CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 ^4 PRO^ United States Environmental Protection Agency Freedom of Information Act Annual Report Fiscal Year 2020 1 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 Section I: Basic Information Regarding This Report 1. Contact for questions about the report: Timothy R. Epp, Associate General Counsel National FOIA Office U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 20460 202-564-2830 2. Access this report on the Agency website: https: //www, epa. gov/foia/foia-reports#annual 3. Obtain a paper copy of this report by contacting: National FOIA Office, Office of General Counsel U. S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Mail Code 2310 A Washington, DC 20460 202-564-4080 2 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 Section II: Making a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request l. Submit a FOIA request directly to EPA though FOIAonline: https://www.foiaonline.gov/foiaonline/action/public/home 2. Send a FOIA request by regular mail or via courier services to: National FOIA Office, Office of General Counsel U. S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Mail Code 2310 A Washington, DC 20460 3. Search for property environmental data: For information regarding a specific property, perform a search immediately and without filing a FOIA request, by using the EPA's MyProperty tool: https: //enviro. epa. gov/facts/mypropertv/ 4. Review EPA FOIA Regulations: https: //www, ecfr. gov/c gi-bin/text- idx?SID=3alffcabdac3b04788a29bcf8c3da98c&node=40:1.0.1.1.2&rgn=div5 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 Section III: Acronyms, Definitions, and Exemptions 1. Agency component abbreviations: Component Abbreviation Component Name HQ Headquarters Region 01 Region 1 States: CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT Region 02 Region 2 States: NJ, NY, PR VI, and 7 Tribal Nations Region 03 Region 3 States: DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV Region 04 Region 4 States: AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN Region 05 Region 5 States: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI Region 06 Region 6 States: AR, LA, NM, OK, TX Region 07 Region 7 States: IA, KS, MO, NE Region 08 Region 8 States: CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY Region 09 Region 9 States: AZ, CA, HI, NV, AS, GU Region 10 Region 10 States: AK, ID, OR, WA, 271 Tribal Nations 2. Definitions of terms used in this report: a. Administrative Appeal - a request to a federal agency asking that it review at a higher administrative level a FOIA determination made by the agency at the initial request level. b. Average Number - the number obtained by dividing the sum of a group of numbers by the quantity of numbers in the group. For example, of 3, 7, and 14, the average number is 8. c. Backlog - the number of requests or administrative appeals that are pending at an agency at the end of the fiscal year that are beyond the statutory time period for a response. For requests, the statutory time period is twenty working days from receipt of the perfected request, see 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(A)(i), unless there are "unusual circumstances," in which case the time period may be extended for an additional ten working days, see id. § 552(a)(6)(B)(i). Although requesters might agree to an alternate time period for the agency to respond, or the agency may advise the requester that the "unusual circumstances" presented will require more than ten additional days to process, for purposes of the Annual FOIA Report, the request should be counted as backlogged once it is past the basic twenty-day (or, if applicable, the thirty-day) statutory response date. (DOJ Handbook...for Preparing the Annual Report p 19, November 4, 2019) 4 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 d. Component - for agencies that process requests on a decentralized basis, a "component" is an entity, also sometimes referred to as an Office, Division, Bureau, Center, or Directorate, within the agency that processes FOIA requests. The FOIA now requires that agencies include in their Annual FOIA Report data for both the agency overall and for each principal component of the agency. e. Consultation - the procedure whereby the agency responding to a FOIA request first forwards a record to another agency or component within the same agency for its review because that other agency has an interest in the document. Once the agency in receipt of the consultation finishes its review of the record, it responds back to the agency or component within the same agency that