inspection or copying records requested
pursuant to the FOIA. These fees will recoup
the full allowable direct costs incurred.
Charges in excess of 325 will not be incurred
without your authorization.
  The EPA may determine to waive or
reduce fees in cases where furnishing the
information primarily benefits the general
public by significantly assisting citizens in
understanding how their government works.
Requests for waiver or reduction of fees
should be submitted with the requests for
records under the FOIA. Please include in
any waiver request relevant facts or
arguments which might support the request.

     The current schedule of fees for
search, review and copy services is set forth
in 40 CFR 2.120 and is available at the
Agency's headquarters office or at trie
Agency's regional offices.  Estimates of fees
to be charged will generally be provided
upon request.
    FOI OFFICES ADDRESSES

  Agency Freedom of Information Officer
  United States Environmental Protection
               Agency
        401 M Street, SW (1105)
         Washington, DC 20460
   (202) 260-4048  FAX (202) 260-4499
    Email: hq.foia@epamail.epa.gov
  Regional Freedom of Information Officer
          U.S. EPA, Region 2
       290 Broadway, 26th Floor
       New York, NY 10007-1866
  (212)637-3668   FAX (212) 637-5046
 Email:  vasquez. wanda@epamail. epa.gov
        (States: NJ, NY, PR, VI)
  Regional Freedom of Information Officer
          U.S. EPA, Region 3
          841 Chestnut Street
        Philadelphia, PA 19107
  (215) 566-5553   FAX (215) 566-0961
  Email: vanholt.richard@epamail.epa.gov
    (States: DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV)
  Regional Freedom of Information Officer
          U.S. EPA, Region 4
AFC Bldg, 61 Forsyth Street., S.W. (4PM-IF)
        Atlanta, GA 30303-3104
   (404) 562-9891   FAX (404) 562-8054
     Email: r4foia@epamail.epa.gov
 (States: AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN)
  Regional Freedom of Information Officer
          U.S. EPA, Region 5
   77 West Jackson Boulevard (MI-13J)
        Chicago, IL 60604-3507
   (312)886-6686 FAX (312) 886-1515
      Email: r5foia@epamail.epa.gov
      (States: IL, IN, Ml, MN, OH, Wl)
        726 Minnesota Avenue
        Kansas City, KS 66101
  (913) 551-7764   FAX (913) 551-7066
     Email: r7foia@epamail.epa.gov
        (States: IA, KS, MO, NE)
 Regional Freedom of Information Officer
          U.S. EPA, Region 8
       999 18th Street, Suite 500
       Denver, CO 80202-2466
  (303)312-6940  FAX (303) 312-6961
   Email: R8FOIAS@epamail.epa.gov
   (States: CO, MT, ND, SO, UT, WY)
 Regional Freedom of Information Officer
          U.S. EPA, Region 9
       75 Hawthorne Street (E-2)
       San Francisco, CA 94105
  (415)744-1593 FAX (415) 744-1605
    Email: r9.info@epamail.epa.gov
    (States: AZ, CA, HI, NV, AS, GU)
Regional Freedom of Information Officer
        U.S. EPA, Region 10
        Office of External Affairs
      1200 6th Avenue (EXA-124)
          Seattle, WA 98101
   (206) 553-8665FAX (206) 553-0149
           Email: RegionlO-
      FOIA@EPAMAIL EPA. GOV
        (States: AK, ID, OR, NA)
            United Stales        EPA 1OO-F-97 002
            Environmental Protection October 1997
            Agency

            Office Of Trie Administrator (1105)
ĢEPA  How To Make
            A  Freedom Of
            Information
            Act Request
  Regional Freedom of Information Officer
           U.S. EPA, Region 1
           JFK Federal Bldg
           Boston, MA 02203
   (617)565-9699  FAX (617) 565-3415
    Email: leahy tricia@epamai/. epa.gov
     (States: CT, ME, MA, NH, Rl, VT)
  Regional Freedom of Information Officer
          U.S. EPA, Region 6
          1445 Ross Avenue
         Dallas, TX 75202-2733
   (214)665-6597  FAX (214) 665-2146
     Email: r6foia@epamail.epa.gov
      (States: AR, LA, NM, OK, TX)
  Regional Freedom of Information Officer
          U.S EPA, Region 7

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Freedom  of
Information Act
   The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
allows you to obtain information from various
agencies of the federal government
including the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). The purpose of this brochure
is to provide you with a brief description of
your rights and the manner in which the iPA
will respond to your requests under the FOIA.

