81 FR 85402 - Revision of Freedom of Information Act Regulations
FINANCIAL STABILITY OVERSIGHT COUNCIL Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 228 (November 28, 2016)
Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 228 (November 28, 2016)
| Page Range | 85402-85410 | |
| FR Document | 2016-28413 |
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 228 (Monday, November 28, 2016)] [Rules and Regulations] [Pages 85402-85410] From the Federal Register Online [www.thefederalregister.org] [FR Doc No: 2016-28413] [[Page 85402]] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- FINANCIAL STABILITY OVERSIGHT COUNCIL 12 CFR Part 1301 Revision of Freedom of Information Act Regulations AGENCY: Financial Stability Oversight Council. ACTION: Interim final rule. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: This rule makes revisions to the regulations of the Financial Stability Oversight Council (the ``Council'') under the Freedom of Information Act (``FOIA'') as required by the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016. DATES: Effective date: November 28, 2016. Comment date: Written comments on the rule must be received on or before January 27, 2017. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jonah Crane, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Financial Stability Oversight Council, U.S. Treasury Department, (202) 622-7811; Stephen Milligan, Attorney-Advisor, U.S. Treasury Department, (202) 622-4051. ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding this interim final rule according to the instructions below. All submissions must refer to the document title. Electronic submission of comments. Interested persons may submit comments electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Electronic submission of comments allows the commenter maximum time to prepare and submit a comment, ensures timely receipt, and enables the Council to make them available to the public. Comments submitted electronically through the http://www.regulations.gov Web site can be viewed by other commenters and interested members of the public. Commenters should follow the instructions provided on that site to submit comments electronically. Mail. Send comments to Financial Stability Oversight Council, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20220. Public inspection of comments. All properly submitted comments will be available for inspection and downloading at http://www.regulations.gov. Additional instructions. In general, comments received, including attachments and other supporting materials, are part of the public record and are available to the public. Do not submit any information in your comment or supporting materials that you consider confidential or inappropriate for public disclosure. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 30, 2016, the President signed into law the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016, Public Law 114-185, 130 Stat. 538 (2016). The revisions to the Council's FOIA regulations implement changes mandated by the statute, as described below. The rule revises section 1301.2(a)(2) and sections 1301.4(a), (b), (d), and (e) to provide that materials required to be made available for public inspection will now be available in an electronic format. The rule revises section 1301.2(c)(2) to provide that the Council will withhold records or information under the FOIA only when it reasonably foresees that disclosure would harm an interest protected by a FOIA exemption or when disclosure is prohibited by law. Revised section 1301.2(c)(2) also provides that whenever the Council determines that full disclosure of a requested record is not possible, the Council will consider whether partial disclosure is possible and will take reasonable steps to segregate and release nonexempt material. The rule revises section 1301.7(e)(2) to provide that, in the event the Council requires additional time beyond a ten-day extension to process a request or appeal, the Council will make available its FOIA Public Liaison, who will assist in defining the desired scope of the request, and will notify the requester of the right to seek dispute resolution services from the Office of Government Information Services. Similarly, the rule revises sections 1301.8(b)(2), (3), and (4) to provide for the Council to advise requesters of their right to seek assistance from the FOIA Public Liaison and, in the case of a denied request or when no records can be found, to seek dispute resolution services offered by the Office of Government Information Services. The rule also revises section 1301.11(b) to extend the deadline for seeking an appeal to 90 days of the date of the initial determination or the date of the letter transmitting the last records released, whichever is later and adds a new paragraph (f) to section 1301.11 to provide information as to how requesters may seek dispute resolution. Finally, the rule revises section 1301.12(e)(4) with respect to the circumstances under which the Council will waive fees if it does not comply with the time limits for responding to requests and appeals. Procedural Matters 1. Administrative Procedure Act The Council finds that good cause exists, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b), that notice and public comment on this rulemaking would be unnecessary and contrary to the public interest because the revisions to the Council's FOIA regulations are limited to those mandated by the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 and the Council is not exercising any discretion in issuing these revisions. While the interim final rule is effective immediately upon publication, the Council is inviting public comment on the interim final rule during a sixty-day period and will consider all comments in developing a final rule. 2. Regulatory Flexibility Act Because no notice of proposed rulemaking is required, the provisions of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) do not apply. 3. Executive Order 12866 This rule is not a significant regulatory action as defined in section 3.f of Executive Order 12866. List of Subjects in 12 CFR Part 1301 Freedom of Information. Financial Stability Oversight Council Authority and Issuance 0 For the reasons set forth in the preamble, the Financial Stability Oversight Council revises part 1301 to 12 CFR chapter XIII to read as follows: PART 1301--FREEDOM OF INFORMATION Sec. 1301.1 General. 1301.2 Information made available. 1301.3 Publication in the Federal Register. 1301.4 Public inspection. 1301.5 Requests for Council records. 1301.6 Responsibility for responding to requests for Council records. 1301.7 Timing of responses to requests for Council records. 1301.8 Responses to requests for Council records. 1301.9 Classified information. 1301.10 Requests for business information provided to the Council. 1301.11 Administrative appeals and dispute resolution. 1301.12 Fees for processing requests for Council records. Authority: 12 U.S.C. 5322; 5 U.S.C. 552. Sec. 1301.1 General. This part contains the regulations of the Financial Stability Oversight Council (the ``Council'') implementing the Freedom of Information Act [[Page 85403]] (``FOIA''), 5 U.S.C. 552, as amended. These regulations set forth procedures for requesting access to records maintained by the Council. This part should be read together with the FOIA, which provides additional information about this topic. Sec. 1301.2 Information made available. (a) General. The FOIA provides for access to records developed or maintained by a Federal agency. The provisions of the FOIA are intended to assure the right of the public to information. Generally, this section divides agency records into three major categories and provides methods by which each category of records is to be made available to the public. The three major categories of records are as follows: (1) Information required to be published in the Federal Register (see Sec. 1301.3); (2) Information required to be made available for public inspection in an electronic format or, in the alternative, to be published and offered for sale (see Sec. 1301.4); and (3) Information required to be made available to any member of the public upon specific request (see Sec. Sec. 1301.5 through 1301.12). (b) Right of access. Subject to the exemptions and exclusions set forth in the FOIA (5 U.S.C. 552(b) and (c)), and the regulations set forth in this subpart, any person shall be afforded access to records. (c) Exemptions. (1) The disclosure requirements of 5 U.S.C. 552(a) do not apply to certain records which are exempt under 5 U.S.C. 552(b); nor do the disclosure requirements apply to certain records which are excluded under 5 U.S.C. 552(c). (2) The Council shall withhold records or information under the FOIA only when it reasonably foresees that disclosure would harm an interest protected by a FOIA exemption or when disclosure is prohibited by law. Whenever the Council determines that full disclosure of a requested record is not possible, the Council shall consider whether partial disclosure is possible and shall take reasonable steps to segregate and release nonexempt information. Nothing in this paragraph requires disclosure of information that is otherwise exempted from disclosure under 12 U.S.C. 552(b)(3). Sec. 1301.3 Publication in the Federal Register. Subject to the application of the FOIA exemptions and exclusions (5 U.S.C. 552(b) and (c)) and subject to the limitations provided in 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(1), the Council shall state, publish and maintain current in the Federal Register for the guidance of the public: (a) Descriptions of its central and field organization and the established places at which, the persons from whom, and the methods whereby, the public may obtain information, make submittals or requests, or obtain decisions; (b) Statements of the general course and method by which its functions are channeled and determined, including the nature and requirements of all formal and informal procedures available; (c) Rules of procedure, descriptions of forms available or the places at which forms may be obtained, and instructions as to the scope and contents of all papers, reports, or examinations; (d) Substantive rules of general applicability adopted as authorized by law, and statements of general policy or