EPA FOIA ANNUAL REPORT FOR 10/01/2022 THROUGH 09/30/2023 The following Annual Freedom of Information Act report covers the Period 10/01/2022, through 09/30/2023, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552. I. BASIC INFORMATION REGARDING REPORT 1. Name, Title, Address, and Telephone Number Timothy Epp National FOIA Officer Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 20460 2025662162 2. Electronic address for Report on the agency web site, htt ps ://www .epa.g ov/foia/foia-reports 3. How to obtain a copy of the report in paper form. Timothy Epp, National FOIA Office, Office of General Counsel, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Mail Code 2310 A, Washington, DC 20460, (202) 566-1667 II. MAKING A FOIA REQUEST 1. 1. Submit a FOIA request through FOIAonline: https://www.foiaonline.gov/foiaonline/action/public/home 2. Submit a FOIA request through regular mail or courier services: https://www.epa.gov/foia/forms/contact-us- about-freedom-information-act-and-foia-requests 3.For environmental information on a specific property, you do not need to file a FOIA request: https://www.epa.gov/myproperty III. ACRONYMS, DEFINITIONS, AND EXEMPTIONS 1. Acronyms used : Acronym Definition HQ Headquarters Region 01. Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont Region 02. New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and 7 Tribal Nations Region 03. Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia Region 04. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina Region 05. Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin Region 06. Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas Region 07. Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska Region 08. Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming Region 09. Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada,; American Samoa, Guam, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau Region 10 Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, 271 Native Tribes ------- 2. Definition 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. 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 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 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. m. 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. ------- n. 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. 0. 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. p. Pending Request or Pending Administrative Appeal - a request or administrative appeal for which an agency has not taken final action in all respects. q. 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. r. Processed Request or Processed Administrative Appeal - a request or administrative appeal for which an agency has taken final action in all respects. s. Range in Number of Days - the lowest and highest number of days to process requests or administrative appeals. t. 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 - internal agency rules and practices 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, (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 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 1. Exemption 9 - geological information on wells ------- EXEMPTION 3 STATUTES ------- Type of Information Withheld Case Citation Number of Times Relied Upon per Component Total Number of Times Relied Upon by Agency 41 U.S.C. § 253b(m)(1) (currently at 41 U.S.C. § 4702) Contractor proposals that are in the possession or control of an executive agency and that have not been set forth or incorporated by reference into