forwarded it. That agency, in turn, will then respond to the FOIA requester. f. Exemption 3 Statute - a federal statute that exempts information from disclosure and which the agency relies on to withhold information under subsection (b)(3) of the FOIA. g. FOIA Request - a FOIA request is generally a request to a federal agency for access to records concerning another person (i.e., a "third party" request), or concerning an organization, or a particular topic of interest. FOIA requests also include requests made by requesters seeking records concerning themselves (i.e., "first-party" requests) when those requesters are not subject to the Privacy Act, such as non-U.S. citizens. Moreover, because all first-party requesters should be afforded the benefit of both the access provisions of the FOIA as well as those of the Privacy Act, FOIA requests also include any first-party requests where an agency determines that it must search beyond its Privacy Act "systems of records" or where a Privacy Act exemption applies, and the agency looks to FOIA to afford the greatest possible access. All requests which require the agency to utilize the FOIA in responding to the requester are included in this Report. Additionally, a FOIA request includes records referred to the agency for processing and direct response to the requester. It does not, however, include records for which the agency has received a consultation from another agency. (Consultations are reported separately in Section XII of this Report.) h. Full Grant - an agency decision to disclose all records in full in response to a FOIA request. i. Full Denial - an agency decision not to release any records in response to a FOIA request because the records are exempt in their entireties under one or more of the FOIA exemptions, or because of a procedural reason, such as when no records could be located. j. Median Number - the middle, not average, number. For example, of 3, 7, and 14, the median number is 7. k. Multi-Track 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 granted expedited processing are placed in yet another track. Requests in each track are processed on a first in/first out basis. i. Expedited Processing - an agency will process a FOIA request on an expedited basis when a requester satisfies the requirements for expedited processing as set forth in the statute and in agency regulations. 5 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 ii. Simple Request - a FOIA request that an agency using multi-track processing places in its fastest (non-expedited) track based on the low volume and/or simplicity of the records requested. iii. Complex Request - a FOIA request that an agency using multi-track processing places in a slower track based on the high volume and/or complexity of the records requested. 1. Partial Grant/Partial Denial - in response to a FOIA request, an agency decision to disclose portions of the records and to withhold other portions that are exempt under the FOIA, or to otherwise deny a portion of the request for a procedural reason. m. Pending Request or Pending Administrative Appeal - a request or administrative appeal for which an agency has not taken final action in all respects. n. Perfected Request - a request for records which reasonably describes such records and is made in accordance with published rules stating the time, place, fees (if any) and procedures to be followed. o. Processed Request or Processed Administrative Appeal - a request or administrative appeal for which an agency has taken final action in all respects. p. Range in Number of Days - the lowest and highest number of days to process requests or administrative appeals. q. Time Limits - the time period in the statute for an agency to respond to a FOIA request (ordinarily twenty working days from receipt of a perfected FOIA request). 3. Concise descriptions of the nine FOIA exemptions: a. Exemption 1: classified national defense and foreign relations information b. Exemption 2: information that is related solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of an agency c. Exemption 3: information that is prohibited from disclosure by another federal law d. Exemption 4: trade secrets and other confidential business information e. Exemption 5: inter-agency or intra-agency communications that are protected by legal privileges f. Exemption 6: information involving matters of personal privacy g. Exemption 7: records or information compiled 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 of a right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication, 6 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 (C) could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, (D) could reasonably be 26 Department of Justice Annual FOIA Report Handbook expected to disclose the identity 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 h. Exemption 8: information relating to the supervision of financial institutions i. Exemption 9: geological information on wells 7 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 IV. Exemption 3 Statutes Statute Type of Information Withheld Case Citation Agency / Component Number of Times Relied upon by Agency / Component Total Number of Times Relied upon by Agency Overall 5 U.S.C. § 7114(b)(4), 7132 (Civil Service Reform Act) Certain labor relations training and guidance materials Dubin v. Dep't of Treasury, 555 F. Supp. 408, 412 (N.D. Ga. 1981) (5 U.S.C. §7114(b)(4)), aff d, 697 F.2d 1093 (11th Cir. 1983) (unpublished table decision); NTEU v. OPM, No. 76-695, slip op. at 3-4 (D.D.C. July 9, 1979) (5 U.S.C. § 7114(b)(4) and 5 U.S.C. § 7132). HQ 3 3 26 U.S.C. §§ 6103,6105 (Internal Revenue Code) Certain tax return information, to include Taxpayer Identification Numbers of third parties, and certain tax convention information Church of Scientology v. IRS, 484 U.S. 9, 15 (1987) (26 U.S.C. § 6103); Elec. Priv. Info. Ctr. v. IRS, 910 F.3d 1232 (D.C. Cir. 2018); Leonard v. U.S. Dep't of Treasury, 590 F. App'x. 141, 143-44 (3d Cir. 2014) (per curiam); Pac. Region 09 1 1 8 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 Fisheries, Inc. v. IRS, 395 F. App'x. 438, 440 (9th Cir. 2010) (unpublished disposition) (26 U.S.C. §§6103, 6105); Tax Analysts v. IRS, 217 F. Supp. 2d 23, 27-29 (D.D.C. 2002) (26 U.S.C. §6105). 5 U.S.C. app. 4 § 107(a)(2) (Ethics in Government Act of 1978) Confidential financial disclosure report pertaining to certain government employees Meyerhoff v. EPA, 958 F.2d 1498, 1500-02 (9th Cir. 1992); Boyd v. Exec. Off. for U.S. Att'ys, 161 F. Supp. 3d 1, 7 (D.D.C. 2015); Seife v. NIH, 874 F. Supp. 2d 248, 254 (S.D.N.Y. 2012). HQ 3 3 5 U.S.C. § 574(j) Dispute resolution communications N/A Region 02 1 1 9 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 Fed. R. Crim. P. 6(e), enacted by Act of July 30, 1977, Pub. L. No. 95-78, § 2, 91 Stat. 319 Certain records that would reveal some secret aspect pertaining to grand jury proceedings Sussman v. USMS, 494 F.3d 1106, 1113 (D.C. Cir. 2007); Sorin v. DOJ, No. 18-99, 2018 WL 6431027 (2d Cir. Dec. 6, 2018) (per curium); Widi v. McNeil, No. 12-CV-00188, 2016 WL 4394724, at *23 (D. Me. Aug 16, 2016); Durham v. U.S. Att'y Gen., No. 06-843, 2008 WL 620744, at *2 (E.D. Tex. Mar. 3, 2008); Cozen O'Connor v. U.S. Dep't of Treasury, 570 F. Supp. 2d 749, 776 (E.D. Pa. 2008). Region 08 10 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 V.A. FOIA REQUESTS - RECEIVED, PROCESSED AND PENDING FOIA REQUESTS Agency / Component Number of Requests Pending as of Start of Fiscal Year Number of Requests Received in Fiscal Year Number of Requests Processed in Fiscal Year Number of Requests Pending as of End of Fiscal Year HQ 2457 4254 4971 1740 Region 01 40 121 141 20 Region 02 143 331 342 132 Region 03 41 219 210 50 Region 04 60 358 388 30 Region 05 162 659 702 119 Region 06 70 319 313 76 Region 07 10 128 124 14 Region 08 13 95 94 14 Region 09 41 217 223 35 Region 10 58 190 157 91 AGENCY OVERALL 3095 6891 7665 2321 EPA audited its reports and, based upon that audit, adjusted the total number of requests pending at the start of the Fiscal Year for the following components: HQ and Regions 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. li ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 V.B.(i). DISPOSITION OF FOIA REQUESTS - ALL PROCESSED REQUESTS Agency/ Component Number of Full Grants Number of Partial Grants/ Partial Denials Number of Full Denials Based on Exemptions Number of Full Denials Based on Reasons Otherthan Exemptions No Records All Records Referred to Another Component or Agency Request Withdrawn Fee- Related Reason Records not Reasonably Described Improper FOIA Request for Other Reason Not Agency Record Duplicate Request Other *Explain in Chart Below TOTAL HQ 2739 1073 53 268 1 385 26 172 17 31 184 22 4971 Region 01 74 29 3 17 0 12 0 0 0 0 6 0 141 Region 02 163 18 0 94 0 27 1 29 0 0 10 0 342 Region 03 68 40 0 61 0 23 7 6 0 0 5 0 210 Region 04 207 46 1 101 0 29 0 0 0 0 4 0 388 Region 05 272 65 1 235 0 87 11 17 0 0 14 0 702 Region 06 132 47 1 64 1 64 2 1 0 1 0 0 313 Region 07 73 9 0 19 0 22 0 0 0 0 1 0 124 Region 08 36 25 0 9 0 17 0 1 0 0 6 0 94 Region 09 86 47 4 50 1 32 0 0 0 0 3 0 223 Region 10 31 58 1 27 5 32 3 0 0 0 0 0 157 AGENCY OVERALL 3881 1457 64 945 8 730 50 226 17 32 233 22 7665 12 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 V.B.