interpretations of general applicability formulated and adopted by the Council; and (e) Each amendment, revision, or repeal of matters referred to in paragraphs (a) through (d) of this section. Sec. 1301.4 Public inspection. (a) In general. Subject to the application of the FOIA exemptions and exclusions (5 U.S.C. 552(b) and (c)), the Council shall, in conformance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(2), make available for public inspection in an electronic format, or, in the alternative, promptly publish and offer for sale: (1) Final opinions, including concurring and dissenting opinions, and orders, made in the adjudication of cases; (2) Those statements of policy and interpretations which have been adopted by the Council but which are not published in the Federal Register; (3) Its administrative staff manuals and instructions to staff that affect a member of the public; (4) Copies of all records, regardless of form or format, that have been released previously to any person under 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(3) and Sec. Sec. 1301.5 through 1301.12, and that the Council determines have become or are likely to become the subject of subsequent requests for substantially the same records. When the Council receives three (3) or more requests for substantially the same records, then the Council shall place those requests in front of any existing processing backlog and make the released records available in the Council's public reading room and in the electronic reading room on the Council's Web site. (5) A general index of the records referred to in paragraph (a)(4) of this section. (b) Information made available online. For records required to be made available for public inspection in an electronic format pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(2) and paragraphs (a)(1) through (4) of this section, the Council shall make such records available on its Web site as soon as practicable but in any case no later than one year after such records are created. (c) Redaction. Based upon applicable exemptions in 5 U.S.C. 552(b), the Council may redact certain information contained in any matter described in paragraphs (a)(1) through (4) of this section before making such information available for inspection or publishing it. The justification for the redaction shall be explained in writing, and the extent of such redaction shall be indicated on the portion of the record which is made available or published, unless including that indication would harm an interest protected by the exemption in 5 U.S.C. 552(b) under which the redaction is made. If technically feasible, the extent of the redaction shall be indicated at the place in the record where the redaction was made. (d) Public reading room. The Council shall make available for public inspection in an electronic format, in a reading room or otherwise, the material described in paragraphs (a)(1) through (5) of this section. Fees for duplication shall be charged in accordance with Sec. 1301.12. The location of the Council's reading room is the Department of the Treasury's Library. The Library is located in the Freedman's Bank Building (formerly the Treasury Annex), Room 1020, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20220. For building security purposes, visitors are required to make an appointment by calling (202) 622-0990. (e) Indices. (1) The Council shall maintain and make available for public inspection in an electronic format current indices identifying any material described in paragraphs (a)(1) through (3) of this section. In addition, the Council shall promptly publish, quarterly or more frequently, and distribute (by sale or otherwise) copies of each index or supplement unless the Council determines by order published in the Federal Register that the publication would be unnecessary and impractical, in which case the Council shall nonetheless provide copies of the index on request at a cost not to exceed the direct cost of duplication. (2) The Council shall make the indices referred to in paragraph (a)(5) [[Page 85404]] and (e)(1) of this section available on its Web site. Sec. 1301.5 Requests for Council records. (a) In general. Except for records made available under 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(1) and (a)(2) and subject to the application of the FOIA exemptions and exclusions (5 U.S.C. 552(b) and (c)), the Council shall promptly make its records available to any person pursuant to a request that conforms to the rules and procedures of this section. (b) Form and content of request. A request for records of the Council shall be made as follows: (1) The request for records shall be made in writing and submitted by mail or via the Internet and should state, both in the request itself and on any envelope that encloses it, that it comprises a FOIA request. A request that does not explicitly state that it is a FOIA request, but clearly indicates or implies that it is a request for records, may also be processed under the FOIA. (2) If a request is sent by mail, it shall be addressed and submitted as follows: FOIA Request--Financial Stability Oversight Council, U.S. Department of the Treasury, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20220. If a request is made via the Internet, it shall be submitted as set forth on the Council's Web site. (3) In order to ensure the Council's ability to respond in a timely manner, a FOIA request must describe the records that the requester seeks in sufficient detail to enable Council personnel to locate them with a reasonable amount of effort. Whenever possible, the request must include specific information about each record sought, such as the date, title or name, author, recipient, and subject matter of the record. If known, the requester must include any file designations or descriptions for the records requested. In general, a requester is encouraged to provide more specific information about the records or types of records sought to increase the likelihood that responsive records can be located. (4) The request shall include the name of and contact information for the requester, including a mailing address, telephone number, and, if available, an email address at which the Council may contact the requester regarding the request. (5) For the purpose of determining any fees that may apply to processing a request, a requester shall indicate in the request whether the requester is a commercial user, an educational institution, non- commercial scientific institution, representative of the news media, or ``other'' requester, as those terms are defined in Sec. 1301.12(c), or in the alternative, state how the records released will be used. The Council shall use this information solely for the purpose of determining the appropriate fee category that applies to the requester and shall not use this information to determine whether to disclose a record in response to the request. (6) If a requester seeks a waiver or reduction of fees associated with processing a request, then the request shall include a statement to that effect, pursuant to Sec. 1301.12(f). Any request that does not seek a waiver or reduction of fees shall constitute an agreement of the requester to pay any and all fees (of up to $25) that may apply to the request, unless or until a request for waiver is sought and granted. The requester also may specify in the request an upper limit (of not less than $25) that the requester is willing to pay to process the request. (i) Any request for waiver or reduction of fees should be filed together with or as part of the FOIA request, or at a later time prior to the Council incurring costs to process the request. (ii) A waiver request submitted after the Council incurs costs will be considered in accordance with Sec. 1301.12(f); however, the requester must agree in writing to pay the fees already incurred if the waiver is denied. (7) If a requester seeks expedited processing of a request, then the request must include a statement to that effect as is required by Sec. 1301.7(c). (c) Request receipt; effect of request deficiencies. The Council shall deem itself to have received a request on the date that it receives a complete request containing the information required by paragraph (b) of this section. The Council need not accept a request, process a request, or be bound by any deadlines in this subpart for processing a request that fails materially to conform to the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section. If the Council determines that it cannot process a request because the request is deficient, then the Council shall return it to the requester and advise the requester in what respect the request is deficient. The requester may then resubmit the request, which the Council shall treat as a new request. A determination by the Council that a request is deficient in any respect is not a denial of a request for records, and such determinations are not subject to appeal. (d) Processing of request containing technical deficiency. Notwithstanding paragraph (c) of this section, the Council shall not reject a request solely due to one or more technical deficiencies contained in the request. For the purposes of this paragraph, the term ``technical deficiency'' means an error or omission with respect to an item of information required by paragraph (b) of this section which, by itself, does not prevent that part of the request from conforming to the applicable requirement, and includes without limitation a non- material error relating to the contact information for the requester, or similar error or omission regarding the date, title or name, author, recipient, or subject matter of the record requested. Sec. 1301.6 Responsibility for responding to requests for Council records. (a) In general. In determining which records are responsive to a request, the Council ordinarily will include only information contained in records that the Council maintains, or are in its possession and control, as of the date the Council begins its search for responsive records. If any other date is used, the Council shall inform the requester of that date. (b) Authority to grant or deny requests. The records officer shall be authorized to make an initial determination to grant or deny, in whole or in part, a request for a record. (c) Referrals. When the