contracts. Sinkfield v. HUD, No. 10-885, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 35233, at *13-15 (S.D. Ohio Mar. 15, 2012); Margolin V. NASA, No 09-CV- 00421, 2011 WL 1303221, at *6 (D. Nev. Mar. 31, 2011); Hornbostel v. U.S. Dep't of the Interior, 305 F. Supp. 2d 21, 30 (D. D. C. 2003), summary affirmance granted, No. 03-5257, 2004 WL 1900562 (D. C. Cir. Aug. 25, 2004) R8 : 1 1 7 U.S.C. § 136i-1 (Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act) Data "that would directly or indirectly reveal the identity of individual producers [of certain pesticides]" Doe v. Veneman, 380 F. 3d 807, 818 (5th Cir. 2004). HQ : 14 14 5 U.S.C. app. 3 § 7(b) (Inspector General Act of 1978) Names of employees who provide information or complaints to the Inspector General Wash. Post Co. v. Special Inspector Gen. for Afg. Reconstr., 486 F. Supp. 3d 141, 166 (D.D.C. 2020). HQ : 2 2 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 : 5 5 ------- 5 U.S.C. app. 107(a) (Ethics and Govt Act of 1978) Financial disclosure information pertaining to certain government employees. Meyerhoff v. EPA, 958 F.2d 1498, 1500-02 (9th Cir. 1992); Boyd v. Exec. Office for U.S. Attorneys, 161 F. Supp. 3d 1, 7 (D.D.C.) 2015; Seife v. NIH, 874 F. Supp. 2d 248, 254 (S.D.N.Y. 2012); Concepcion v. FBI, 606 F. Supp. 2d 14, 33 (D.D.C. 2009), renewed motion for summary judgment granted in part on other grounds, 699 F. Supp. 2d 106 (D.D.C. 2010); Glascoe V. DOJ, No. 04- 0486, 2005 WL 1139269 at *1 (D.D.C. May 15, 2005). HQ : 13 R10 : 1 14 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); Leonard v. U.S. Dep't of Treasury, 590 F. App'x. 141, 143-44 (3d Cir. 2014) (per curiam); Pac. 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). R7 : 1 1 42 U.S.C. § 7412(r)(7)(H)(V) (Chemical Safety Information Site Security and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act Chemical safety information R10 : 1 1 5 U.S.C. § 574(j) Dispute resolution communications between a neutral and a party that may not be disclosed under the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act of 1996. R2 : 1 1 ------- 16 U.S.C. § 470hh Archaeological Resources Protection Act 1979 Information Pertaining to the nature and location of certain archaeological resources Hornbostel v. U.S. Dep't of the Interior, 305 F. Supp. 2d 21, 30 (D.D.C. 2003), summary affirmance granted, No. 03-5257, 2004 WL 1900562 (D.C. Cir. Aug. 25, 2004). R10 : 4 4 Fed. R. Crim. P. 6(e), enacted by Act of July 30, 1977, Pub. L. No. 95-78, 91 Stat. 319 Certain records pertaining to grand jury proceedings Durham v. U.S. Atty. Gen. No. 06- 843, 2008 WL 62744, 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). R10 : 1 1 ------- V. FOIA REQUESTS A. Received, Processed and Pending FOIA Requests 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 1380 3468 3653 1195 R1 5 85 78 12 R10 50 155 156 49 R2 133 396 418 111 R3 77 316 330 63 R4 89 438 453 74 R5 64 712 672 104 R6 72 395 400 67 R7 21 181 180 22 R8 11 145 138 18 R9 54 297 299 52 TOTAL 1956 6588 6777 1767 * After reviewing its database, EPA updated the Number of Requests Pending at the Start of the Fiscal Year. B.( 1) Disposition of FOIA Requests - All Processed Requests Number of Full Denials Based on Reasons Other than Exemptions Number of Full Grants Number of Partial Grants / Partial Denials Number of Full Denials Based on Exemptions No Records All Records Referred to Another Agency Request Withdrawn Fee- Related Reason Records Not Reasonably Described Improper FOIA Request for Other Reasons Not an Agency Record Duplicate Request Other TOTAL HQ 928 612 43 315 3 331 8 103 1176 28 87 19 3653 R1 31 12 0 20 0 14 0 0 0 0 1 0 78 R10 36 89 1 20 2 7 0 0 0 0 1 0 156 R2 198 44 0 96 0 39 19 15 0 0 6 1 418 R3 135 42 0 92 0 48 4 1 0 0 3 5 330 R4 254 45 2 86 1 37 0 0 0 1 25 2 453 R5 188 47 2 296 0 66 60 5 0 0 8 0 672 R6 144 129 1 76 0 47 0 0 0 3 0 0 400 R7 67 30 1 50 0 30 0 0 0 0 2 0 180 R8 51 38 0 14 0 25 4 0 0 0 6 0 138 R9 117 51 1 80 2 37 6 1 0 0 2 2 299 TOTAL 2149 1139 51 1145 8 681 101 125 1176 32 141 29 6777 B.