Nancy Beck emails (OMB)

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act for emails to, from, or drafted by Nancy Beck from August 2002 through January 2012 that contain any of the following terms:

lead; TSCA; phthalates; asbestos; glyphosate; neonic; pesticide; genetically; Bayer; DuPont; Dow; Monsanto; Exxon; Chevron; Trump; American Chemistry Council; or americanchemistry.com.

I respectfully request that you waive all fees in connection with this request as provided by 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(A)(iii). The Sierra Club is a national environmental nonprofit with no commercial interest in obtaining the request information. Instead, our organization intends to analyze and disseminate the requested information free of charge so that the public can be better informed and meaningfully participate in protecting the nation's natural resources.

The subject matter of the requested records is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations and activities of the government by disclosing the views held by a former employee who has been reportedly named deputy assistant administrator of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. This individual has an important job protecting the public from potential risks posed by pesticides and toxic chemicals and will play a key role in implementing the recently-passed Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act. This official previously dealt with many related issues during her time at the Office of Management and Budget.

The Sierra Club and its supporters have demonstrated interest and expertise in the subject area, specifically the development of policies designed to safeguard public health from toxic hazards. Our supporters have filed hundreds of thousands of public comments to agencies related to these threats.

The Sierra Club also has the ability and intention to disseminate the information it receives through this request. The information may be shared through emails to an audience of hundreds of thousands of people, Facebook and Twitter posts reaching thousands of individuals, articles on our website, and analysis provided to the media.

Here are three examples of my work:

http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/4480/over-700000-people-tell-government-to-block-seed-mergers
http://www.sierraclub.org/compass/2016/10/members-distance-themselves-alecs-climate-policies
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/4480/over-700000-people-tell-government-to-block-seed-mergers

In the event that there are fees, please 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,

Alexander Rony
Sierra Club