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Council on Environmental Quality
Annual FOIA 2006 Report
October 1, 2005-September 30, 2006

  1.  Basic Information Regarding Report
    1. Name, Title, Address, and Telephone Number of Person to be Contacted with Questions about The Report.                             

      Edward Boling
      Freedom of Information Officer
      Council on Environmental Quality
      722 Jackson Place, NW
      Washington, DC 20503
      Telephone number: (202) 395-5750
      Fax number: (202) 456-0753
      E-Mail: efoia@ceq.eop.gov

    2. Electronic address for report on the World Wide Web.
      /CEQ
    3. How to obtain a copy of the report in paper form.
      Request a copy from the address above.

  2. How to Make a FOIA Request

    FOIA Requests should be submitted by fax at (202) 456-0753 or E-Mail to eboling@ceq.eop.gov

    1. Names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all individual agency components and offices that receive FOIA requests.
      N/A 
    2. Brief description of the agency’s response time ranges.
      Median response time ranges from 35 days but up to 314 days due to complexity and need to consult with other agencies.
    3. Brief description of why some requests are not granted.
      Since most FOIA requests pertain to deliberative process, exemption (b)(5) is used to withhold exempt material.

  3. Definitions of Terms and Acronyms Used in the Report (to be included in each report)

    1. Agency-specific acronyms or other terms:
      1. Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ),
      2. Environmental Assessment (EA),
      3. Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI),
      4. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

    2. Basic terms, expressed in common terminology.
      1. FOIA/PA request Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act request. A FOIA request is generally a request for access to records concerning a third party, an organization, or a particular topic of interest. A Privacy Act request is a request for records concerning oneself; such requests are also treated as FOIA requests. (All requests for access to records, regardless of which law is cited by the requester, are included in this report.)
      2. Initial Request.  A request to a federal agency for access to records under the Freedom of Information Act.
      3. Appeal, A request to a federal agency asking that it review at a higher administrative level a full denial or partial denial of access to records under the Freedom of Information Act, or any other FOIA determination such as a matter pertaining to fees.
      4. Processed Request or Appeal, A request or appeal for which an agency has taken a finalaction on the request or the appeal in all respects.
      5. Multitrack processing, A system in which simple requests requiring relatively minimal review are placed in one processing track and more voluminous and complex requests are placed in one or more other tracks. Requests in each track are processed on a first in/first out basis. A requester who has an urgent need for records may request expedited processing (see below).
      6. Expedited processing, An agency will process a FOIA request on an expedited basis when a requester has shown an exceptional need or urgency for the records which warrants prioritization of his or her request over other requests that were made earlier.
      7. Simple request, A FOIA request that an agency using multitrack processing places in its fastest (nonexpedited) track based on the volume and/or simplicity of records requested.
      8. Complex request, A FOIA request that an agency using multitrack processing places in a slower  track based on the volume and/or complexity of records requested.
      9. Grant, An agency decision to disclose all records in full in response to a FOIA request.
      10. Partial grant, An agency decision to disclose a record in part in response to a FOIA request, deleting information determined to be exempt under one or more of the FOIA's exemptions; or a decision to disclose some records in their entireties, but to withhold others in whole or in part.
      11. Denial,  An agency decision not to release any part of a record or records in response to a FOIA  request because all the information in the requested records is determined by the agency to be exempt under one or more of the FOIA's exemptions, or for some procedural reason (such as because no record is located in response to a FOIA request).
      12. Time limits, The time period in the Freedom of Information Act for an agency to respond to a FOIA request (ordinarily 20 working days from proper receipt of a "perfected" FOIA request).
      13. "Perfected" request, A FOIA request for records which adequately describes the records sought, which has been received by the FOIA office of the agency or agency component in possession of the records, and for which there is no remaining question about the payment of applicable fees.
      14. Exemption 3 statute,  A separate federal statute prohibiting the disclosure of a certain type of information and authorizing its withholding under FOIA subsection (b)(3).
      15. Median number, The middle, not average, number. For example, of 3, 7, and 14, the median number is 7.
      16. Average number, The number obtained by dividing the sum of a group of numbers by the quantity of numbers in the group.