Council receives a request for a record or any portion of a record in its possession that originated with another agency, including but not limited to a constituent agency of the Council, it shall: (1) In the case of a record originated by a federal agency subject to the FOIA, refer the responsibility for responding to the request regarding that record to the originating agency to determine whether to disclose it; and (2) In the case of a record originated by a state agency, respond to the request after giving notice to the originating state agency and a reasonable opportunity to provide input or to assert any applicable privileges. (d) Notice of referral. Whenever the Council refers all or any part of the responsibility for responding to a request to another agency, the Council shall notify the requester of the referral and inform the requester of the name of each agency to which the request has been referred and of the part of the request that has been referred. Sec. 1301.7 Timing of responses to requests for Council records. (a) In general. Except as set forth in paragraphs (b) through (d) of this section, the Council shall respond to requests according to their order of receipt. [[Page 85405]] (b) Multitrack processing. (1) The Council may establish tracks to process separately simple and complex requests. The Council may assign a request to the simple or complex track based on the amount of work and/or time needed to process the request. The Council shall process requests in each track according to the order of their receipt. (2) The Council may provide a requester in its complex track with an opportunity to limit the scope of the request to qualify for faster processing within the specified limits of the simple track(s). (c)(1) Requests for expedited processing. The Council shall respond to a request out of order and on an expedited basis whenever a requester demonstrates a compelling need for expedited processing in accordance with the requirements of this paragraph (c). (2) Form and content of a request for expedited processing. A request for expedited processing shall be made as follows: (i) A request for expedited processing shall be made in writing or via the Internet and submitted as part of the initial request for records. When a request for records includes a request for expedited processing, both the envelope and the request itself must be clearly marked ``Expedited Processing Requested.'' A request for expedited processing that is not clearly so marked, but satisfies the requirements in Sec. 1301.7(c)(2)(ii) and (iii), may nevertheless be granted. (ii) A request for expedited processing shall contain a statement that demonstrates a compelling need for the requester to obtain expedited processing of the requested records. A ``compelling need'' may be established under the standard in either paragraph (c)(2)(ii)(A) or (B) of this section by demonstrating that: (A) Failure to obtain the requested records on an expedited basis could reasonably be expected to pose an imminent threat to the life or physical safety of an individual. The requester shall fully explain the circumstances warranting such an expected threat so that the Council may make a reasoned determination that a delay in obtaining the requested records would pose such a threat; or (B) With respect to a request made by a person primarily engaged in disseminating information, urgency to inform the public concerning actual or alleged Federal Government activity. A person ``primarily engaged in disseminating information'' does not include individuals who are engaged only incidentally in the dissemination of information. The standard of ``urgency to inform'' requires that the records requested pertain to a matter of current exigency to the American general public and that delaying a response to a request for records would compromise a significant recognized interest to and throughout the American general public. The requester must adequately explain the matter or activity and why the records sought are necessary to be provided on an expedited basis. (iii) The requester shall certify the written statement that purports to demonstrate a compelling need for expedited processing to be true and correct to the best of the requester's knowledge and belief. The certification must be in the form prescribed by 28 U.S.C. 1746: ``I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief. Executed on [date].'' (3) Determinations of requests for expedited processing. Within ten (10) calendar days of its receipt of a request for expedited processing, the Council shall decide whether to grant the request and shall notify the requester of the determination in writing. (4) Effect of granting expedited processing. If the Council grants a request for expedited processing, then the Council shall give the expedited request priority over non-expedited requests and shall process the expedited request as soon as practicable. The Council may assign expedited requests to their own simple and complex processing tracks based upon the amount of work and/or time needed to process them. Within each such track, an expedited request shall be processed in the order of its receipt. (5) Appeals of denials of requests for expedited processing. If the Council denies a request for expedited processing, then the requester shall have the right to submit an appeal of the denial determination in accordance with Sec. 1301.11. The Council shall communicate this appeal right as part of its written notification to the requester denying expedited processing. The requester shall clearly mark its appeal request and any envelope that encloses it with the words ``Appeal for Expedited Processing.'' (d) Time period for responding to requests for records. Ordinarily, the Council shall have twenty (20) days (excepting Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays) from when a request that satisfies the requirements of Sec. 1301.5(b) is received by the Council to determine whether to grant or deny a request for records. The twenty-day time period set forth in this paragraph shall not be tolled by the Council except that the Council may: (1) Make one reasonable demand to the requester for clarifying information about the request and toll the twenty-day time period while it awaits the clarifying information; or (2) Toll the twenty-day time period while awaiting receipt of the requester's response to the Council's request for clarification regarding the assessment of fees. (e) Unusual circumstances--(1) In general. Except as provided in paragraph (e)(2) of this section, if the Council determines that, due to unusual circumstances, it cannot respond either to a request within the time period set forth in paragraph (d) of this section or to an appeal within the time period set forth in Sec. 1301.11, the Council may extend the applicable time periods by informing the requester in writing of the unusual circumstances and of the date by which the Council expects to complete its processing of the request or appeal. Any extension or extensions of time shall not cumulatively total more than ten (10) days (exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays). (2) Additional time. If the Council determines that it needs additional time beyond a ten-day extension to process the request or appeal, then the Council shall notify the requester and provide the requester with an opportunity to limit the scope of the request or appeal or to arrange for an alternative time frame for processing the request or appeal or a modified request or appeal. The requester shall retain the right to define the desired scope of the request or appeal, as long as it meets the requirements contained in this part. To aid the requester, the Council shall make available its FOIA Public Liaison, who shall assist in defining the desired scope of the request, and shall notify the requester of the right to seek dispute resolution services from the Office of Government Information Services. (3) Unusual circumstances. As used in this paragraph (e), ``unusual circumstances'' means, but only to the extent reasonably necessary to the proper processing of the particular requests: (i) The need to search for and collect the requested records from field facilities or other establishments that are separate from the office processing the request; (ii) The need to search for, collect, and appropriately examine a voluminous amount of separate and distinct records which are demanded in a single request; or [[Page 85406]] (iii) The need for consultation, which shall be conducted with all practicable speed, with another agency having a substantial interest in the determination of the request, or among two or more components or component offices having substantial subject matter interest therein. (4) Multiple requests. Where the Council reasonably believes that multiple requests submitted by a requester, or by a group of requesters acting in concert, constitute a single request that would otherwise involve unusual circumstances, and the requests involve clearly related matters, they may be aggregated. Multiple requests involving unrelated matters will not be aggregated. The Council may disaggregate and treat as separate requests a single request that has multiple unrelated components. The Council shall notify the requester if a request is disaggregated. Sec. 1301.8 Responses to requests for Council records. (a) Acknowledgement of requests. Upon receipt of a request that meets the requirements of Sec. 1301.5(b), the Council ordinarily shall assign to the request a unique tracking number and shall send an acknowledgement letter or email to the requester that contains the following information: (1) A brief description of the request; (2) The applicable request tracking number; (3) The date of receipt of the request, as determined in accordance with Sec. 1301.5(c); and (4) A confirmation, with respect to any fees that may apply to the request pursuant to Sec. 1301.12, that the requester has sought a waiver or reduction in such fees, has agreed to pay any and all applicable fees, or has specified an upper limit (of not less than $25) that the requester is willing to pay in fees to process the request. (b) Initial determination to grant or deny a request--(1) In general. The Council records officer (as designated in Sec. 1301.6(b)) shall make initial