(2). DISPOSITION OF FOIA REQUESTS - "OTHER" REASONS FOR "FULL DENIALS BASED ON REASONS OTHER THAN EXEMPTIONS" Agency / Component Description of "Other" Reasons for Denials from Chart B(l) Number of Times "Other" Reason Was Relied Upon TOTAL HQ Litigation 22 22 Region 01 N/A 0 0 Region 02 N/A 0 0 Region 03 N/A 0 0 Region 04 N/A 0 0 Region 05 N/A 0 0 Region 06 N/A 0 0 Region 07 N/A 0 0 Region 08 N/A 0 0 Region 09 N/A 0 0 Region 10 N/A 0 0 AGENCY OVERALL 22 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 V.B.(3). DISPOSITION OF FOIA REQUESTS - NUMBER OF TIMES EXEMPTIONS APPLIED Agency / Component Ex. 1 Ex. 2 Ex. 3 Ex. 4 Ex. 5 Ex. 6 Ex. 7(A) Ex. 7(B) Ex. 7(C) Ex. 7(D) Ex. 7(E) Ex. 7(F) Ex. 8 Ex. 9 HQ 1 11 6 83 353 684 36 2 169 6 59 47 0 1 Region 01 0 0 0 2 16 10 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 Region 02 0 0 1 1 6 13 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Region 03 0 0 0 18 12 26 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 7 Region 04 0 0 0 14 12 41 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Region 05 0 0 0 3 23 44 13 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Region 06 0 1 0 1 19 34 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 1 Region 07 0 0 0 4 2 4 2 1 2 0 2 0 0 0 Region 08 0 0 1 7 13 19 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 Region 09 0 0 1 4 12 34 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 Region 10 0 0 0 17 15 55 3 0 3 0 2 0 0 0 AGENCY OVERALL 1 12 9 154 483 964 84 5 179 6 66 48 0 16 14 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 VI.A. ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS OF INITIAL DETERMINATIONS OF FOIA REQUESTS - RECEIVED, PROCESSED, AND PENDING ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS Agency/ Component Number of Appeals Pending as of Start of Fiscal Year Number of Appeals Received in Fiscal Year Number of Appeals Processed in Fiscal Year Number of Appeals Pending as of End of Fiscal Year HQ 68 180 239 9 AGENCY OVERALL 68 180 239 9 EPA audited its FY reports and, based upon that audit, adjusted the total number of requests pending in component HQ at the start of the Fiscal Year. ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 VLB. DISPOSITION OF ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS - ALL PROCESSED APPEALS Agency/ Component Number Affirmed on Appeal Number Partially Affirmed & Partially Reversed/Remanded on Appeal Number Completely Reversed/Remanded on Appeal Number of Appeals Closed for Other Reasons TOTAL HQ 66 55 63 55 239 AGENCY OVERALL 66 55 63 55 239 16 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 VI.C.(i). REASONS FOR DENIAL ON APPEAL - NUMBER OF TIMES EXEMPTIONS APPLIED Agency / Component Ex. 1 Ex. 2 Ex. 3 Ex.4 Ex. 5 Ex. 6 Ex. 7(A) Ex. 7(B) Ex. 7(C) Ex. 7(D) Ex. 7(E) Ex. 7(F) Ex. 8 Ex. 9 HQ 0 1 0 7 48 46 14 0 7 0 0 1 0 3 AGENCY OVERALL 0 1 0 7 48 46 14 0 7 0 0 1 0 3 17 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 VI.C.(2). REASONS FOR DENIAL ON APPEAL - REASONS OTHER THAN EXEMPTIONS Agency/ Component No Records Records Referred at Initial Request Level Request Withdrawn Fee- Related Reason Records not Reasonably Described Improper Request for Other Reasons Not Agency Record Duplicate Request or Appeal Request in Litigation Appeal Based Solely on Denial of Request for Expedited Processing Other *Explain in chart below HQ 11 2 8 3 2 2 1 2 3 7 38 AGENCY OVERALL 11 2 8 3 2 2 1 2 3 7 38 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 VI.C.(3). REASONS FOR DENIAL ON APPEAL - "OTHER" REASONS Agency / Component Description of "Other" Reasons for Denial on Appeal from Chart C(2) Number of Times "Other" Reason Was Relied Upon TOTAL HQ Moot 32 38 Appeal Withdrawn 3 Untimely 3 AGENCY OVERALL 38 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 VI.C.(4). RESPONSE TIME FOR ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS Agency/ Component Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Lowest Number of Days Highest Number of Days HQ 20 182.74 <1 1690 AGENCY OVERALL 20 182.74 <1 1690 20 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 VI.C.