San Juan Chama Project Records Request (Department of the Interior)

Dear Mr. Stasko,

We received this follow up on your request, but we never received your original request in May. We cannot accept any request via email rather than using one of the written forms of submission listed on the Department’s FOIA website, https://www.doi.gov/foia, or utilizing physical or facsimile addresses of an appropriate FOIA contact, located at https://www.doi.gov/foia/contacts. Per our regulations, your request cannot be processed until you resubmit it utilizing one of the written forms of submission noted above. See 43 C.F.R. § 2.3(b)<http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=0fc3ab3499768eebc2e3691c8cf88dec&rgn=div5&view=text&node=43:1.1.1.1.2&idno=43#43:1.1.1.1.2.2.5.3>

Please note that the entire OS FOIA office has been teleworking since mid-March 2020, and cannot receive physical mail or faxed in requests in a timely manner. We strongly prefer the portal forms of submission at this time.

Thank you,
Emily Karp
--
Department of the Interior
Office of the Secretary, FOIA Office
1849 C Street, NW, MS-7328
Washington, D.C. 20240
os_foia@ios.doi.gov
(202) 513-0765 - phone
(202) 219-2374 - fax

Dear Mr. Stasko,

Please find attached an final response letter for FOIA Request OS-2020-00689.
Thanks,
Cindy Sweeney

--
Department of the Interior
Office of the Secretary, FOIA Office
1849 C Street, NW, MS-7328
Washington, D.C. 20240
os_foia@ios.doi.gov
(202) 513-0765 - phone
(202) 219-2374 - fax

This is an automated reply to inform you that the National Archives and Records Administration received your email.

We have received your request and will respond within 20 working days. Please note that submitting duplicate requests will increase wait times.

If you have any questions, you can call our office at 301-837-3190. You can also visit our web page at www.archives.gov/research/foia.

Notice to NARA Researchers and FOIA Requesters

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference or FOIA request or appeal. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Thank you.

Dear Adam Stasko,

Thank you for your Freedom of Information Act request for records in the
custody of the National Archives and Records Administration. Records of the
Bureau of Reclamation (RG 115)
<https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/115.html>are
primarily in the custody of the National Archives at Denver. We have
forwarded your request to their office. We have also forwarded your request
to the Textual Reference branch at College Park to conduct a general
reference search of other record groups, as well. Those offices will
respond directly to you.

Sincerely,
Brigitte Flynn
Special Access & FOIA Staff

Good morning,

I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information Act request of
10/2/2020 for records in the custody of the National Archives and Records
Administration. Your request was forwarded to this office on 10/5/2020 and
assigned FOIA case number 21-00447.

You requested all records “Related to San Juan-Chama Project along the New
Mexico/Colorado state lines. Any records related to the construction of the
Blanco and OSO Tunnels and the Blanco Diversion Dam and Little OSO
Diversion Dam for the years 1962-1968.” These records are found Record
Group 115: Records of the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR). As reviewed under
the terms of the Freedom of Information Act, there are no restrictions on
access and these records are open and available for research.

Given the BOR organized records by type, such as land acquisition, project
reports, geological reports, technical reports, photographs, and thus can
span several dozen series, to research all records on a particular project
is outside the scope of the reference service we can offer; a researcher
would need to come in person here in Denver or hire someone locally. If
your researcher has a narrower focus, we can certainly work with them to
identify the record and make reproduction copies at our standard rate of
$0.80 a page. Here is a link to PDF's of all of our box lists for our BOR
holdings that can be downloaded, keyword searched, or saved. The link can
be shared but does expire after 30 days;

https://ws.onehub.com/folders/5b3lsuzs

We do not consider this response as a denial of your FOIA request.
However, if you are not satisfied with our action on this request, you have
the right to file an administrative appeal within ninety (90) calendar days
from the date of this letter via regular U.S. mail or email. By filing an
appeal, you preserve your rights under FOIA and give the agency a chance to
review and reconsider your request and the agency’s decision. If you
submit your appeal in writing, please address it to the Deputy Archivist of
the United States (ND), National Archives and Records Administration, 8601
Adelphi Road, College Park, Maryland 20740. Both the letter and the
envelope should be clearly marked “Freedom of Information Act Appeal.” If
you submit your appeal by e-mail please send it to FOIA@nara.gov, also
addressed to the Deputy Archivist of the United States. Please be sure to
explain why you believe this response does not meet the requirements of the
FOIA. All correspondence should reference your case tracking number
21-00447.