(2) Disposition of FOIA Requests - Other Reasons for Full Denials Based on Reasons Other than Exemptions Description of Other Reasons for Denials from Chart B.(1) & Number of Times Those Reasons Were Relied Upon TOTAL HQ Directed Requester to Another Entity Subject to the FOIA 8 Litigation 4 Unable to Locate Requester 7 19 R2 Referred Documents Not Responsive 1 1 R3 Unable to Locate Requester 5 5 R4 Unable to Locate Requester 2 2 R9 Directed Requester to Another Entity Subject to the FOIA 1 Unable to Locate Requester 1 2 TOTAL 29 ------- B.(3 Disposition of FOIA Requests - Number of Times Exemptions Applied 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 4 34 84 350 532 26 2 106 0 36 24 0 2 R1 0 1 0 3 6 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 R10 0 0 7 37 27 82 8 0 9 2 3 0 0 0 R2 0 0 1 8 24 22 9 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 R3 0 0 0 7 14 39 4 0 3 0 0 0 0 10 R4 0 0 0 5 13 43 5 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 R5 0 0 0 1 18 35 10 0 0 1 0 4 0 4 R6 0 0 0 64 35 78 14 0 2 0 2 0 0 47 R7 0 1 1 16 8 19 5 0 3 0 0 0 0 2 R8 0 0 1 5 17 28 6 0 4 0 2 0 0 2 R9 0 0 0 16 20 40 7 0 1 0 2 0 1 6 TOTAL 1 6 44 246 532 924 95 2 133 3 45 28 1 77 ------- VI. ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS OF INITIAL DETERMINATIONS OF FOIA REQUESTS A. Received, Processed and Pending FOIA Appeals 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 7 116 119 4 TOTAL 7 116 119 4 B. Disposition of Administrative Appeals All Processed Appeals Number of Affirmed on Appeal Number Partially Affirmed & Partially Reversed/Remanded on Appeal Number of Completely Reversed/Remanded on Appeal Number of Appeals Closed for Other Reasons TOTAL HQ 25 16 34 44 119 TOTAL 25 16 34 44 119 C.(1) Reasons for Denial on Appeal Number of Times Exemptions Applied 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 0 2 4 20 22 3 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 TOTAL 0 0 2 4 20 22 3 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 C.(2) Reasons for Denial on Appeal Reasons Other than Exemptions 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 for Expedited Processing Other HQ 7 1 0 1 1 0 1 2 0 1 42 TOTAL 7 1 0 1 1 0 1 2 0 1 42 C.(3) Reasons for Denial on Appeal Other Reasons Description of Other Reasons for Denials from Chart C.(2) & Number of Times Those Reasons Were Relied Upon TOTAL HQ Appeal Withdrawn 1 Moot 39 Untimely 2 42 TOTAL 42 C.(4) Response Time for Administrative Appeals Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Lowest Number of Days Highest Number of Days HQ 18.0 14.5 < 1 20.0 TOTAL 18.0 14.5 < 1 20.0 C.