Perdue Correspondence

Jimmy Tobias filed this request with the U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary of the United States of America.
Tracking #

2018-OCIO-02325-F, 2020-FS-WO-00242-F

2018-OCIO-02325-F
Submitted Jan. 24, 2018
Status
Completed

Communications

From: Jimmy Tobias

Subject: Freedom of Information Request: Perdue Correspondence

Email

To Whom It May Concern:

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

Any and all emails, memos, letters and/or reports sent or received by Secretary Sonny Perdue that contains one or more of the following words, names, or phrases: Crazy Mountains, Crazies, Sienkiewicz, Erickson, Carroccia, Wonder Ranch, Chris Hudson, Pete Sessions and/or Steve Daines. This request pertains to records produced between April 1, 2017 and the date this request is processed.

I am a reporter for Pacific Standard magazine, and the requested documents will be made available to the general public. 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,

Jimmy Tobias

From: U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary

Subject: Acknowledgment of FOIA Case No. 2018-OCIO-02325-F

Email

Dear Mr. Tobias:

This email acknowledges receipt of your attached Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Department FOIA Office (DFO). Your request was received by this office on February 9, 2018.

The DFO is under the purview of the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) and serves as the focal point for USDA's FOIA program. The DFO provides coordination and ensures agency-wide compliance with the FOIA. Additionally, the DFO processes requests and appeals on behalf of the Office of the Secretary and Departmental Management's ("DM") components. For a complete listing of DM's components, please visit http://www.dm.usda.gov/agencies.htm.

The FOIA, 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(A)(i), requires USDA to make a determination in response to a FOIA request within 20 business days from its date of receipt. In unusual circumstances, the Federal agency time limit may be extended by 10 business days as stated in 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(B). If your request seeks numerous documents that will necessitate a wide-ranging search, including searches with components and possible consultations with components that have a substantial interest in the determination of this request, USDA will invoke a 10 business day extension for determination of your request. You have the option to narrow the scope of your request to limit the number of potentially responsive documents.

Due to the increasing number of FOIA requests received by this office, we may encounter
some delay in processing your request. Pursuant to USDA FOIA regulations, Title 7 CFR

§1.8(d), the USDA processes FOIA requests according to their order of receipt.

Provisions of the FOIA allow USDA to recover part of the cost of complying with your request. For purposes of fee assessment, you have been categorized as a media requester, pursuant to 7 CFR Appendix A to Subpart A of Part 1 Section (5)(c). For your review and information, a copy of the USDA FOIA Fee Schedule is attached. In accordance with 7 CFR Appendix A to Subpart A of Part 1 Section 6(a)(4), your fees shall be waived where the amount of the fee is $25.00 or less.

A search will be initiated by the DFO for records responsive to your request. If any responsive records are located, they will be reviewed for determination of releasability. Please be assured that a FOIA Analyst in this office will respond to your request as expeditiously as possible. We appreciate your patience as we proceed with your request.

Your request has been assigned FOIA Case No. 2018-OCIO-02325-F. Please refer to this case number in any future correspondence. If you have any questions regarding this letter, please contact Ms. Camille Aponte at (202) 694-5260 or electronically at Camille.Aponte@ocio.usda.gov<mailto:Camille.Aponte@ocio.usda.gov> or USDAFOIA@ocio.usda.gov<mailto:USDAFOIA@ocio.usda.gov>.

For additional information regarding USDA FOIA regulations and process, please refer to the information available on-line at www.dm.usda.gov/foia<http://www.dm.usda.gov/foia>.

The DFO Team appreciates the opportunity to assist you in this matter.

Sincerely,

Department FOIA Office

This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.

From: U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary

Subject: Need to clarify scope of FOIA Request 2018-OCIO-02325-F

Email

Dear Mr. Tobias,

I am the FOIA analyst assigned to process your request. I am writing to discuss the need to clarify the scope of your request. I usually try to discuss this by phone because it can be easier to discuss in real time, but you did not provide a phone number. Please feel free to call me if you wish to discuss by phone.

You are seeking records of communications to and from Secretary Perdue for a period spanning almost a year using only certain search terms that are likely to yield voluminous results, without describing any particular subject matter.
I would suggest that you let me know what subject matter(s) you are interested in, so I may efficiently review the search results and more expeditiously process your response.