determinations to grant or to deny in whole or in part requests for records. (2) Granting of request. If the request is granted in full or in part, the Council shall provide the requester with a copy of the releasable records, and shall do so in the format specified by the requester to the extent that the records are readily producible by the Council in the requested format. The Council also shall send the requester a statement of the applicable fees, broken down by search, review and duplication fees, either at the time of the determination or shortly thereafter. The Council shall also advise the requester of the right to seek assistance from the FOIA Public Liaison. (3) Denial of requests. If the Council determines that the request for records should be denied in whole or in part, the Council shall notify the requester in writing. The notification shall: (i) State the exemptions relied on in not granting the request; (ii) If technically feasible, indicate the volume of information redacted (including the number of pages withheld in part and in full) and the exemptions under which the redaction is made at the place in the record where such redaction is made (unless providing such indication would harm an interest protected by the exemption relied upon to deny such material); (iii) Set forth the name and title or position of the responsible official; (iv) Advise the requester of the right to administrative appeal in accordance with Sec. 1301.11 and specify the official or office to which such appeal shall be submitted; and (v) Advise the requester of the right to seek assistance from the FOIA Public Liaison or seek dispute resolution services offered by the Office of Government Information Services. (4) No records found. If it is determined, after an adequate search for records by the responsible official or his/her delegate, that no records could be located, the Council shall so notify the requester in writing. The notification letter shall advise the requester of the right to seek assistance from the FOIA Public Liaison, seek dispute resolution services offered by the Office of Government Information Services, and administratively appeal the Council's determination that no records could be located (i.e., to challenge the adequacy of the Council's search for responsive records) in accordance with Sec. 1301.11. The response shall specify the official to whom the appeal shall be submitted for review. Sec. 1301.9 Classified information. (a) Referrals of requests for classified information. Whenever a request is made for a record containing information that has been classified, or may be appropriate for classification, by another agency under Executive Order 13526 or any other executive order concerning the classification of records, the Council shall refer the responsibility for responding to the request regarding that information to the agency that classified the information, should consider the information for classification, or has the primary interest in it, as appropriate. Whenever a record contains information that has been derivatively classified by the Council because it contains information classified by another agency, the Council shall refer the responsibility for responding to the request regarding that information to the agency that classified the underlying information or shall consult with that agency prior to processing the record for disclosure or withholding. (b) Determination of continuing need for classification of information. Requests for information classified pursuant to Executive Order 13526 require the Council to review the information to determine whether it continues to warrant classification. Information which no longer warrants classification under the Executive Order's criteria shall be declassified and made available to the requester, unless the information is otherwise exempt from disclosure. Sec. 1301.10 Requests for business information provided to the Council. (a) In general. Business information provided to the Council by a submitter shall not be disclosed pursuant to a FOIA request except in accordance with this section. (b) Definitions. For purposes of this section: (1) Business information means information from a submitter that is trade secrets or other commercial or financial information that may be protected from disclosure under Exemption 4. (2) Submitter means any person or entity from whom the Council obtains business information, directly or indirectly. The term includes corporations, state, local, and tribal governments, and foreign governments. (3) Exemption 4 means Exemption 4 of the FOIA, 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4). (c) Designation of business information. A submitter of business information shall use good-faith efforts to designate, by appropriate markings, either at the time of submission or at a reasonable time thereafter, any portions of its submission that it considers to be protected from disclosure under Exemption 4. These designations will expire ten (10) years after the date of the submission unless the submitter on his or her own initiative requests otherwise, and provides justification for, a longer designation period. (d) Notice to submitters. The Council shall provide a submitter with prompt written notice of receipt of a request or appeal encompassing the business information of the submitter whenever required in accordance with paragraph (e) of this section. Such written notice [[Page 85407]] shall either describe the exact nature of the business information requested or provide copies of the records or portions of records containing the business information. When a voluminous number of submitters must be notified, the Council may post or publish such notice in a place reasonably likely to accomplish such notification. (e) When notice is required. The Council shall provide a submitter with notice of receipt of a request or appeal whenever: (1) The information has been designated in good faith by the submitter as information considered protected from disclosure under Exemption 4; or (2) The Council has reason to believe that the information may be protected from disclosure under Exemption 4 because disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause substantial competitive harm to the submitter. (f) Opportunity to object to disclosure. (1) Through the notice described in paragraph (d) of this section, the Council shall notify the submitter in writing that the submitter shall have ten (10) days from the date of the notice (exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays) to provide the Council with a detailed statement of any objection to disclosure. Such statement shall specify all grounds for withholding any of the information under Exemption 4, including a statement of why the information is considered to be a trade secret or commercial or financial information that is privileged or confidential. In the event that the submitter fails to respond to the notice within the time specified, the submitter shall be considered to have no objection to disclosure of the information. Information provided by a submitter pursuant to this paragraph (f) may itself be subject to disclosure under the FOIA. (2) When notice is given to a submitter under this section, the Council shall advise the requester that such notice has been given to the submitter. The requester shall be further advised that a delay in responding to the request may be considered a denial of access to records and that the requester may proceed with an administrative appeal or seek judicial review, if appropriate. However, the Council shall invite the requester to agree to an extension of time so that the Council may review the submitter's objection to disclosure. (g) Notice of intent to disclose. The Council shall consider carefully a submitter's objections and specific grounds for nondisclosure prior to determining whether to disclose business information responsive to the request. If the Council decides to disclose business information over the objection of a submitter, the Council shall provide the submitter with a written notice which shall include: (1) A statement of the reasons for which the submitter's disclosure objections were not sustained; (2) A description of the business information to be disclosed; and (3) A specified disclosure date which is not less than ten (10) days (exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays) after the notice of the final decision to release the requested information has been provided to the submitter. Except as otherwise prohibited by law, notice of the final decision to release the requested information shall be forwarded to the requester at the same time. (h) Notice of FOIA lawsuit. Whenever a requester brings suit seeking to compel disclosure of business information covered in paragraph (c) of this section, the Council shall promptly notify the submitter. (i) Exception to notice requirement. The notice requirements of this section shall not apply if: (1) The Council determines that the information shall not be disclosed; (2) The information lawfully has been published or otherwise made available to the public; or (3) Disclosure of the information is required by statute (other than the FOIA) or by a regulation issued in accordance with the requirements of Executive Order 12600 (3 CFR, 1987 Comp., p. 235). Sec. 1301.11 Administrative appeals and dispute resolution. (a) Grounds for administrative appeals. A requester may appeal an initial determination of the Council, including but not limited to a determination: (1) To deny access to records in whole or in part (as provided in Sec. 1301.8(b)(4)); (2) To assign a particular fee category to the requester (as provided in Sec. 1301.12(c)); (3) To deny a request for a reduction or waiver of fees (as provided in Sec. 1301.12(f)(7)); (4) That no records could be located that are responsive to the request (as provided in Sec. 1301.8(b)(5)); or (5) To deny a request for expedited processing (as provided in Sec. 1301.7(c)(5)). (b) Time limits for filing administrative appeals. An appeal, other than an appeal of a denial of expedited processing, must be submitted within ninety (90) days of the date of the initial determination or the date of the letter transmitting the last records released, whichever is later. An appeal of a denial of expedited processing must