(5) Ten Oldest Pending Administrative Appeals 10th Oldest Appeal and Number of Days Pending 9th 8th 7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd Oldest Appeal and Number of Days Pending HQ 2023-09-22 5 2023-09-15 10 2023-09-08 15 2023-09-06 17 TOTAL 2023-09-22 5 2023-09-15 10 2023-09-08 15 2023-09-06 17 ------- VII. FOIA REQUESTS: RESPONSE TIME FOR PROCESSED AND PENDING REQUESTS A. Processed Requests - Response Time for All Processed Perfected Requests SIMPLE COMPLEX EXPEDITED 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 19.0 72.79 < 1 1951.0 245.5 495.05 < 1 2078.0 139.0 681.8 25.0 1614.0 R1 11.5 12.18 < 1 31.0 30.0 74.3 1.0 347.0 - - - - R10 18.0 20.81 3.0 91.0 96.0 239.51 6.0 1747.0 - - - - R2 8.0 48.81 < 1 987.0 56.0 128.3 < 1 1467.0 - - - - R3 22.0 57.84 < 1 727.0 137.0 166.14 20.0 292.0 - - - - R4 13.0 20.67 < 1 171.0 20.0 40.61 < 1 558.0 - - - - R5 12.0 19.32 < 1 340.0 31.0 44.02 < 1 662.0 44.0 44.0 32.0 56.0 R6 20.0 29.04 1.0 163.0 26.5 50.53 1.0 1623.0 - - - - R7 15.0 16.99 < 1 109.0 139.5 139.5 39.0 240.0 - - - - R8 6.5 8.26 < 1 27.0 28.0 51.38 < 1 531.0 - - - - R9 20.0 40.83 < 1 479.0 267.0 267.0 267.0 267.0 - - - - TOTAL 18.0 49.47 < 1 1951.0 54.0 235.1 < 1 2078.0 57.0 499.57 25.0 1614.0 B. Processed Requests Response Time for Perfected Requests in Which Information Was Granted SIMPLE COMPLEX EXPEDITED 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 20.0 62.04 < 1 1157.0 158.0 410.92 < 1 2078.0 139.0 592.67 25.0 1614.0 R1 15.5 15.83 < 1 31.0 50.0 100.57 4.0 347.0 - - - - R10 19.0 22.91 3.0 91.0 132.0 246.34 6.0 1747.0 - - - - R2 55.0 117.85 2.0 987.0 64.5 156.55 3.0 1467.0 - - - - R3 39.0 69.71 1.0 727.0 137.0 166.14 20.0 292.0 - - - - R4 16.0 20.38 2.0 107.0 20.0 41.94 1.0 558.0 - - - - R5 19.0 32.11 2.0 340.0 46.5 81.22 11.0 662.0 44.0 44.0 32.0 56.0 R6 22.5 34.5 2.0 163.0 37.0 63.74 10.0 1623.0 - - - - R7 18.0 21.83 1.0 109.0 139.5 139.5 39.0 240.0 - - - - R8 11.0 11.5 1.0 27.0 33.0 61.72 4.0 531.0 - - - - R9 26.0 53.44 1.0 479.0 267.0 267.0 267.0 267.0 - - - - TOTAL 20.0 51.99 < 1 1157.0 65.0 218.54 < 1 2078.0 56.0 373.2 25.0 1614.0 ------- C. Processed Requests Response Time in Day Increments Simple Requests 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 841 262 91 50 40 24 26 18 14 6 33 19 68 1492 R1 59 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 68 R10 76 10 4 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 95 R2 50 6 3 4 2 1 2 1 0 1 0 1 2 73 R3 147 63 39 14 13 7 5 4 5 4 11 4 6 322 R4 79 18 4 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 106 R5 343 59 14 7 5 5 2 0 0 2 2 1 0 440 R6 98 57 21 9 3 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 194 R7 144 25 6 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 178 R8 80 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 86 R9 168 52 33 11 8 8 2 3 0 0 8 3 1 297 TOTAL 2085 567 215 99 77 50 39 26 21 13 54 28 77 3351 Complex Requests 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 68 59 47 34 51 19 22 32 8 8 54 24 326 752 R1 4 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 10 R10 5 8 5 5 8 0 3 3 3 1 7 2 11 61 R2 37 79 59 36 22 12 17 8 3 2 11 19 25 330 R3 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 7 R4 192 62 29 28 7 4 3 2 10 3 2 4 1 347 R5 72 92 27 15 4 5 1 1 1 0 5 2 1 226 R6 72 64 31 14 11 5 1 1 0 1 4 0 2 206 R7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 R8 15 22 2 4 4 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 52 R9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 TOTAL 466 389 201 137 108 48 48 47 26 16 89 52 367 1994 Expedited Requests 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 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 R5 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 TOTAL 0 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 ------- D. Pending Requests All Pending Perfected Requests SIMPLE COMPLEX EXPEDITED 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 496 115.0 249.07 648 457.0 584.15 3 738.0 819.33 R1 8 6.0 11.5 4 100.5 103.5 0 - - R10 7 3.0 5.0 42 197.0 291.02 0 - - R2 10 11.0 70.5 100 58.5 98.24 0 - - R3 57 22.0 50.49 6 122.5 139.83 0 - - R4 