As part of the search, a search of the Secretary's email accounts will be conducted. This is likely to yield voluminous records. Therefore, please let me know if you are willing to streamline the review of these emails by agreeing to any or all of the following:

* waiving search results that consist of subscription emails (i.e. newsletters, news updates, bulletins, etc.);
* waiving search results that consist of mass mailings;
* waiving email attachments; and
* waiving emails where the Secretary is CC'd, and not the direct recipient.

Please note that waiving subscription emails or mass mailings would not exclude any such emails that are specifically forwarded by or to the Secretary. Similarly, waiving attachments helps expedite responding to your request, and you would be able to subsequently request any attachments to particular emails that might be of interest to you. If you have any other suggestions for narrowing the search, please let me know.

Please note that the processing of your request is being put on hold until its scope can be clarified. I look forward to your response and to assisting you with you with this matter.

Thank you,

Camille

Camille C. Aponte, Esq.
FOIA Analyst (Contractor)
United States Department of Agriculture
Department FOIA Office
Office of the Chief Information Officer
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Room 4105
Washington, DC 20250
Telephone: (202) 694-5260
Email: Camille.Aponte@ocio.usda.gov

This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.

From: Jimmy Tobias

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Request: Perdue Correspondence

Email

Hi Camille,

Thanks so much for the email. Would you be free for a phone call sometime tomorrow, Thursday February 14? If so, I will give you a call at the number you listed on your email.

Thanks so much.

Jimmy Tobias
248-763-0088

From: U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Request: Perdue Correspondence

Email

Hi Jimmy,

Thank you for speaking with me moments ago regarding your FOIA request.

As discussed, you have clarified that the subject matter of the request relates to the Crazy Mountains public access issue. You have also agreed to waive subscription emails and mass mailings. Attachments to responsive emails and emails where the Secretary might be CC’d will be included in the response.

If I have any further concerns once I receive the search results, I will let you know.

Best,

Camille

Camille C. Aponte, Esq.
FOIA Analyst (Contractor)
United States Department of Agriculture
Department FOIA Office
Office of the Chief Information Officer
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Room 4105
Washington, DC 20250
Telephone: (202) 694-5260
Email: Camille.Aponte@ocio.usda.gov

From: U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Act Request: Perdue Correspondence

Email

Dear Mr. Tobias,

Please accept my apologies for the delayed response to your status request. Some of the responsive records contain equities of the Forest Service, and had been sent to them for consultation. There has been a delay in their processing of the consultation, but I anticipate their response by next week.

Thank you,

Camille

From: Jimmy Tobias

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Act Request: Perdue Correspondence

Email

Thank you for the update Camille. I appreciate it.

Jimmy Tobias

From: U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Act Request: Perdue Correspondence

Email

Hi Mr. Tobias,

A final response had been submitted for internal review before release. I have followed-up seeking information on the status of that review.
Thanks,

Camille

From: U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Act Request: Perdue Correspondence

Email

Dear Mr. Tobias,

The final response is still pending release approval.
Best,

Camille

From: Jimmy Tobias

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Act Request: Perdue Correspondence

Email

Hi Camille,

Thank you for the update. Do you have a sense of when the approval might come down?

Please let me know and thanks so much.

Jimmy Tobias

From: Jimmy Tobias

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Act Request: Perdue Correspondence

Email

Hello,

I just wanted to follow up on this request and see where it stands. Please let me know as soon as possible.

Thanks so much.

Sincerely,

Jimmy Tobias

From: U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary

Subject: Final Response to FOIA Request No. 2018-OCIO-02325-F

Email

Good afternoon,

Attached is the Departmental FOIA Office’s final response to the above-referenced FOIA request.

Regards,

[cid:image003.png@01D2D531.9DDFCF50]
Camille C. Aponte-Rossini
Government Information Specialist
Departmental FOIA Office
Office of the Chief Information Officer
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., SW, Room 4105
Washington, DC 20250
☎ 202-694-5260 (Voice)
✉ Camille.Aponte@usda.gov<mailto:Camille.Aponte@usda.gov>

This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.

