Unhireable jobs at NOAA

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=090004d281394de3)
* Tracking Number: DOC-NOAA-2017-001347
* Requester Name: Alexander Rony
* Date Submitted: 06/01/2017
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description: A list of the vacant positions that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration cannot fill due to the president's hiring freeze. Please include the job title, GS level, office, and division.

Good afternoon,

Thank you for inquiring about your FOIA request. Your request has been
received and assigned to the Workforce Management Office (WFMO) for
fulfillment. It will be processed as quickly as possible.

There will be no FOIA fees charged for the processing of your request.

Thank you very much for your patience. Please let me know if you have any
questions.
Regards,

Lola Stith
NOAA FOIA Office

06/19/2017 01:01 PM FOIA Request: DOC-NOAA-2017-001347

Dear Mr. Rony,
Please see accompanying letter, and respond as requested.
Thank you.
Yours truly, Karen

— FOIA Liaison Karen Robin
NOAA’s Workforce Management OfficeSilver Spring, MD    ●    (301) 713-6361

Dear Mr. Rony,

Thank you for your reply.

I suspect you meant to key in April 13 below — when the hiring freeze ended
— not April 3.

But please confirm. These details are important in the FOIA world.

Thank you,
Karen

p.s. FYI, Jean Carter-Johnson is not the current NOAA FOIA Officer.

—

*Karen Robin *FOIA Liaison

*NOAA’s Workforce Management Office*Silver Spring, MD ● (301) 713-6361

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <requests@muckrock.com>
Date: Wed, Jun 21, 2017 at 2:44 AM
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Request: Unhireable jobs at NOAA
To: foia@noaa.gov

June 21, 2017
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Jean Carter-Johnson
FOIA/PA Officer
Room 10641, SSMC-3
1315 East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3281

This is a follow up to a previous request:

Dear Ms. Robin,

Thank you for acknowledging receipt of my FOIA request (No.
DOC-NOAA-2017-001347). Your letter asked for confirmation and clarification
about a few items.

First, when I initially filed my request, the hiring freeze was still
underway. It appears that your agency did not receive and enter it into
FOIAonline until after the freeze had expired. I am still interested in the
effect of the freeze, even if it is over.

You stated that your agency requested exceptions to the freeze, and
mentioned that the requested list may not exist. If NOAA cannot pull a list
responsive to my initial request, then please amend my request to the
following:

1. Records of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration positions
that were unfilled as of April 3, 2017. A list would suffice. Please
include the job title, GS level, office, and division.
2. Records of requested exceptions to the 2017 federal hiring freeze.

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 requested 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 the debate over proper
government staffing levels.

The Sierra Club and its supporters have demonstrated interest and expertise
in the subject area, specifically the development of funding of programs
designed to safeguard our marine ecosystems and research climate change.
The Sierra Club and its staff, volunteers, and hundreds of thousands of its
supporters have filed many public comments and sent many letters regarding
issues relating to NOAA's area of focus.

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 impacts that the federal hiring freeze had on
the agency's ability to perform its duties. This information is still
relevant as agencies are being encouraged to make more efficient uses of
existing staff resources and as the FY2018 budget planning process proceeds.

Please let me know if you would like to request additional information in
order to fulfill this request. I am willing to talk over the phone in order
to make it clearer what records I am seeking.

Thank you,

Alexander Rony
Sierra Club
---

On June 19, 2017:
06/19/2017 01:01 PM FOIA Request: DOC-NOAA-2017-001347

Dear Mr. Rony,
Please see accompanying letter, and respond as requested.
Thank you.
Yours truly, Karen

— FOIA Liaison Karen Robin
NOAA’s Workforce Management OfficeSilver Spring, MD ● (301) 713-6361

---

On June 12, 2017:
Good afternoon,

Thank you for inquiring about your FOIA request. Your request has been
received and assigned to the Workforce Management Office (WFMO) for
fulfillment. It will be processed as quickly as possible.

There will be no FOIA fees charged for the processing of your request.

Thank you very much for your patience. Please let me know if you have any
questions.
Regards,

Lola Stith
NOAA FOIA Office
---

On June 12, 2017:
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=090004d281394de3)

* Tracking Number: DOC-NOAA-2017-001347
* Requester Name: Alexander Rony
* Date Submitted: 06/01/2017
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description: A list of the vacant positions that the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration cannot fill due to the president's hiring
freeze. Please include the job title, GS level, office, and division.

---

On June 12, 2017:
To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request,
copied below, and originally submitted on April 3, 2017. Please let me know
when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is
needed.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

---

On May 22, 2017:
To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request,
copied below, and originally submitted on April 3, 2017. Please let me know
when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is
needed.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

---

On May 1, 2017:
To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request,
copied below, and originally submitted on April 3, 2017. Please let me know
when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is
needed.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

---

On April 3, 2017:
To Whom It May Concern:

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

A list of the vacant positions that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration cannot fill due to the president's hiring freeze. Please
include the job title, GS level, office, and division.

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,

Alexander Rony

------
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------

Okay.

Well, Mark Graff is the NOAA FOIA officer, however, our requests are
processed (once they arrive) via FOIAonline, a Dept. of Justice website. I
can’t say that addressing to the FOIA officer is useful or needed.

Yours,
Karen

—

*Karen Robin *FOIA Liaison

*NOAA’s Workforce Management Office*Silver Spring, MD ● (301) 713-6361

Hi,

I expect you’ll have the file this coming week.

Thank you for your patience,
Karen

—

*Karen Robin *FOIA Liaison

*NOAA’s Workforce Management Office *Silver Spring, MD ● (301)
713-6361

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DOC-NOAA-2017-001347 has been processed with the following final disposition: Full grant. Please see the attached letter. A copy of the letter and copy of our responsive record are also being mailed to you at the Somerville, MA address you provided on this request via the U.S. Postal Service. Given the nature of this request, some records are only being released to you as the requester. If you have an account in FOIAonline, you may access those records by logging into FOIAonline. Otherwise, those responsive records will be sent via the method agreed upon with the FOIA processor. Yours very truly,
Karen Karen Robin
FOIA Liaison
NOAA’s Workforce Management Office
Silver Spring, MD (301) 713-6361 karen.robin@noaa.gov (mailto:karen.robin@noaa.gov)

A cover letter granting the request and outlining any exempted materials, if any.