16 13.0 44.75 57 32.0 145.93 0 - - R5 73 11.0 42.81 29 74.0 100.24 1 128.0 128.0 R6 39 27.0 118.54 28 43.0 72.43 0 - - R7 22 8.0 13.91 0 - - 0 - - R8 10 3.0 9.5 8 50.5 87.75 0 - - R9 50 40.0 72.9 2 120.5 120.5 0 - - TOTAL 788 56.5 177.08 924 242.0 450.24 4 433.0 646.5 E. Pending Requests Ten Oldest Pending Perfected Requests 10th Oldest Request and Number of Days Pending 9th 8th 7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd Oldest Request and Number of Days Pending HQ 2017-03-13 1638 2017-03-07 1631 2017-02-06 1642 2016-12-13 1698 2016-06-16 1821 2016-06-02 1831 2016-04-27 1855 2016-04-11 1868 2015-12-24 1940 2015-06-12 2075 R1 2023-09-25 4 2023-09-19 8 2023-09-18 4 2023-09-11 12 2023-08-30 20 2023-08-02 40 2023-05-05 86 2023-03-30 111 2023-03-30 127 2023-02-27 90 R10 2021-08-30 519 2021-05-18 592 2021 -03-29 513 2021 -02-04 663 2020-12-16 636 2020-09-10 761 2020-09-09 744 2020-07-17 682 2020-01-09 929 2017-11-07 1471 R2 2022-09-23 242 2022-08-19 277 2022-07-20 299 2022-06-16 183 2022-03-15 384 2022-02-18 404 2021-12-27 441 2021-05-05 600 2021-01-05 684 2020-01-07 810 R3 2023-02-21 154 2023-02-03 152 2023-01-20 8 2022-11-18 216 2022-11-18 215 2022-11-18 216 2022-11 -16 218 2022-11-04 225 2022-10-17 237 2022-09-06 265 R4 2022-05-18 342 2022-04-29 355 2022-03-30 377 2022-03-18 384 2022-01 -31 418 2022-01-06 433 2022-01 -06 433 2021-03-16 574 2019-09-16 1000 2019-08-07 971 R5 2023-02-14 153 2023-01-04 186 2022-12-06 139 2022-11 -28 205 2022-10-24 231 2022-08-29 267 2022-08-05 287 2022-08-03 205 2022-07-28 294 2022-03-24 364 R6 2022-09-27 1 2022-09-12 253 2022-09-07 265 2022-05-18 341 2022-05-18 341 2022-05-05 350 2021-10-26 473 2021-02-16 603 2020-12-09 683 2020-07-23 795 R7 2023-08-28 3 2023-08-16 2 2023-08-16 4 2023-08-15 29 2023-08-08 17 2023-08-02 7 2023-07-19 40 2023-07-14 54 2023-07-03 8 2023-06-28 32 R8 2023-09-06 16 2023-08-21 27 2023-08-03 40 2023-07-10 43 2023-07-03 58 2023-06-30 54 2023-04-19 113 2023-01 -31 38 2022-12-13 92 2022-07-27 291 R9 2023-03-30 127 2023-03-13 139 2023-01-17 177 2023-01 -06 184 2022-11-16 217 2022-10-27 231 2022-10-14 239 2022-09-15 259 2022-07-22 297 2021 -10-22 482 TOTAL 2017-03-13 1638 2017-03-07 1631 2017-02-06 1642 2016-12-13 1698 2016-06-16 1821 2016-06-02 1831 2016-04-27 1855 2016-04-11 1868 2015-12-24 1940 2015-06-12 2075 ------- VIII. REQUESTS FOR EXPEDITED PROCESSING AND REQUESTS FOR FEE WAIVER A. Requests for Expedited Processing Number Granted Number Denied Median Number of Days to Adjudicate Average Number of Days to Adjudicate Number Adjudicated Within Ten Calendar Days HQ 6 319 1.0 2.29 322 TOTAL 6 319 1.0 2.24 322 B. Requests for Fee Waiver Number Granted Number Denied Median Number of Days to Adjudicate Average Number of Days to Adjudicate HQ 336 491 0.0 0.02 R3 1 0 0.0 0.0 TOTAL 337 491 0.0 0.02 ------- IX. FOIA PERSONNEL AND COSTS 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 52 24.95 76.95 $13,971,735.00 $942,874.00 $14,914,609.00 R1 4 0.0 4.0 $726,276.00 $0.00 $726,276.00 R10 6 5.0 11.0 $1,997,259.00 $0.00 $1,997,259.00 R2 2 9.9 11.9 $2,160,671.00 $0.00 $2,160,671.00 R3 7 3.14 10.14 $1,841,109.00 $0.00 $1,841,109.00 R4 10 0.0 10.0 $1,815,690.00 $0.00 $1,815,690.00 R5 13 24.1 37.1 $6,736,209.00 $0.00 $6,736,209.00 R6 6 10.75 16.75 $3,041,280.00 $0.00 $3,041,280.00 R7 1 5.2 6.2 $1,125,727.00 $0.00 $1,125,727.00 R8 3 4.5 7.5 $1,361,767.00 $0.00 $1,361,767.00 R9 2 5.74 7.74 $1,343,610.00 $0.00 $1,343,610.00 TOTAL 106 93.28 199.28 $36,121,333.00 $942,874.00 $37,064,207.00 ------- X. FEES COLLECTED FOR PROCESSING REQUESTS Total Amount of Fees Collected Percentage of Total Costs