  4. Exemption 3 Statutes

    1.  List of Exemption 3 statutes relied on by agency during current fiscal year.
      1. Brief description of type(s) of information withheld under each statute:
        None
      2. Statement of whether a court has upheld the use of each statute. If so, then cite example.
        None

  5. Initial FOIA/PA Access Requests

    1. Numbers of initial requests.
      1. Number of requests pending as of end of preceding fiscal year 9
      2. Number of requests received during current fiscal year  24
      3. Number of requests processed during current fiscal year 23
      4. Number of requests pending as of end of current fiscal year 10
    2.  Disposition of initial requests.
      1. Number of total grants 3
      2. Number of partial grants 5 
      3. Number of denials 0
        1. number of times each FOIA exemption used
          (counting each exemption once per request)
          1. Exemption 1  0
          2. Exemption 2  2
          3. Exemption 3  0
          4. Exemption 4  0
          5. Exemption 5  3
          6. Exemption 6  0
          7. Exemption   7(A)  0
          8. Exemption   7(B)  0
          9. Exemption   7(C)  0   
          10. Exemption   7(D)  0  
          11. Exemption   7(E)  0
          12. Exemption   7(F)  0
          13. Exemption   8  0
          14. Exemption   9  0
      4. Other reasons for nondisclosure:  15
        1.  no records  11
        2.  referrals 
        3. request withdrawn   0
        4. fee-related reason 0
        5. records not reasonably described  2
        6. not a proper FOIA request for some other reason  0
        7. not an agency record  0
        8. duplicate request  1
        9. other (overtaken by events)  1

  6. Appeals of Initial Denials of FOIA/PA Requests

    1. Numbers of appeals.
      1. Number of appeals received during fiscal year  0
      2. Number of appeals processed during fiscal year  1
    2. Disposition of appeals.
      1. Number completely upheld 1
      2. Number partially reversed 0
      3. Number completely reversed 0
        1. number of times each FOIA exemption used
          (counting each exemption once per appeal)
          1. Exemption 1  0
          2. Exemption 2  0
          3. Exemption 3  0
          4. Exemption 4  0
          5. Exemption 5  1
          6. Exemption 6  0
          7. Exemption 7(A)  0
          8. Exemption 7(B)  0
          9. Exemption 7(C)  0
          10. Exemption 7(D)  0
          11. Exemption 7(E)  0
          12. Exemption 7(F)  0
          13. Exemption 8  0
          14. Exemption 9  0
      4. Other reasons for nondisclosure 0
        1. no records  0
        2. referrals  0
        3. request withdrawn  0
        4. fee related reason  0
        5. records not reasonably described  0
        6. not a proper FOIA request for some other reason  0
        7. not an agency record  0
        8. duplicate request  0
        9. other (specify)  0

  7. Compliance with Time Limits/Statutes of Pending Requests

    1. Median processing time for requests processed during the year.
      1. Simple requests (if multiple tracks used.)
        1. number of requests processed 22
        2. median number of days to process 35
      2. Complex requests (specify for any and all tracks used).
        1. number of requests processed 0
        2. median number of days to process 0
      3. Requests accorded expedited processing 1
        1. number of requests processed  1
        2. median number of days to process  6
    2. Status of pending requests.
      1. Number of requests pending as of end of current fiscal year 10
      2. Median number of days that such requests were pending as of that date 239

  8. COMPARISONS WITH PREVIOUS YEAR(S).
    1. Comparison of numbers of requests received:
      24 in FY06 vs. 40 in FY05
    2. Comparison of number of requests processed:
      32 in FY06 vs. 40 in FY05
    3. Comparison of median numbers of days requests were pending as of end of fiscal year:
      309 in FY06 vs. 40 in FY05
    4. Other statistics significant to agency:
      Our "median number of days to process" does not reflect the time our agency must spend on complex requests. Although all our FOIA requests are tracked as "simple requests" 6 of the 24 requests received in FY06 are in fact quite complex. Those complex requests accounted for 6 of the 10 requests pending at the end of FY06. As of the date of this report those 6 requests are currently next in line to be processed within our "first in – first out" policy.