be made within ten (10) days of the date of the initial determination to deny expedited processing (see Sec. 1301.7). (c) Form and content of administrative appeals. The appeal shall-- (1) Be made in writing or, as set forth on the Council's Web site, via the Internet; (2) Be clearly marked on the appeal request and any envelope that encloses it with the words ``Freedom of Information Act Appeal'' and addressed to Financial Stability Oversight Council, U.S. Department of the Treasury, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20220; (3) Set forth the name of and contact information for the requester, including a mailing address, telephone number, and, if available, an email address at which the Council may contact the requester regarding the appeal; (4) Specify the date of the initial request and date of the letter of initial determination, and, where possible, enclose a copy of the initial request and the initial determination being appealed; and (5) Set forth specific grounds for the appeal. (d) Processing of administrative appeals. Appeals shall be stamped with the date of their receipt by the office to which addressed, and shall be processed in the approximate order of their receipt. The receipt of the appeal shall be acknowledged by the Council and the requester advised of the date the appeal was received and the expected date of response. (e) Determinations to grant or deny administrative appeals. The Chairperson of the Council or his/her designee is authorized to and shall decide whether to affirm or reverse the initial determination (in whole or in part), and shall notify the requester of this decision in writing within twenty (20) days (exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays) after the date of receipt of the appeal, unless extended pursuant to Sec. 1301.7(e). (1) If it is decided that the appeal is to be denied (in whole or in part) the requester shall be-- (i) Notified in writing of the denial; (ii) Notified of the reasons for the denial, including the FOIA exemptions relied upon; (iii) Notified of the name and title or position of the official responsible for the determination on appeal; [[Page 85408]] (iv) Provided with a statement that judicial review of the denial is available in the United States District Court for the judicial district in which the requester resides or has a principal place of business, the judicial district in which the requested records are located, or the District of Columbia in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(4)(B); and (v) Provided with notification that mediation services may be available to the requester as a non-exclusive alternative to litigation through the Office of Government Information Services in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(h)(3). (2) If the Council grants the appeal in its entirety, the Council shall so notify the requester and promptly process the request in accordance with the decision on appeal. (f) Dispute resolution. Requesters may seek dispute resolution by contacting the FOIA Public Liaison or the Office of Government Information Services as set forth on the Council's Web site. Sec. 1301.12 Fees for processing requests for Council records. (a) In general. The Council shall charge the requester for processing a request under the FOIA in the amounts and for the services set forth in paragraphs (b) through (d) of this section, except if a waiver or reduction of fees is granted under paragraph (f) of this section, or if, pursuant to paragraph (e)(4) of this section, the failure of the Council to comply with certain time limits precludes it from assessing certain fees. No fees shall be charged if the amount of fees incurred in processing the request is below $25. (b) Fees chargeable for specific services. The fees for services performed by the Council shall be imposed and collected as set forth in this paragraph (b). (1) Duplicating records. The Council shall charge a requester fees for the cost of copying records as follows: (i) $.15 per page, up to 8\1/2\ x 14'', made by photocopy or similar process. (ii) Photographs, films, and other materials--actual cost of duplication. (iii) Other types of duplication services not mentioned above-- actual cost. (iv) Material provided to a private contractor for copying shall be charged to the requester at the actual cost charged by the private contractor. (2) Search services. The Council shall charge a requester for all time spent by its employees searching for records that are responsive to a request, including page-by-page or line-by-line identification of responsive information within records, even if no responsive records are found. The Council shall charge the requester fees for search time as follows: (i) Searches for other than electronic records. The Council shall charge for search time at the salary rate(s) (basic pay plus sixteen (16) percent) of the employee(s) who conduct the search. This charge shall also include transportation of employees and records at actual cost. Fees may be charged for search time even if the search does not yield any responsive records, or if records are exempt from disclosure. (ii) Searches for electronic records. The Council shall charge the requester for the actual direct cost of the search, including computer search time, runs, and the operator's salary. The fee for computer output shall be the actual direct cost. For a requester in the ``other'' category, when the cost of the search (including the operator time and the cost of operating the computer to process a request) equals the equivalent dollar amount of two hours of the salary of the person performing the search (i.e., the operator), the charge for the computer search will begin. (3) Review of records. The Council shall charge a requester for time spent by its employees examining responsive records to determine whether any portions of such record are withholdable from disclosure, pursuant to the FOIA exemptions of 5 U.S.C. 552(b). The Council shall also charge a requester for time spent by its employees redacting any such withholdable information from a record and preparing a record for release to the requester. The Council shall charge a requester for time spent reviewing records at the salary rate(s) (i.e., basic pay plus sixteen (16) percent) of the employees who conduct the review. Fees may be charged for review time even if records ultimately are not disclosed. (4) Inspection of records in the reading room. Fees for all services provided shall be charged whether or not copies are made available to the requester for inspection. However, no fee shall be charged for monitoring a requester's inspection of records. (5) Other services. Other services and materials requested which are not covered by this part nor required by the FOIA are chargeable at the actual cost to the Council. Charges permitted under this paragraph may include: (i) Certifying that records are true copies; and (ii) Sending records by special methods (such as by express mail, etc.). (c) Fees applicable to various categories of requesters--(1) Generally. The Council shall assess the fees set forth in paragraph (b) of this section in accordance with the requester fee categories set forth below. (2) Requester selection of fee category. A requester shall identify, in the initial FOIA request, the purpose of the request in one of the following categories: (i) Commercial. A commercial use request refers to a request from or on behalf of one who seeks information for a use or purpose that furthers the commercial, trade, or profit interests of the requester or the person on whose behalf the request is made, which can include furthering those interests through litigation. The Council may determine from the use specified in the request that the requester is a commercial user. (ii) Educational institution. This refers to a preschool, a public or private elementary or secondary school, an institution of graduate higher education, an institution of undergraduate higher education, an institution of professional education, and an institution of vocational education, which operates a program or programs of scholarly research. This category does not include requesters seeking records for use in meeting individual academic research or study requirements. (iii) Non-commercial scientific institution. This refers to an institution that is not operated on a ``commercial'' basis, as that term is defined in paragraph (c)(2)(i) of this section, and which is operated solely for the purpose of conducting scientific research, the results of which are not intended to promote any particular product or industry. (iv) Representative of the news media. This refers to any person or entity that gathers information of potential interest to a segment of the public, uses its editorial skills to turn the raw materials into a distinct work, and distributes that work to an audience. In this paragraph (c)(2)(iv), the term ``news'' means information that is about current events or that would be of current interest to the public. Examples of news-media entities are television or radio stations broadcasting to the public at large and publishers of periodicals (but only if such entities qualify as disseminators of ``news'') who make their products available for purchase by subscription or by free distribution to the general public. These examples are not all- inclusive. Moreover, as methods of news delivery evolve (for example, the adoption of the electronic dissemination of newspapers through telecommunications services), such alternative media shall be considered to be news media entities. A freelance [[Page 85409]] journalist shall be regarded as working for a news media entity if the journalist can demonstrate a solid basis for expecting publication through that entity, whether or not the journalist is actually employed by the entity. A publication contract would present a solid basis for such an expectation; the Council may also consider the past publication record of the requester in making such a determination. (v) Other Requester. This refers to a requester who does not fall within any of the categories described in paragraphs (c)(2)(i) through (iv) of this section. (d) Fees applicable to each category of requester. The Council shall apply the fees set forth in this paragraph, for each category described in paragraph (c) of this section, to requests processed by the Council under the FOIA. (1) Commercial use. A requester seeking records for commercial use shall be charged the full direct costs of searching for, reviewing, and duplicating the records they request as set forth in paragraph (b) of this section. Moreover, when a request is received for disclosure that is primarily in the commercial interest of the requester, the Council is not required to consider a request for a waiver or reduction of fees based upon the assertion that disclosure would be in the public interest. The Council may recover the cost of searching for and reviewing records even if there is ultimately no disclosure of records or no records are located. (2) Educational and non-commercial scientific uses. A requester seeking records for educational or non-commercial scientific use shall be charged only for the cost of duplicating the records they request, except that the Council shall provide the first one hundred (100) pages of duplication free of charge. To be eligible, the requester must show that the request is made under the auspices of a qualifying institution and that the records are not sought for a commercial use, but are sought in furtherance of scholarly (if the request is from an educational institution) or scientific (if the request is from a non- commercial scientific institution) research. These categories do not include a requester who seeks records for use in meeting individual academic research or study requirements. (3) News media uses. A requester seeking records under the news media use category shall be charged only for the cost of duplicating the records they request, except that the Council shall provide the requester with the first one hundred (100) pages of duplication free of charge. (4) Other requests. A requester seeking records for any other use shall be charged the full direct cost of searching for and duplicating records that are responsive to the request, as set forth in paragraph (b) of this section, except that the Council shall provide the first one hundred (100) pages of duplication and the first two hours of search time free of charge. The Council may recover the cost of searching for records even if there is ultimately no disclosure of records, or no records are located. (e) Other circumstances when fees are not charged. Notwithstanding paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this section, the Council may not charge a requester a fee for processing a FOIA request if--: (1) Services were performed without charge; (2) The cost of collecting a fee would be equal to or greater than the fee itself; (3) The fees were waived or reduced in accordance with paragraph (f) of this section; (4) The Council fails to comply with any time limit under Sec. 1301.7 or Sec. 1301.11; provided that: (i) If unusual circumstances (as that term is defined in Sec. 1301.7(e)) apply to the processing of the request and the Council has provided a timely notice to the requester in accordance with Sec. 1301.7(e)(1), then a failure to comply with such time limit shall be excused for an additional ten days; (ii) If unusual circumstances (as that term is defined in Sec. 1301.7(e)) apply to the processing of the request, more than 5,000 pages are necessary to respond to the request, the Council has provided a timely written notice to the requester in accordance with Sec. 1301.7(e)(2), and the Council has discussed with the requester via written mail, electronic mail, or telephone (or made not less than three good-faith attempts to do so) how the requester could effectively limit the scope of the request in accordance with paragraph Sec. 1301.7(e)(2), then the Council may charge a requester a fee; and (iii) If a court has determined that exceptional circumstances exist, then a failure to comply with such time limit shall be excused for the length of time provided by the court order; or (5) The requester is an educational or noncommercial scientific institution or a representative of the news media (as described in paragraphs (c)(2)(ii) through (iv) of this section), then the Council shall not assess the duplication fees. (f) Waiver or reduction of fees. (1) A requester shall be entitled to receive from the Council a waiver or reduction in the fees otherwise applicable to a FOIA request whenever the requester: (i) Requests such waiver or reduction of fees in writing and submits the written request to the Council together with or as part of the FOIA request, or at a later time consistent with Sec. 1301.5(b)(7) to process the request; and (ii) Demonstrates that the fee reduction or waiver request is in the public interest because: (A) Furnishing the information is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government; and (B) Furnishing the information is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester. (2) To determine whether the requester has satisfied the requirements of paragraph (f)(1)(ii)(A) of this section, the Council shall consider: (i) The subject of the requested records must concern identifiable operations or activities of the Federal Government, with a connection that is direct and clear, not remote or attenuated; (ii) The disclosable portions of the requested records must be meaningfully informative about government operations or activities in order to be ``likely to contribute'' to an increased public understanding of those operations or activities. The disclosure of information that already is in the public domain, in either a duplicative or a substantially identical form, would not be as likely to contribute to such understanding where nothing new would be added to the public's understanding; (iii) The disclosure must contribute to the understanding of a reasonably broad audience of persons interested in the subject, as opposed to the individual understanding of the requester. A requester's expertise in the subject area and ability and intention to effectively convey information to the public shall be considered. It shall be presumed that a representative of the news media will satisfy this consideration. (iv) The public's understanding of the subject in question, as compared to the level of public understanding existing prior to the disclosure, must be enhanced by the disclosure to a significant extent. (3) To determine whether the requester satisfies the requirement of paragraph (f)(1)(ii)(B) of this section, the Council shall consider: (i) Any commercial interest of the requester (with reference to the definition of ``commercial use'' in Sec. 1301.12(c)(2)(i)), or of any person on whose behalf the requester may be [[Page 85410]] acting, that would be furthered by the requested disclosure. In the administrative process, a requester may provide explanatory information regarding this consideration; and (ii) Whether the public interest is greater in magnitude than that of any identified commercial interest in disclosure. The Council ordinarily shall presume that, if a news media requester satisfies the public interest standard, the public interest will be the interest primarily served by disclosure to that requester. Disclosure to data brokers or others who merely compile and market government information for direct economic return shall not be presumed to primarily serve the public interest. (4) Where only some of the records to be released satisfy the requirements for a waiver or reduction of fees, a waiver or reduction shall be granted for those records. (5) Determination of request to reduce or waive fees: The Council shall notify the requester in writing regarding its determinations to reduce or waive fees. (6) Effect of denying request to reduce or waive fees: If the Council denies a request to reduce or waive fees, then the Council shall advise the requester, in the denial notification letter, that the requester may incur fees as a result of processing the request. In the denial notification letter, the Council shall advise the requester that the Council will not proceed to process the request further unless the requester, in writing, directs the Council to do so and either agrees to pay any fees that may apply to processing the request or specifies an upper limit (of not less than $25) that the requester is willing to pay to process the request. If the Council does not receive this written direction and agreement/specification within thirty (30) days of the date of the denial notification letter, then the Council shall deem the FOIA request to be withdrawn. (7) Appeals of denials of requests to reduce or waive fees: If the Council denies a request to reduce or waive fees, then the requester shall have the right to submit an appeal of the denial determination in accordance with Sec. 1301.11. The Council shall communicate this appeal right as part of its written notification to the requester denying the fee reduction or waiver request. The requester shall clearly mark its appeal request and any envelope that encloses it with the words ``Appeal for Fee Reduction/Waiver.'' (g) Notice of estimated fees; advance payments. (1) When the Council estimates the fees for processing a request will exceed the limit set by the requester, and that amount is less than $250, the Council shall notify the requester of the estimated costs, broken down by search, review and duplication fees. The requester must provide an agreement to pay the estimated costs, except that the requester may reformulate the request in an attempt to reduce the estimated fees. (2) If the requester fails to state a limit and the costs are estimated to exceed $250, the requester shall be notified of the estimated costs, broken down by search, review and duplication fees, and must pay such amount prior to the processing of the request, or provide satisfactory assurance of full payment if the requester has a history of prompt payment of FOIA fees. Alternatively, the requester may reformulate the request in such a way as to constitute a request for responsive records at a reduced fee. (3) The Council reserves the right to request advance payment after a request is processed and before records are released. (4) If a requester previously has failed to pay a fee within thirty (30) calendar days of the date of the billing, the requester shall be required to pay the full amount owed plus any applicable interest, and to make an advance payment of the full