(5). TEN OLDEST PENDING ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS Agency / Component 10th Oldest Appeal 9th 8th 7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd Oldest Appeal HQ Date of Appeal N/A 2020- 09-28 2020- 09-28 2020- 09-28 2020- 09-25 2020- 09-24 2020- 09-22 2020- 09-18 2020- 09-15 2019- 03-29 Number of Days Pending 0 3 3 3 4 5 7 9 12 381 AGENCY OVERALL Date of Appeal N/A 2020- 09-28 2020- 09-28 2020- 09-28 2020- 09-25 2020- 09-24 2020- 09-22 2020- 09-18 2020- 09-15 2019- 03-29 Number of Days Pending 0 3 3 3 4 5 7 9 12 381 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 VILA. FOIA REQUESTS - RESPONSE TIME FOR ALL PROCESSED PERFECTED REQUESTS Agency / Component SIMPLE COMPLEX EXPEDITED PROCESSING Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Lowest Number of Days Highest Number of Days Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Lowest Number of Days Highest Number of Days Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Lowest Number of Days Highest Number of Days HQ 20 87.67 <1 1142 247.5 365.73 <1 2195 685 580.52 2 848 Region 01 18.5 24.18 1 179 63.0 91.11 9 264 N/A N/A N/A N/A Region 02 35 80.24 <1 1011 92 147.78 6 1319 6 6 6 6 Region 03 18 30.36 <1 356 23.5 84.30 2 385 <1 <1 <1 <1 Region 04 14 17.19 <1 78 19 30.09 <1 406 5 5 5 5 Region 05 17 39.4 <1 650 43 76.23 2 1251 N/A N/A N/A N/A Region 06 21 32.13 1 183 51.5 109.78 1 2592 N/A N/A N/A N/A Region 07 11 12.7 <1 78 31.5 164.88 7 1046 15.5 15.5 15.5 15.5 Region 08 9 8.61 <1 196 30 45.19 2 172 N/A N/A N/A N/A Region 09 20 28.96 <1 196 64 78.4 13 440 N/A N/A N/A N/A Region 10 20 33.02 1 312 98 155.26 6 656 N/A N/A N/A N/A AGENCY OVERALL *Corrected 46 14 48t77 70.79 <1 1142 44 67 117.05 220.48 <1 2592 493 685 541.77 515.20 <1 848 * EPA provides corrected data in the chart above. While the data in Table VII.A for EPA's subcomponents was accurate at initial publication, the 'Agency Overall1 data line inadvertently reported some data from FY2019. 22 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 VII.B. PROCESSED REQUESTS - RESPONSE TIME FOR PERFECTED REQUESTS IN WHICH INFORMATION WAS GRANTED Agency/ Component SIMPLE COMPLEX EXPEDITED PROCESSING Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Lowest Number of Days Highest Number of Days Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Lowest Number of Days Highest Number of Days Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Lowest Number of Days Highest Number of Days HQ 6 78.40 <1 1142 171 321.59 <1 2073 685 565.52 2 822 Region 01 20 27.45 3 179 63 94.4 9 264 N/A N/A N/A N/A Region 02 50 108.28 <1 1011 89.5 121.2 6 754 N/A N/A N/A N/A Region 03 26 41.53 <1 356 110 117.84 8 385 N/A N/A N/A N/A Region 04 14 17.24 <1 78 19.5 34.53 <1 406 5 5 5 5 Region 05 19 53.73 2 609 62 107.24 4 1251 N/A N/A N/A N/A Region 06 24 38.85 1 183 81 106.24 10 403 N/A N/A N/A N/A Region 07 12.5 13.85 <1 78 34 187.43 18 1046 16 16 16 16 Region 08 12 13.05 6 24 31 50.78 4 172 N/A N/A N/A N/A Region 09 22 34.09 4 196 77 87.56 15 440 N/A N/A N/A N/A Region 10 20 43.31 4 312 98 168.12 12 656 N/A N/A N/A N/A AGENCY OVERALL 12 70.67 <1 1142 78 203.76 <1 2073 685 527.24 2 822 23 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 VII.C. PROCESSED SIMPLE REQUESTS - RESPONSE TIME IN DAY INCREMENTS Agency/ Component <1-20 Days 21-40 Days 41-60 Days 61-80 Days 81- 100 Days 101- 120 Days 121- 140 Days 141- 160 Days 161- 180 Days 181- 200 Days 201- 300 Days 301- 400 Days 401+ Days TOTAL HQ 2447 377 146 77 50 25 50 37 19 25 67 67 383 3770 Region 01 73 27 7 1 3 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 114 Region 02 54 64 34 24 14 7 4 6 10 2 9 2 10 240 Region 03 97 43 9 6 6 4 1 0 3 0 0 1 0 170 Region 04 131 14 11 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 160 Region 05 304 93 46 19 9 5 4 2 4 3 6 2 9 506 Region 06 83 72 13 8 7 3 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 192 Region 07 100 12 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 114 Region 08 45 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 46 Region 09 108 51 13 9 3 2 1 2 1 2 0 0 0 192 Region 10 75 21 5 5 3 1 0 0 1 0 2 1 0 114 AGENCY OVERALL 3517 775 285 154 95 49 63 48 40 33 84 73 402 5618 24 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 VII.C. PROCESSED COMPLEX REQUESTS - RESPONSE TIME IN DAY INCREMENTS Agency / Component <1-20 Days 21-40 Days 41-60 Days 61-80 Days 81- 100 Days 101- 120 Days 121- 140 Days 141- 160 Days 161- 180 Days 181- 200 Days 201- 300 Days 301- 400 Days 401+ Days TOTAL HQ 85 99 47 37 33 21 12 14 17 5 33 33 321 757 Region 01 1 1 2 11 3 3 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 27 Region 02 4 10 13 5 9 7 5 3 3 0 8 2 5 74 Region 03 14 3 1 1 0 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 0 30 Region 04 127 49 28 12 6 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 1 227 Region 05 32 55 22 21 16 8 4 3 2 2 6 2 4 177 Region 06 29 21 12 9 10 5 6 6 4 2 10 4 2 120 Region 07 3 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 Region 08 15 15 5 4 1 4 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 47 Region 09 2 6 7 4 5 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 30 Region 10 5 6 0 1 5 3 0 1 1 