      In 2004, CEQ adopted a "first in – first out" policy for managing an increasing number of requests.  Under this policy, objectively simple requests may receive expedited processing. CEQ received 1 formal request for expedited processing during FY2006.

  9. Costs/FOIA Staffing
    1. Staffing levels.
      1. Number of full-time FOIA personnel  0
      2. Number of personnel with part-time or occasional FOIA duties (in work-years)  .96
      3. Total number of personnel (in total work years)  .96
    2. Total costs (including staff and all resources).
      1. FOIA processing (including appeals)  103222.50
      2. Litigation-related activities (estimated)   4687.50
      3. Total Costs  107,910.00

  10. Fees
    1. Total amount of fees collected by agency for processing requests  00.00
    2. Percentage of total costs 00.00%

  11. FOIA Regulation
           /ceq/

  12. REPORT ON EXECUTIVE ORDER 13392 IMPLEMENTATION

    Issued by the President on December 14, 2005, Executive Order 13392, "Improving Agency Disclosure of Information," established a "citizen-centered," "results-oriented" approach to the administration of the Freedom of Information Act. Among its provisions, the Executive Order directed agencies to thoroughly review their current administration of the Act and, subsequently, to develop a plan to improve those processes. That plan in place, Executive Order 13392 directs agencies to use their annual FOIA reports to describe their various successes in meeting the milestones and goals set forth therein.

    This section of the Council on Environmental Quality’s annual FOIA report addresses CEQ’s progress in implementing the steps set forth in its 2006 FOIA Improvement Plan.

    Note that unlike previous sections of this report, which employ data compiled for FY06, Section XII covers Executive Order implementation activities through December 2006.

    1. Description of supplementation/modification of agency improvement plan (if applicable).

      On September 12, 2006, in response to comments from the Department of Justice, CEQ amended its FOIA Improvement Plan to clarify its presentation of its plan for backlog reduction.

    2. Report on agency implementation of its plan, including its performance in meeting milestones, with respect to each improvement area.

      CEQ has met many of the goals and milestones set forth in the report it submitted in response to Executive Order 13392 (see www.whitehouse.gov/ceq/ceq-foia-06.html).  Achievements are particularly noteworthy in the area of making CEQ’s  FOIA process more comprehensible by and accessible to citizens. Central to this effort was CEQ’s redesign of its website www.whitehouse.gov/ceq to feature an all-inclusive FOIA “center” with resources ranging from the full text of the Freedom of Information Act itself, CEQ FOIA regulations, Executive Order 13392, CEQ’s Annual FOIA reports from 1998-2005, and a number of other items of  importance to FOIA requesters. At the heart of the new FOIA Center is CEQ’s Online Reading Room, a virtual library of material designed to illuminate and simplify the FOIA process. Users can peruse environmental news, policies, and reports generated not only by CEQ but by other agencies. In addition, the Online Reading Room provides reference service. Users are directed to the Environmental Protection Agency’s website to pursue copies of Environmental Impact Statements.

      Perhaps the most important posting to CEQ’s Online Reading Room are the documents (in .pdf format) that CEQ has released under FOIA which, because of their subject matter, are likely to be the subject of other FOIA requests. Documents available online include written and email correspondence and other information deemed responsive to a particular FOIA request; material determined to be non-responsive is indicated within the text of the document. For ease of use, material is organized by subject and individual documents are indexed and numbered chronologically. To date, documents from 11 FOIA requests have been posted with more on the way. By making these documents available, CEQ hopes to save FOIA requesters time and money since they can review topical material online before submitting a formal request.