amount of the estimated fee before the Council begins to process a new request or the pending request. (5) When the Council acts under paragraphs (g)(1) through (4) of this section, the administrative time limits of twenty (20) days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays) from receipt of initial requests or appeals, plus extensions of these time limits, shall begin only after any applicable fees have been paid (in the case of paragraph (g)(2), (3), or (4)), a written agreement to pay fees has been provided (in the case of paragraph (g)(1)), or a request has been reformulated (in the case of paragraph (g)(1) or (2)). (h) Form of payment. Payment may be made by check or money order paid to the Treasurer of the United States. (i) Charging interest. The Council may charge interest on any unpaid bill starting on the 31st day following the date of billing the requester. Interest charges will be assessed at the rate provided in 31 U.S.C. 3717 and will accrue from the date of the billing until payment is received by the Council. The Council will follow the provisions of the Debt Collection Act of 1982 (Pub. L. 97-365, 96 Stat. 1749), as amended, and its administrative procedures, including the use of consumer reporting agencies, collection agencies, and offset. (j) Aggregating requests. If the Council reasonably determines that a requester or a group of requesters acting together is attempting to divide a request into a series of requests for the purpose of avoiding fees, the Council may aggregate those requests and charge accordingly. The Council may presume that multiple requests involving related matters submitted within a thirty (30) calendar day period have been made in order to avoid fees. The Council shall not aggregate multiple requests involving unrelated matters. Dated: November 17, 2016. Eric A. Froman, Executive Director, Financial Stability Oversight Council. [FR Doc. 2016-28413 Filed 11-25-16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4810-25-P-P
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(b) Multitrack processing. (1) The of information. The standard of not be tolled by the Council except that
Council may establish tracks to process ‘‘urgency to inform’’ requires that the the Council may:
separately simple and complex requests. records requested pertain to a matter of (1) Make one reasonable demand to
The Council may assign a request to the current exigency to the American the requester for clarifying information
simple or complex track based on the general public and that delaying a about the request and toll the twenty-
amount of work and/or time needed to response to a request for records would day time period while it awaits the
process the request. The Council shall compromise a significant recognized clarifying information; or
process requests in each track according interest to and throughout the American (2) Toll the twenty-day time period
to the order of their receipt. general public. The requester must while awaiting receipt of the requester’s
(2) The Council may provide a adequately explain the matter or activity response to the Council’s request for
requester in its complex track with an and why the records sought are clarification regarding the assessment of
opportunity to limit the scope of the necessary to be provided on an fees.
request to qualify for faster processing expedited basis. (e) Unusual circumstances—(1) In
within the specified limits of the simple (iii) The requester shall certify the general. Except as provided in
track(s). written statement that purports to paragraph (e)(2) of this section, if the
(c)(1) Requests for expedited demonstrate a compelling need for Council determines that, due to unusual
processing. The Council shall respond expedited processing to be true and circumstances, it cannot respond either
to a request out of order and on an correct to the best of the requester’s to a request within the time period set
expedited basis whenever a requester knowledge and belief. The certification forth in paragraph (d) of this section or
demonstrates a compelling need for must be in the form prescribed by 28 to an appeal within the time period set
expedited processing in accordance U.S.C. 1746: ‘‘I declare under penalty of forth in § 1301.11, the Council may
with the requirements of this paragraph perjury that the foregoing is true and extend the applicable time periods by
(c). correct to the best of my knowledge and informing the requester in writing of the
(2) Form and content of a request for belief. Executed on [date].’’ unusual circumstances and of the date
expedited processing. A request for (3) Determinations of requests for
by which the Council expects to
expedited processing shall be made as expedited processing. Within ten (10)
complete its processing of the request or
follows: calendar days of its receipt of a request
(i) A request for expedited processing appeal. Any extension or extensions of
for expedited processing, the Council
shall be made in writing or via the time shall not cumulatively total more
shall decide whether to grant the
Internet and submitted as part of the than ten (10) days (exclusive of
request and shall notify the requester of
initial request for records. When a Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public
the determination in writing.
request for records includes a request (4) Effect of granting expedited holidays).
for expedited processing, both the processing. If the Council grants a (2) Additional time. If the Council
envelope and the request itself must be request for expedited processing, then determines that it needs additional time
clearly marked ‘‘Expedited Processing the Council shall give the expedited beyond a ten-day extension to process
Requested.’’ A request for expedited request priority over non-expedited the request or appeal, then the Council
processing that is not clearly so marked, requests and shall process the expedited shall notify the requester and provide
but satisfies the requirements in request as soon as practicable. The the requester with an opportunity to
§ 1301.7(c)(2)(ii) and (iii), may Council may assign expedited requests limit the scope of the request or appeal
nevertheless be granted. to their own simple and complex or to arrange for an alternative time
(ii) A request for expedited processing processing tracks based upon the frame for processing the request or
shall contain a statement that amount of work and/or time needed to appeal or a modified request or appeal.
demonstrates a compelling need for the process them. Within each such track, The requester shall retain the right to
requester to obtain expedited processing an expedited request shall be processed define the desired scope of the request
of the requested records. A ‘‘compelling in the order of its receipt. or appeal, as long as it meets the
need’’ may be established under the (5) Appeals of denials of requests for requirements contained in this part. To
standard in either paragraph (c)(2)(ii)(A) expedited processing. If the Council aid the requester, the Council shall
or (B) of this section by demonstrating denies a request for expedited make available its FOIA Public Liaison,
that: processing, then the requester shall have who shall assist in defining the desired
(A) Failure to obtain the requested the right to submit an appeal of the scope of the request, and shall notify the
records on an expedited basis could denial determination in accordance requester of the right to seek dispute
reasonably be expected to pose an with § 1301.11. The Council shall resolution services from the Office of
imminent threat to the life or physical communicate this appeal right as part of Government Information Services.
safety of an individual. The requester its written notification to the requester (3) Unusual circumstances. As used
shall fully explain the circumstances denying expedited processing. The in this paragraph (e), ‘‘unusual
warranting such an expected threat so requester shall clearly mark its appeal circumstances’’ means, but only to the
that the Council may make a reasoned request and any envelope that encloses extent reasonably necessary to the
determination that a delay in obtaining it with the words ‘‘Appeal for Expedited proper processing of the particular
the requested records would pose such Processing.’’ requests:
a threat; or (d) Time period for responding to (i) The need to search for and collect
(B) With respect to a request made by requests for records. Ordinarily, the the requested records from field
a person primarily engaged in Council shall have twenty (20) days facilities or other establishments that are
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with RULES
disseminating information, urgency to (excepting Saturdays, Sundays, and separate from the office processing the
inform the public concerning actual or legal public holidays) from when a request;
alleged Federal Government activity. A request that satisfies the requirements of (ii) The need to search for, collect,
person ‘‘primarily engaged in § 1301.5(b) is received by the Council to and appropriately examine a
disseminating information’’ does not determine whether to grant or deny a voluminous amount of separate and
include individuals who are engaged request for records. The twenty-day time distinct records which are demanded in
only incidentally in the dissemination period set forth in this paragraph shall a single request; or
VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:28 Nov 25, 2016 Jkt 241001 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 E:\FR\FM\28NOR1.SGM 28NOR1](https://thefederalregister.org/doc/81_FR_85630/page/4.svg)
![85410 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 228 / Monday, November 28, 2016 / Rules and Regulations
acting, that would be furthered by the $250, the Council shall notify the or a group of requesters acting together
requested disclosure. In the requester of the estimated costs, broken is attempting to divide a request into a
administrative process, a requester may down by search, review and duplication series of requests for the purpose of
provide explanatory information fees. The requester must provide an avoiding fees, the Council may aggregate
regarding this consideration; and agreement to pay the estimated costs, those requests and charge accordingly.
