrick No at no.fredrick@epa.gov or (202) 564-2793.

Please direct media related inquiries to press@epa.gov.


Thank you,

EPA Office of the Administrator

From: Environmental Protection Agency

06/01/2018 12:37 PM FOIA Request: EPA-HQ-2017-011892

This email is about your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, EPA-HQ-2017-011892; 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-2017-011892, is currently 738 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 March 26, 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-2017-011892, 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: Environmental Protection Agency

EPA-HQ-2017-011892 has been processed with the following final disposition: Partial Grant/Partial Denial.
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-2017-011892&type=request)

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