1 3 2 3 31 AGENCY OVERALL 317 267 137 106 89 56 34 31 30 12 65 46 338 1528 25 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 VII.C. PROCESSED REQUESTS GRANTED EXPEDITED PROCESSING - RESPONSE TIME IN DAY INCREMENTS Agency / Component <1-20 Days 21-40 Days 41-60 Days 61-80 Days 81- 100 Days 101- 120 Days 121- 140 Days 141- 160 Days 161- 180 Days 181- 200 Days 201- 300 Days 301- 400 Days 401+ Days TOTAL HQ 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 31 Region 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Region 02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Region 03 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Region 04 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Region 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Region 06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Region 07 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Region 08 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Region 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Region 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 AGENCY OVERALL 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 35 26 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 VII.D. PENDING REQUESTS - ALL PENDING PERFECTED REQUESTS Agency / Component SIMPLE COMPLEX EXPEDITED PROCESSING Number Pending Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Number Pending Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Number Pending Median Number of Days Average Number of Days HQ 879 254 334.96 764 323 405.46 15 830 787.13 Region 01 17 9 13.82 1 121 121 0 N/A N/A Region 02 37 161 296.89 88 110 162.53 1 89 89 Region 03 38 18.5 42.18 6 173.5 375.33 1 1662 1662 Region 04 12 11 16.17 17 67 90.41 0 N/A N/A Region 05 59 18 45.39 52 62 101.75 0 N/A N/A Region 06 61 25 48.23 10 255.5 266.90 1 15 15 Region 07 10 14.5 16.3 0 N/A N/A 0 N/A N/A Region 08 4 5 4.75 8 54 65.88 0 N/A N/A Region 09 34 52.5 60.94 1 102 102 0 N/A N/A Region 10 52 48 77.31 39 264 376 0 N/A N/A AGENCY OVERALL 1203 137 265.45 986 272 357.63 18 823 754.06 27 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 VILE. PENDING REQUESTS - TEN OLDEST PENDING PERFECTED REQUESTS Agency/ Component 10th Oldest Request 9th 8th 7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd Oldest Request HQ Date of Receipt 2015-07- 29 2015- 07-01 2015- 06-12 2014- 09-08 2014- 06-26 2014- 05-06 2014- 03-07 2013- 11-26 2013- 07-09 2013-05- 16 Number of Days Pending 1299 1318 1332 1523 1573 1604 1650 1714 1808 1851 Region 01 Date of Receipt 2020-09- 16 2020- 09-15 2020- 01-31 2020- 02-26 2020- 01-31 2020- 08-31 2020- 08-24 2020- 07-20 2020- 06-03 2018-12- 11 Number of Days Pending 9 10 10 11 13 20 23 29 83 121 Region 02 Date of Receipt 2017-10- 10 2017- 10-10 2017- 03-15 2017- 06-23 2017- 05-09 2017- 03-31 2017- 01-06 2016- 12-21 2015- 09-15 2013-08- 09 Number of Days Pending 747 747 760 766 833 881 938 949 1163 1654 Region 03 Date of Receipt 2020-05- 13 2020- 03-16 2020- 03-13 2020- 03-02 2020- 02-24 2019- 12-13 2019- 12-12 2019- 09-03 2014- 07-28 2014-02- 14 Number of Days Pending 92 136 137 146 150 182 198 270 1550 1662 Region 04 Date of Receipt 2020-06- 03 2020- 06-23 2020- 06-01 2020- 05-06 2020- 04-22 2020- 03-10 2020- 02-06 2020- 01-24 2019- 08-07 2019-09- 16 Number of Days Pending 62 67 85 101 111 138 154 173 225 254 Region 05 Date of Receipt 2020-01- 13 2019- 07-19 2019- 08-15 2019- 07-12 2019- 03-06 2019- 06-24 2019- 06-18 2018- 03-27 2019- 08-07 2017-06- 28 28 ------- 108 LfT 13 12 D8^~ 03 39 Y2-~ 06 .58 W 06 .40 D4-~ 19 106 D5-~ 16 151 29 CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 Number of Days Pending 160 234 282 307 308 319 321 Date of Receipt 2020-01- 16 2020- 01-17 2020- 01-23 2019- 11-12 2019- 10-10 2019- 08-16 2019- 06-11 Number of Days Pending 164 166 172 208 240 273 290 Date of Receipt 2020-08- 31 2020- 09-18 2020- 09-15 2020- 09-08 2020- 08-24 2020- 09-03 2020- 09-01 Number of Days Pending 10 10 11 18 19 Date of Receipt 2020-09- 22 2020- 09-16 2020- 09-21 2020- 09-21 2020- 09-08 2020- 08-04 2020- 06-22 Number of Days Pending 8 40 68 Date of Receipt 2020-05- 05 2020- 05-04 2020- 02-05 2020- 04-20 2020- 04-01 2020- 03-04 2020- 03-17 Number of Days Pending 102 102 102 113 127 135 136 Date of Receipt 2018-12- 18 2018- 05-25 2018- 02-01 2017- 11-02 2017- 09-28 2017- 11-07 2017- 06-19 Number of Days Pending 571 585 611 618 699 727 801 Date of Receipt 2015-06- 12 2014- 09-08 2014- 07-28 2014- 06-26 2014- 05-06 2014- 03-07 2014- 02-14 Number of Days Pending 1332 1523 1550 1573 1604 1650 1662 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 VIII.A. REQUESTS FOR EXPEDITED PROCESSING Agency / Component