If you would like to discuss our response before filing an appeal to
attempt to resolve your dispute without going through the appeals process,
you may contact our FOIA Public Liaison Michael Marquis for assistance at:

DC.foia.liaison@nara.gov

If you are unable to resolve your FOIA dispute through our FOIA Public
Liaison, the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS), the Federal
FOIA Ombudsman’s office, offers mediation services to help resolve disputes
between FOIA requesters and Federal agencies. The contact information for
OGIS is:

ogis@nara.gov

Regards,
Cody White, Archivist
National Archives at Denver

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Brigitte Flynn <Brigitte.Flynn@nara.gov>
Date: Tue, Oct 6, 2020 at 6:59 AM
Subject: Fwd: Freedom of Information Act Request #OS-2020-00689
To: denver archives <denver.archives@nara.gov>, <specialaccess_foia@nara.gov
>

Forwarding a FOIA request our office received yesterday. Requester is
seeking records pertaining to a *Bureau of Reclamation* project, which
should be in your custody

Requester's email: requests@muckrock.com

Thank you,
Brigitte Flynn
Special Access & FOIA Staff

On Friday, October 2, 2020 at 4:16:21 PM UTC-4,
requests@muckrock.com wrote:
>
>
> National Archives and Records Administration
> FOIA Office
> MS-116, SIB
> 1951 Constitution Avenue Northwest
> Washington, DC 20245
>
> October 2, 2020
>
> This is a follow up to request number OS-2020-00689:
>
> To Whom It May Concern:
>
> Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following
> records:
>
> Related to San Juan-Chama Project along the New Mexico/Colorado state
> lines. Any records related to the construction of the Blanco and OSO
> Tunnels and the Blanco Diversion Dam and Little OSO Diversion Dam for the
> years 1962-1968.
>
> 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,
>
> Adam Stasko
>
> From: Muckrock Staff
>
> Filed via MuckRock.com
> E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com
> Upload documents directly:
> https://www.muckrock.com/
> Is this email coming to the wrong contact? Something else wrong? Use the
> above link to let us know.
>
> For mailed responses, please address (see note):
> MuckRock News
> DEPT MR 93268
> 411A Highland Ave
> Somerville, MA 02144-2516
>
> PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is
> being sent through MuckRock by the above in order to better track, share,
> and manage public records requests. Also note that improperly addressed
> (i.e., with the requester's name rather than "MuckRock News" and the
> department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.
>
> ---
>
> On July 15, 2020:
> Subject: FOIA Request - OS-2020-00689 - Final Response Letter
> Dear Mr. Stasko,
>
> Please find attached an final response letter for FOIA Request
> OS-2020-00689.
> Thanks,
> Cindy Sweeney
>
> --
> Department of the Interior
> Office of the Secretary, FOIA Office
> 1849 C Street, NW, MS-7328
> Washington, D.C. 20240
> os_foia@ios.doi.gov
> (202) 513-0765 - phone
> (202) 219-2374 - fax
> ---
>
> On June 22, 2020:
> Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] RE: Freedom of Information Act Request: San Juan
> Chama Project Records Request (Department of the Interior)
> Dear Mr. Stasko,
>
> We received this follow up on your request, but we never received your
> original request in May. We cannot accept any request via email rather than
> using one of the written forms of submission listed on the Department’s
> FOIA website, https://www.doi.gov/foia, or utilizing physical or
> facsimile addresses of an appropriate FOIA contact, located at
> https://www.doi.gov/foia/contacts. Per our regulations, your request
> cannot be processed until you resubmit it utilizing one of the written
> forms of submission noted above. See 43 C.F.R. § 2.3(b)<
> http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=0fc3ab3499768eebc2e3691c8cf88dec&rgn=div5&view=text&node=43:1.1.1.1.2&idno=43#43:1.1.1.1.2.2.5.3
> >
>
> Please note that the entire OS FOIA office has been teleworking since
> mid-March 2020, and cannot receive physical mail or faxed in requests in a
> timely manner. We strongly prefer the portal forms of submission at this
> time.
>
> Thank you,
> Emily Karp
> --
> Department of the Interior
> Office of the Secretary, FOIA Office
> 1849 C Street, NW, MS-7328
> Washington, D.C. 20240
> os_foia@ios.doi.gov
> (202) 513-0765 - phone
> (202) 219-2374 - fax
> ---
>
> On May 18, 2020:
> Subject: Freedom of Information Act Request: San Juan Chama Project
> Records Request (Department of the Interior)
> To Whom It May Concern:
>
> Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following
> records:
>
> Related to San Juan-Chama Project along the New Mexico/Colorado state
> lines. Any records related to the construction of the Blanco and OSO
> Tunnels and the Blanco Diversion Dam and Little OSO Diversion Dam for the
> years 1962-1968.
>
> 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,
>
> Adam Stasko
>
> Filed via MuckRock.com
> E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com
> Upload documents directly:
> https://www.muckrock.com/
> Is this email coming to the wrong contact? Something else wrong? Use the
> above link to let us know.
>
> For mailed responses, please address (see note):
> MuckRock News
> DEPT MR 93268
> 411A Highland Ave
> Somerville, MA 02144-2516
>
> PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is
> being sent through MuckRock by the above in order to better track, share,
> and manage public records requests. Also note that improperly addressed
> (i.e., with the requester's name rather than "MuckRock News" and the
> department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.
>
> --
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.