From: U.S. Forest Service

Subject: FOIA Acknowledgement 2020-FS-WO-00242-F

Email

Dear Mr. Tobias This email acknowledges receipt of a referred portion of your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, dated January 24, 2018, which was received in the Forest Service Washington Office (WO) FOIA Service Center on September 30, 2019 .  Y ou requested: " Any and all emails, memos, letters and/or reports sent or received by Secretary Sonny Perdue that contains one or more of the following words, names, or phrases: Crazy Mountains, Crazies, Sienkiewicz, Erickson, Carroccia, Wonder Ranch, Chris Hudson, Pete Sessions and/or Steve Daines." The USDA FOIA Office responded to your initial request under control number 2018-OCIO-02325-F. At the conclusion of that response you were notified that 24 pages were referred to the US Forest Service Headquarters FOIA Office for final review and release determination. That referral has been assigned control number 2020-FS-WO-00242-F. Please be advisedthat the WO FOIA Service Center has a backlog of pending FOIA requests andappeals.  We are diligently working to process each request and appeal inthe order in which it was received.  Your patience is greatly appreciated. To check on the status of your request, you may contact Melani Gonzalez via e-mail at melani.gonzalez@usda.gov .  Please reference your assigned case number, (mailto:melani.gonzalez@usda.gov) 2020-FS-WO-00242-F.
Thank you,

FOIA Service Center Team Forest Service

From: U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Act Request #2018-OCIO-02325-F, 2020-FS-WO-00242-F

Email

Hello Mr. Tobias.

Thank you for your inquiry into the status of your FOIA request 2020-FS-WO-00242-F. There are currently more than ten requests ahead of yours for review in my work queue. I am working diligently on processing the requests in the order that they were received.

Respectfully,

Melani Gonzalez

[Forest Service Shield]
Melani R. Gonzalez
Government Information Specialist
Forest Service
Office of Regulatory and Management Services

Melani.Gonzalez@usda.gov<mailto:Melani.Gonzalez@usda.gov>
1400 Independence Avenue SW, Mailstop 1143
Washington, DC 20250
www.fs.fed.us<http://www.fs.fed.us/>
[USDA Logo]<http://usda.gov/>[Forest Service Twitter]<https://twitter.com/forestservice>[USDA Facebook]<https://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Forest-Service/1431984283714112>
Caring for the land and serving people

From: U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary

Subject: RE: [External Email]RE: Freedom of Information Act Request #2018-OCIO-02325-F, 2020-FS-WO-00242-F

Email

Hello Mr. Tobias:

Your FOIA request, 2020-FS-WO-00242-F, currently has approximately twenty requests ahead of it in my processing queue. I will continue working to get all requests assigned to me processed as efficiently as possible.

Respectfully,

Melani Gonzalez

[Forest Service Shield]
Melani R. Gonzalez
Government Information Specialist (FOIA)
Forest Service
Office of Regulatory and Management Services

WO Detached in Pacific NW Region (R6)

melani.gonzalez@usda.gov<mailto:melani.gonzalez@usda.gov>
201 14th Street SW
Washington, DC 20250
www.fs.fed.us<http://www.fs.fed.us/>
[USDA Logo]<http://usda.gov/>[Forest Service Twitter]<https://twitter.com/forestservice>[USDA Facebook]<https://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Forest-Service/1431984283714112>
Caring for the land and serving people
To learn more about the Forest Service FOIA program, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/foia/

From: U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary

Subject: RE: [External Email]RE: Freedom of Information Act Request #2018-OCIO-02325-F, 2020-FS-WO-00242-F

Email

Hello Mr. Tobias:

The records responsive to your FOIA request have been processed and the final response letter is routing through the proper channels for signature. Unfortunately, this final step is outside of my control and the schedule of the Director’s office is difficult to predict due to every changing urgent priorities. I am anticipating having a signed letter no later than the end of the month.

Thanks for your continued patience.