Number Granted Number Denied Median Number of Days to Adjudicate Average Number of Days to Adjudicate Number Adjudicated Within Ten Calendar Days HQ 7 233 14 23.19 87 Region 01 0 6 15 19.17 3 Region 02 1 27 13.5 18.64 11 Region 03 1 12 10 10.38 8 Region 04 1 28 9 11 17 Region 05 0 36 8.5 23.69 21 Region 06 1 18 11 18.21 9 Region 07 2 6 13 13.13 2 Region 08 0 4 16 45.5 2 Region 09 0 18 12.5 19.11 7 Region 10 0 10 15 17 4 AGENCY OVERALL 13 398 13 21.06 171 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 VIII.B. Requests for Fee Waiver Agency / Component Number Granted Number Denied Median Number of Days to Adjudicate Average Number of Days to Adjudicate HQ 8 302 <1 <1 Region 01 0 5 <1 <1 Region 02 0 9 <1 <1 Region 03 0 10 <1 <1 Region 04 1 29 <1 3.17 Region 05 1 30 <1 <1 Region 06 3 24 <1 <1 Region 07 0 2 <1 <1 Region 08 1 3 <1 5.5 Region 09 1 22 <1 <1 Region 10 0 7 <1 <1 AGENCY OVERALL 15 443 <1 3.16 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 IX. FOIA Personnel and Costs Agency / Component PERSONNEL COSTS Number of "Full- Time FOIA Employees" Number of "Equivalent Full- Time FOIA Employees" Total Number of "Full-Time FOIA Staff" Processing Costs Litigation-Related Costs Total Costs HQ 35 45.36 80.36 $13,732,429.44 $1,999,296.00 $15,731,725.44 Region 01 1 16.84 17.84 $3,048,499.20 0.00 $3,048,499.20 Region 02 2 9.39 11.39 $1,946,323.20 0.00 $1,946,323.20 Region 03 6 4.60 10.60 $1,811,328.00 0.00 $1,811,328.00 Region 04 9 15.78 24.78 $4,234,406.40 0.00 $4,234,406.40 Region 05 9 7.50 16.50 $2,819,520.00 0.00 $2,819,520.00 Region 06 6 53.72 59.72 $10,204,953.60 0.00 $10,204,953.60 Region 07 1 3.07 4.07 $695,481.60 0.00 $695,481.60 Region 08 2 13.04 15.04 $2,570,035.20 0.00 $2,570,035.20 Region 09 2 5.74 7.74 $1,322,611.20 0.00 $1,322,611.20 Region 10 15 1.65 16.65 $2,845,152.00 0.00 $2,845,152.00 AGENCY OVERALL 88 176.69 264.69 $45,230,739.84 $1,999,296.00 $47,230,035.84 The personnel data in this chart was produced by a survey EPA conducted at the end of the fiscal year. 32 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 X. Fees Collected for Processing Requests Agency / Component Total Amount of Fees Collected Percentage of Total Costs HQ $25,789.74 0.1900 Region 01 $6,560.02 0.2200 Region 02 $4,781.92 0.2500 Region 03 $7,292.75 0.4000 Region 04 $11,022.35 0.2600 Region 05 $6,724.76 0.2400 Region 06 $6,442.61 0.0600 Region 07 $3,291.77 0.4700 Region 08 $8,155.73 0.3200 Region 09 $14,060.20 1.0600 Region 10 $8,456.59 0.3000 AGENCY OVERALL $102,578.44 0.2300 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 A. Number of Times Subsection (C) Used Agency/ Component Number of Times Subsection Used AGENCY OVERALL 0 34 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 XI.B. Number of Subsection (A)(2) Postings Agency / Component Number of Records Posted by the FOIA Office Number of Records Posted by Program Offices HQ 6 9561 Region 01 0 18 Region 02 0 8 Region 03 0 46 Region 04 0 38 Region 05 0 28 Region 06 0 50 Region 07 0 4 Region 08 0 71 Region 09 0 8 Region 10 0 6 AGENCY OVERALL 6 9838 EPA proactively releases large volumes of data and documents during each fiscal year. As a sample of EPA proactive releases during FY'20, this table tallies documents proactively published at EPA's Notice of Intent to Sue site: https://www.epa.aov/oac/notices-intent-sue-us-environmental-protection-agencv-epa. 35 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 XII.A. Backlogs of FOIA Requests and Administrative Appeals Agency / Component Number of Backlogged Requests as of End of Fiscal Year Number of Backlogged Appeals as of End of Fiscal Year HQ 1456 1 Region 01 3 N/A Region 02 96 N/A Region 03 23 N/A Region 04 15 N/A Region 05 55 N/A Region 06 42 N/A Region 07 1 N/A Region 08 5 N/A Region 09 22 N/A Region 10 65 N/A AGENCY OVERALL 1783 1 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 XII.B. CONSULTATIONS ON FOIA REQUESTS - RECEIVED, PROCESSED, AND PENDING CONSULTATIONS Agency/ Component Number of Consultations Received from Other Agencies that were Pending at the Agency as of Start of the Fiscal Year Number of Consultations Received from Other Agencies During the Fiscal Year Number of Consultations Received from Other Agencies that were Processed bvthe Agency During the Fiscal Year Number of Consultations Received from Other Agencies that were Pending at the Agency as of End of the Fiscal Year HQ 19 39 29 29 Region 01 0 0 0 0 Region 02 0 1 0 1 Region 03 0 2 2 0 Region 04 1 0 1 0 Region 05 0 0 0 0 Region 06 1 0 1 0 Region 07 0 0 0 0 Region 08 0 0 0 0 Region 09 0 1 1 0 Region 10 0 1 1 0 AGENCY OVERALL 21 44 35 30 After reviewing its database, EPA adjusted the number of