(ii) Whether the public interest is except that the requester may The Council may presume that multiple
greater in magnitude than that of any reformulate the request in an attempt to requests involving related matters
identified commercial interest in reduce the estimated fees. submitted within a thirty (30) calendar
disclosure. The Council ordinarily shall (2) If the requester fails to state a limit day period have been made in order to
presume that, if a news media requester and the costs are estimated to exceed avoid fees. The Council shall not
satisfies the public interest standard, the $250, the requester shall be notified of aggregate multiple requests involving
public interest will be the interest the estimated costs, broken down by unrelated matters.
primarily served by disclosure to that search, review and duplication fees, and
Dated: November 17, 2016.
requester. Disclosure to data brokers or must pay such amount prior to the
others who merely compile and market processing of the request, or provide Eric A. Froman,
government information for direct satisfactory assurance of full payment if Executive Director, Financial Stability
economic return shall not be presumed the requester has a history of prompt Oversight Council.
to primarily serve the public interest. payment of FOIA fees. Alternatively, the [FR Doc. 2016–28413 Filed 11–25–16; 8:45 am]
(4) Where only some of the records to requester may reformulate the request in BILLING CODE 4810–25–P–P
be released satisfy the requirements for such a way as to constitute a request for
a waiver or reduction of fees, a waiver responsive records at a reduced fee.
or reduction shall be granted for those (3) The Council reserves the right to
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
records. request advance payment after a request
(5) Determination of request to reduce AGENCY
is processed and before records are
or waive fees: The Council shall notify released. 40 CFR Part 52
the requester in writing regarding its (4) If a requester previously has failed
determinations to reduce or waive fees. to pay a fee within thirty (30) calendar [EPA–R04–OAR–2015–0154; FRL–9955–58–
(6) Effect of denying request to reduce days of the date of the billing, the Region 4]
or waive fees: If the Council denies a requester shall be required to pay the
request to reduce or waive fees, then the full amount owed plus any applicable Air Quality Plans; Tennessee;
Council shall advise the requester, in interest, and to make an advance Infrastructure Requirements for the
the denial notification letter, that the payment of the full amount of the 2010 Sulfur Dioxide National Ambient
requester may incur fees as a result of estimated fee before the Council begins Air Quality Standard
processing the request. In the denial to process a new request or the pending
notification letter, the Council shall request. AGENCY: Environmental Protection
advise the requester that the Council (5) When the Council acts under Agency.
will not proceed to process the request paragraphs (g)(1) through (4) of this ACTION: Final rule.
further unless the requester, in writing, section, the administrative time limits of
directs the Council to do so and either twenty (20) days (excluding Saturdays, SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection
agrees to pay any fees that may apply to Sundays, and legal public holidays) Agency (EPA) is taking final action to
processing the request or specifies an from receipt of initial requests or approve the State Implementation Plan
upper limit (of not less than $25) that appeals, plus extensions of these time (SIP) submission, submitted by the State
the requester is willing to pay to process limits, shall begin only after any of Tennessee, through the Tennessee
the request. If the Council does not applicable fees have been paid (in the Department of Environment and
receive this written direction and case of paragraph (g)(2), (3), or (4)), a Conservation (TDEC), on March 13,
agreement/specification within thirty written agreement to pay fees has been 2014, for inclusion into the Tennessee
(30) days of the date of the denial provided (in the case of paragraph SIP. This final action pertains to the
notification letter, then the Council (g)(1)), or a request has been infrastructure requirements of the Clean
shall deem the FOIA request to be reformulated (in the case of paragraph Air Act (CAA or Act) for the 2010 1-
withdrawn. (g)(1) or (2)). hour sulfur dioxide (SO2) national
(7) Appeals of denials of requests to (h) Form of payment. Payment may be ambient air quality standard (NAAQS).
reduce or waive fees: If the Council made by check or money order paid to The CAA requires that each state adopt
denies a request to reduce or waive fees, the Treasurer of the United States. and submit a SIP for the
then the requester shall have the right (i) Charging interest. The Council may implementation, maintenance and
to submit an appeal of the denial charge interest on any unpaid bill enforcement of each NAAQS
determination in accordance with starting on the 31st day following the promulgated by EPA, which is
§ 1301.11. The Council shall date of billing the requester. Interest commonly referred to as an
communicate this appeal right as part of charges will be assessed at the rate ‘‘infrastructure SIP submission.’’ TDEC
its written notification to the requester provided in 31 U.S.C. 3717 and will certified that the Tennessee SIP contains
denying the fee reduction or waiver accrue from the date of the billing until provisions that ensure the 2010 1-hour
request. The requester shall clearly mark payment is received by the Council. The SO2 NAAQS is implemented, enforced,
its appeal request and any envelope that Council will follow the provisions of the and maintained in Tennessee. EPA has
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with RULES
encloses it with the words ‘‘Appeal for Debt Collection Act of 1982 (Pub. L. 97– determined that portions of Tennessee’s
Fee Reduction/Waiver.’’ 365, 96 Stat. 1749), as amended, and its infrastructure SIP submission, provided
(g) Notice of estimated fees; advance administrative procedures, including to EPA on March 13, 2014, satisfy
payments. (1) When the Council the use of consumer reporting agencies, certain required infrastructure elements
estimates the fees for processing a collection agencies, and offset. for the 2010 1-hour SO2 NAAQS.
request will exceed the limit set by the (j) Aggregating requests. If the Council DATES: This rule will be effective
requester, and that amount is less than reasonably determines that a requester December 28, 2016
VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:28 Nov 25, 2016 Jkt 241001 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 E:\FR\FM\28NOR1.SGM 28NOR1](https://thefederalregister.org/doc/81_FR_85630/page/9.svg)
Document Created: 2018-02-14 08:35:49
Document Modified: 2018-02-14 08:35:49
| Category | Regulatory Information | |
| Collection | Federal Register | |
| sudoc Class | AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106: | |
| Publisher | Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration | |
| Section | Rules and Regulations | |
| Action | Interim final rule. | |
| Dates | Effective date: November 28, 2016. | |
| Contact | Jonah Crane, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Financial Stability Oversight Council, U.S. Treasury Department, (202) 622-7811; Stephen Milligan, Attorney-Advisor, U.S. Treasury Department, (202) 622-4051. | |
| FR Citation | 81 FR 85402 |
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