HQ $26,742 61 0.00 R1 $6,286.75 0.01 R10 $75,761.50 0.04 R2 $45,672.00 0.02 R3 $5,803.10 0.00 R4 $1,451.00 0.00 R5 $10,527.01 0.00 R6 $14,345.50 0.00 R7 $10,220.00 0.01 R8 $15,602.40 0.01 R9 $40,618.63 0.03 TOTAL $253,030.50 0.01 ------- XI. FOIA REGULATIONS A. Number of Times Subsection (c) Used Number of Times Subsection (c) Used B. Number of Subsection (a) 2) Postings Number of Items Posted by FOIA Office Number of Items Posted by Program HQ 41462 0 R1 4121 0 R10 17899 0 R2 12072 0 R3 9175 0 R4 13020 0 R5 8392 0 R6 14189 0 R7 3731 0 R8 10521 0 R9 17985 0 TOTAL 152567 0 * This table reflects EPA records made available in FY 2023 for public inspection on FOIAonline.gov. ------- XII. BACKLOGS, CONSULTATIONS, AND COMPARISONS A. Backlogs of FOIA Requests and Administrative Appeals Number of Backlogged Requests as of End of Fiscal Year Number of Backlogged Appeals as of End of Fiscal Year HQ 986 0 R1 5 0 R10 40 0 R2 80 0 R3 35 0 R4 38 0 R5 48 0 R6 38 0 R7 4 0 R8 9 0 R9 35 0 TOTAL 1318 0 B. Consultations on FOIA Requests Received, Processed, and Pending Consultations Number of Consultations Received from Other Agencies that Were Pending 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 During the Fiscal Year Number of Consultations Received from Other Agencies that Were Pending as of End of the Fiscal Year HQ 5 69 70 4 R10 0 3 3 0 R2 1 1 2 0 R3 0 3 3 0 R5 0 2 2 0 R7 0 1 1 0 R8 0 2 2 0 TOTAL 6 81 83 4 C. Consultations on FOIA Requests Ten Oldest Consultations Received from Other Agencies and Pending 10th Oldest Consultation and Number of Days Pending 9th 8th 7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd Oldest Consultation and Number of Days Pending HQ 2023-09-26 3 2023-09-22 5 2023-03-31 126 2022-07-22 298 TOTAL 2023-09-26 3 2023-09-22 5 2023-03-31 126 2022-07-22 298 ------- D. Comparison of Numbers of Requests from Previous and Current Annual Report Requests Received, Processed, and Backlogged 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 Year's Annual Report Number Processed During Fiscal Year from Last Year's Annual Report Number Processed During Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report HQ 3813 3468 3837 3653 R1 81 85 97 78 R10 114 155 125 156 R2 403 396 434 418 R3 286 316 268 330 R4 429 438 379 453 R5 611 712 632 672 R6 384 395 369 400 R7 145 181 133 180 R8 113 145 116 138 R9 257 297 240 299 TOTAL 6636 6588 6630 6777 Number of Backlogged Requests as of End ofthe Fiscal Year from Previous Annual Report Number of Backlogged Requests as of End ofthe Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report HQ 1195 986 R1 2 5 R10 42 40 R2 95 80 R3 57 35 R4 49 38 R5 25 48 R6 36 38 R7 3 4 R8 6 9 R9 27 35 TOTAL 1537 1318 * DOJ requires, for consistency across agencies, that the annual report backlog calculation account for only 20-day or 30-day statutory response timeframes. EPA's data reported here complies with DOJ's requirement for the annual report. Elsewhere, internally, EPA reports its backlog based on a calculation that accounts for alternative timeframes to process requests under unusual circumstances and reflecting EPA's communications with requesters as provided in §552(a)(6)(B)(ii). E. Comparison of Numbers of Administrative Appeals from Previous and Current Annual Report Appeals Received, Processed, and Backlogged 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 132 116 130 119 TOTAL 132 116 130 119 Number of Backlogged Appeals as of End ofthe Fiscal Year from Previous Annual Report Number of Backlogged Appeals as of End ofthe Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report ------- |