      With these achievements, CEQ has completed all of the following areas to be completed by December 31, 2006:

      Website postings to assist the public in making FOIA requests and tracking FOIA responses.
      1. CEQ will post this FOIA Plan
      2. CEQ will post copies of records that have been released under FOIA and that CEQ determines have become or are likely to become the subject of subsequent requests for substantially the same records.

      The CEQ FOIA Home Page (/ceq/foia.html) will be revised and monitored to ensure that it includes accurate information regarding CEQ FOIA Officers and their contact information, instructions on submitting FOIA requests, information on the status of requests, and information regarding the scope of CEQ records and available information on the activities of CEQ and related agencies.

      1. Redesign website to reflect information in this FOIA Plan and add a FOIA Reading Room.
      2. Coordinate with the Office of Administration and other jurisdictional offices regarding the implementation of website revisions.

      CEQ’s Chief FOIA Officer will advise all CEQ staff of their responsibilities under the FOIA and the CEQ FOIA Plan.

      3. Redesign website to reflect information in this FOIA Plan and add a FOIA Reading Room.

      Review other agency regulations and public input provided in response to this FOIA Plan.

      Coordinate with the Department of Justice Office of Information and Privacy and the Office of Management and Budget regarding the implementation of regulation revisions.

      Advise the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Administration of CEQ FOIA backlog and its needs and proposals for more effective implementation of Executive Order 13392, the E-FOIA provisions of the 1996 FOIA Amendments, and other relevant authorities (this will continue on a monthly basis).

      1. Establish points of contact with OA and OMB.
      2. Communications at the beginning of each month regarding status information on implementation of this FOIA plan and coordination on FOIA requests.

    3. Identification and discussion of any deficiency in meeting plan milestones (if applicable).

      CEQ was unable to submit draft FOIA regulations to Federal Register in December of 2006.  This was due, at least in part, to its inability to replace a key staff member who served as staff for the CEQ FOIA Service Center.  CEQ’s record of FOIA accomplishment has been due primarily to the diligent public service of William (“Bill”) Perhach, who retired from Federal service at the end of July, 2006. Since publishing a  Vacancy Announcement for Paralegal Special on August 17, 2006, CEQ has actively sought out qualified applicants to fill this position.  CEQ has issued another Vacancy Announcement (closing date February 6, 2007) and will continue its efforts to hire sufficient staff to fully implement its FOIA Plan in 2007.

    4. Additional  narrative statement regarding other executive order-related activities (optional)

    5. Concise descriptions of FOIA exemptions

      The nine exemptions to the FOIA authorize Federal agencies to withhold information cover: (1) classified national defense and foreign relations information; (2) internal agency rules and practices; (3) information that is prohibited from disclosure by another Federal law; (4) trade secrets and other confidential business information; (5) inter-agency or intra-agency communications that are protected by legal privileges; (6) information involving matters of personal privacy; (7) records or information compiled by or for law enforcement purposes, to the extent that the production of those records (A) could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings, (B) would deprive a person a right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication, (C) could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, (D) could reasonably be expected to disclose the identify of a confidential source, (E) would disclose techniques and procedures for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions, or would disclose guidelines for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions, or (F) could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical safety of any individual; (8) information relating to the supervision of financial institutions; and (9) geological information on wells.

    6. Additional statistics:

      1. Time range of requests pending, by date of request (or, where applicable, by date of referral from another agency)

        2. From July 1, 2005 through January 31, 2007.

      2. Time range of communications pending with other agencies, by date of initial interagency communication

        3. From December 22, 2003 through January 31, 2007.

    7. Attachment:  Agency improvement plan in current form

      Please see www.whitehouse.gov/ceq/ceq-foia-06.html


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