consults pending as of the start of the Fiscal Year for the following component: HQ. 37 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 XII.C. CONSULTATIONS ON FOIA REQUESTS - TEN OLDEST CONSULTATIONS RECEIVED FROM OTHER AGENCIES AND PENDING AT THE AGENCY Agency / Component 10th Oldest Consultation 9th 8th 7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd Oldest Consultation HQ Date 2019-10-01 2019- 07-26 2019- 07-22 2019- 04-19 2019- 04-19 2019- 04-15 2018- 09-24 2018- 09-12 2017- 09-11 2017-08-24 Number of Days 251 297 301 365 365 369 507 766 767 778 Region 02 Date N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 2020-09-23 Number of Days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 Region 03 Date N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Number of Days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Region 04 Date N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Number of Days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Region 05 Date N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Number of Days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Region 06 Date N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Number of Days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Region 07 Date N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 38 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 Number of Days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Region 08 Date N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Number of Days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Region 09 Date N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Number of Days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Region 10 Date N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Number of Days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Region 01 Date N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Number of Days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 AGENCY OVERALL Date 2019-10-01 2019- 07-26 2019- 07-22 2019- 04-19 2019- 04-19 2019- 04-15 2018- 09-24 2017- 09-12 2017- 09-11 2017-08-24 Number of Days 251 297 301 365 365 369 507 766 767 778 39 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 XII.D.(i). COMPARISON OF NUMBERS OF REQUESTS FROM PREVIOUS AND CURRENT ANNUAL REPORT - REQUESTS RECEIVED AND PROCESSED Agency / Component NUMBER OF REQUESTS RECEIVED NUMBER OF REQUESTS PROCESSED Number Received During Fiscal Year from Last Year's Annual Report Number Received During Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report Number Processed During Fiscal Year from Last Year's Annual Report Number Processed During Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report HQ 4707 4254 5009 4971 Region 01 206 121 185 141 Region 02 493 331 538 342 Region 03 282 219 365 210 Region 04 621 358 666 388 Region 05 1127 659 1241 702 Region 06 419 319 429 313 Region 07 259 128 285 124 Region 08 173 95 174 94 Region 09 343 217 384 223 Region 10 239 190 249 157 AGENCY OVERALL 8869 6891 9525 7665 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 XII.D.(2). comparison of numbers of requests from previous and CURRENT ANNUAL REPORT - BACKLOGGED REQUESTS Agency / Component Number of Backlogged Requests as of End of the Fiscal Year from Previous Annual Report Number of Backlogged Requests as of End of the Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report HQ 1960 1456 Region 01 9 3 Region 02 107 96 Region 03 13 23 Region 04 10 15 Region 05 81 55 Region 06 37 42 Region 07 1 1 Region 08 6 5 Region 09 6 22 Region 10 42 65 AGENCY OVERALL 2272 1783 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 XII.E.(i). COMPARISON OF NUMBERS OF ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS FROM PREVIOUS AND CURRENT ANNUAL REPORT - APPEALS RECEIVED AND PROCESSED Agency/ Component NUMBER OF APPEALS RECEIVED NUMBER OF APPEALS PROCESSED Number Received During Fiscal Year from Last Year's Annual Report Number Received During Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report Number Processed During Fiscal Year from Last Year's Annual Report Number Processed During Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report HQ 124 180 187 239 AGENCY OVERALL 124 180 187 239 ------- CORRECTED VERSION - December 2022 XII.E.(2). comparison of numbers of administrative appeals from PREVIOUS AND CURRENT ANNUAL REPORT - BACKLOGGED APPEALS Agency / Component Number of Backlogged Appeals as of End of the Fiscal Year from Previous Annual Report Number of Backlogged Appeals as of End of the Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report HQ 63 1 AGENCY OVERALL 63 1 ------- |