Respectfully,

Melani

[Forest Service Shield]
Melani R. Gonzalez
Government Information Specialist (FOIA)
Forest Service
Office of Regulatory & Management Services
WO Detached in Pacific NW Region (R6)
Hours: 7:00 – 3:30 PST
Melani.Gonzalez@usda.gov<mailto:Melani.Gonzalez@usda.gov>

201 14th Street SW
Washington, DC 20250
www.fs.fed.us<https://www.fs.fed.us/>
[USDA Logo]<https://usda.gov/> [Forest Service Twitter] <https://twitter.com/forestservice> [USDA Facebook] <https://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Forest-Service/1431984283714112>
Caring for the land and serving people
To learn more about the Forest Service FOIA program, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/foia/

From: U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary

Subject: RE: [External Email]RE: Freedom of Information Act Request #2018-OCIO-02325-F, 2020-FS-WO-00242-F

Email

Hello Mr. Tobias,

The complete response package for your FOIA request 2020-FS-WO-00242-F is currently routing for final releasing signature. I anticipate being able to send that out to you within the next 5-10 business days, if not sooner.

Respectfully.

Melani Gonzalez

[Forest Service Shield]
Melani R. Gonzalez
Government Information Specialist (FOIA)
Forest Service
Office of Regulatory & Management Services
WO Detached in Pacific NW Region (R6)
Hours: 7:00 – 3:30 PST
Melani.Gonzalez@usda.gov<mailto:Melani.Gonzalez@usda.gov>

201 14th Street SW
Washington, DC 20250
www.fs.fed.us<https://www.fs.fed.us/>
[USDA Logo]<https://usda.gov/> [Forest Service Twitter] <https://twitter.com/forestservice> [USDA Facebook] <https://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Forest-Service/1431984283714112>
Caring for the land and serving people
To learn more about the Forest Service FOIA program, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/foia/

From: U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary

Subject: RE: [External Email]RE: Freedom of Information Act Request #2018-OCIO-02325-F, 2020-FS-WO-00242-F

Email

The Forest Service provided the final response package to FOIA request 2020-FS-WO-00242-F July 20, 2022. The response package was sent electronically to the email address of the requester.

Respectfully,

Melani

[Forest Service Shield]
Melani R. Gonzalez
Government Information Specialist (FOIA)
Forest Service
Office of Regulatory & Management Services
Melani.Gonzalez@usda.gov<mailto:Melani.Gonzalez@usda.gov>

201 14th Street SW
Washington, DC 20250
www.fs.fed.us<https://www.fs.fed.us/>
[USDA Logo]<https://usda.gov/> [Forest Service Twitter] <https://twitter.com/forestservice> [USDA Facebook] <https://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Forest-Service/1431984283714112>
Caring for the land and serving people
To learn more about the Forest Service FOIA program, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/foia/

From: Jimmy Tobias

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Act Request #2018-OCIO-02325-F, 2020-FS-WO-00242-F

Email

Thank you. I did not receive the records in question. Can you email them to jtoby87@gmail.com

From: U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary

Subject: RE: [External Email]RE: Freedom of Information Act Request #2018-OCIO-02325-F, 2020-FS-WO-00242-F

Email

Hello MuckRock.com Staff:

The FOIA request submitted by J. TOBIAS, assigned tracking number 2020-FS-WO-00242-F, was fully responded to on July 20, 2022, and closed. In September 2022 this office responded to an identical status updated from this email account, please update your file for this closed request.

Respectfully,

Melani

[Forest Service Shield]
Melani R. Gonzalez
Government Information Specialist (FOIA)
Forest Service
Office of Regulatory & Management Services
WO Detached in Pacific NW Region (R6)
Hours: 8:00 – 4:30 PST
Melani.Gonzalez@usda.gov<mailto:Melani.Gonzalez@usda.gov>

201 14th Street SW
Washington, DC 20250
www.fs.fed.us<https://www.fs.fed.us/>
[USDA Logo]<https://usda.gov/> [Forest Service Twitter] <https://twitter.com/forestservice> [USDA Facebook] <https://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Forest-Service/1431984283714112>
Caring for the land and serving people
To learn more about the Forest Service FOIA program, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/foia/

From: U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Office of the Secretary

Subject: RE: [External Email]RE: Freedom of Information Act Request #2018-OCIO-02325-F, 2020-FS-WO-00242-F

Email

FOIA request 2020-FS-WO-00242-F was formally responded to and closed on 7/20/2022.

From: Jimmy Tobias

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Act Request #2018-OCIO-02325-F, 2020-FS-WO-00242-F

Email

Hi,

Thanks so much for your help with this request! I really appreciate it.

Sincerely,
Jimmy Tobias

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