Dear Adam Stasko:

This is in response to your October 2, 2020, Freedom of Information Act
request (21-00868) for information about “any records related to the
construction of the Blanco and OSO Tunnels and the Blanco Diversion Dam and
Little OSO Diversion Dam for the years 1962-1968” which were part of the
Bureau of Reclamation’s San Juan-Chama Project along the New
Mexico/Colorado state line. We received your request on October 8, 2020.

The bulk of the Bureau of Reclamation records are in our regional archive
in Denver, Colorado. Your request has been forwarded to them and they will
respond to you separately from this response.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal
operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work
while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of
our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, we are
unable to provide a reproduction quote at this time. We apologize for this
inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

A search of our finding aids identified two potentially responsive records
in our College Park, Maryland, facility. Both of those records are in
Record Group (RG) 22, Records of the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Both
are in RG 22, P Entry 261, Records Concerning the Impact of Water Related
Projects on Fish and Wildlife Resources, 1946 - 1970
<https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6172525>. In box 279 there is a folder
entitled Llano Unit, San Juan-Chama Project - New Mexico
<https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6271528>. There are two copies of a 9 page
memorandum in this file. In box 285 there is a folder entitled Hearings-Maddox
Case-San Juan Chama <https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6271647> and it has
162 regular pages and 2 oversize color pages. Standard copies cost 80 cents
per page and the oversize copies will cost $5 each. We estimate that it
will cost $146.80 to copy the contents of both files

We welcome you to resubmit your request to archives2reference@nara.gov when
the National Archive resumes normal operations. You do not need to submit
another FOIA request as these records are open; you can email us directly,
and we will be pleased to assist. For updates on our status, please visit
https://www.archives.gov/coronavirus.

We do not consider this a denial of your FOIA request because the
responsive records are open and available for public review. However, if
you are not satisfied with our action on this request, your options for
appeal and dispute resolution are outlined in the attached enclosure.

If there are any further questions, the staff of the Archives II Reference
Section would be pleased to help. We may be contacted by writing to the
Archives II Reference Section (RDT2), The National Archives at College
Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001.

Sincerely,

EUGENE F. MORRIS

Archives II Textual Reference Branch (RR2RR)

National Archives at College Park, MD