   The information contained in this
brochure is not exhaustive or definitive.
Specific requests will be governed by the
provisions of the FOIA, set forth in 5 U.S.C. §
552, and in the Agency's regulations
implementing the Act,  set forth in  40 CFR
Part 2. Copies of these regulations are
available at the Agency's Freedom of
(information Office (Headquarters) in
Washington, DC and at its regional offices.

   Questions may bŪ directed to the Agency
Freedom of Information Office,
Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M
Street, SW (1105), Washington, DC 20480;
telephone (202) 260-4048. Also,  questions
may be directed to the regional office within
your geographical jurisdiction (addresses
Ifeted under REGIONAL OFFICES).
   In general, you can inspect or obtain
copies of publicly available material
maintained by the EPA through public
                                                    headquarters and regional offices.  Also, you
                                                    may electronically access information by
site at hKp-JAmww.epa.gov. All agency
records must be made available to the public
under the FOIA, except for records which
are:

1.  property classified as secret in the interest of
   national defense or foreign policy:

2.  related solely to internal personnel rules and
   practices

3.  specifically made confidential by other statutes;

4.  trade secrets and commercial or financial
   information which is obtained from a person
   and is privileged or confidential;

5.  inter-agency or infra-agency memoranda or
   letters, except under certain circumstances;

6.  personnel and medical files and similar files,
   the disclosure of which would constitute a
   clearly unwarranted invasion of personal
   privacy;

7.  records or information compiled for law.
   enforcement purposes, the release of which
   (a) could reasonably be expected to interfere
   with enforcement proceedings, (b) would
   deprive a parson of a right to a fair trail or
   impartial adjudication, (c) could reasonably be
   expected to constitute an unwarranted
   invasion of personal privacy, (d) could
   reasonably be expected to disclose the identity
   of a confidential .source, (e) would disclose
   investigative techniques, and/or (f) could
   reasonably be expected to endanger the life or
   physical safety of any individual;
8.  information contained in or related to certain
   examination, operating, or condition
   reports concerning financial institutions;

9.  certain information concerning gas or oil wells.

   In addition, if the foregoing types of
information may be reasonably segregated
and deleted from any records, the EPA will
make the remainder of that record available
to you for inspection or copying, if it is not
otherwise available.
                                   IT
   Before making a request under the FOIA,
make sure the information you seek is not
already available to the public in reading
rooms or the Agency's Web site on the
Internet.  Copies of this public material can
also be requested by writing to the Agency's
headquarters office or to the appropriate
Agency's regional office.

  If the information you seek is not already
                                      in
           ').  To assist the EPA in ths
processing of your request include: (A)
readable information such as your name,
address, and phone number; (B) try to  be as
specific as possible in identifying the records
sought in a way that will permit their
identification and location; (C) whether
payment of fees are guaranteed; and (D) if
fees are incurred, you wHI be required to
provide a Taxpayer Identification Number
(TIN), if requesting information on behalf of a
company/organization or Social Security
Number (SSN), if requesting information as a
private citizen which is required under the
Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996.
   Generally, you have a right to a decision
with regard to the release of the requested
records within 20 working days of receipt of
your inquiry and the EPA makes every effort
to meet this time frame. However, due to the
complexity of certain requests, the  agency
may take a substantially longer time to fully
respond to a request.

   If your request is initially denied in whole
or in part, in accordance with exemptions
provided by the FOIA, you will be advised of
your right to appeal. Generally, you will have
a right to a decision on the appeal within 20
working days of receipt.

   All requests made under the FOIA are a
metier of public record  and may be placed in
the Agency's public files.
   Records requested (in writing) under the
the Agency's headquarters office in
Washington, DC or at the Agency's regional
offices.
                                                                                                                                                            With certain specific exceptions
                                                                                                                                                         authorized by the FOIA Reform Act of 1986,
                                                                                                                                                         a fee \will generally be charged when more
                                                                                                                                                         than one-half staff hour of work is devoted to
                                                                                                                                                         locating, reviewing and making available for

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