Yes. If your FOIA request is initially denied in whole or in part under one or more of the above exemptions, or denied for some other reason, you will be advised of your appeal rights and the proper procedures for submitting the appeal within 60 days.  If you are not satisfied with the appeal determination, you may seek  judicial review.
 

FOIA does not require Federal Agencies to answer questions, render opinions, or provide subjective evaluations.  Requesters must ask for existing records, such as those mentioned above. However, if there exists records which would respond to questions, those records would be provided.

FOIA allows fees to be charged for FOIA services, such as search and review time, duplication costs, and special services, like documentcertification.  Whether fees are charged depends on the category of requester you are.  If fees are to be charged, waivers or reductions in fees may be given under certain circumstances.  In any case, no fees are charged to any requester if the amount to be charged does not exceed $15. 

To receive expedited processing, the requester must demonstrate one of the following compelling needs:

1. Failure to obtain the records on an expedited basis could reasonably be expected to pose an imminent threat to the life or physical safety of an individual;
2. Information is urgently needed by an individual primarily engaged in disseminating information in order to inform the public concerning actual or alleged Federal Government activity; or
3. Other reasons that merit expedited processing are an imminent loss of substantial due process rights and humanitarian need.

You can request documents under the FOIA by fax, letter, or electronic mail.  No special form is required; however, the request should be labeled as a "Freedom of Information Act Request," and must include the following information:

1. Name and Business name (if applicable);
2. Address;
3. Telephone number;
4. Fax number (if applicable);
5. A reasonable description of the records requested, including date parameters, if applicable;
6. Whether you want to view the documents or have them copied and sent to you;
7. State a willingness to pay any search and review fees; and
8. If you are requesting a fee waiver, you must state your basis for the waiver.

Whenever possible, an initial determination to release or deny a record will be made within 20 working days after receipt of the request by the official who is designated to respond. Because of the significant number of requests received, in fairness to all requesters, the New Orleans District processes requests in the order of their receipt and according to their complexity.  If unusual circumstances exist that preclude a timely response, you will be informed of the estimated completion date and reason(s) for delay.  Unusual circumstances are:

1. Need to search for and collect the requested records from other facilities that are separate from the office determined responsible for a release or denial decision on the requested information;
2. The need to search for, collect, and examine a voluminous amount of separate and distinct records which are requested in a single request; or
3. The need for consultation, which shall be conducted with all practicable speed, with other agencies having a substantial interest in the determination of the request, or among two or more DOD Components having a substantial subject-matter interest in the request.

No.There is no requirement for individuals to use FOIA to obtain routine public information, such as copies of contracts, daily stages of waterways, and issued permits.  Such requests may be processed by the custodian offices without involvement of the FOIA Coordinator.  Additionally, the New Orleans District's internet website at http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/index.asp provides access to a wide variety of public information regarding our projects, contracts, regulatory program.

There are nine FOIA exemptions, described in 5 U.S.C. 552(b) (1)-(9).

1. (b) (1) -- records currently and properly classified in the interest of national security;
2. (b) (2) -- records related solely to internal personnel rules and practices, which, if released, would allow circumvention of an agency function;
3. (b) (3) -- records protected by another law that specifically exempts the information from public release;
4. (b) (4) -- trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a private source which would cause substantial competitive harm to the source if disclosed;
5. (b) (5) -- internal records that are deliberative in nature and are part of the decision making process that contain opinions and recommendations;
6. (b) (6) -- records which, if released, would result in a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;
7. (b) (7) -- investigatory records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes;
8. (b) (8) -- records for the use of an agency responsible for the regulation or supervision of financial institutions; and
9. (b) (9) -- records containing geological and geophysical information (including maps) concerning wells.

There are seven reasons why the Army may not release a record requested under FOIA.  They are:

1. The request is transferred to another Army Component or Federal agency;
2. The Army Component determines through knowledge of its files and reasonable search   efforts that it neither controls nor otherwise possesses the requested record;
3. A record has not been described with sufficient detail to enable the Army Component to locate it by conducting a reasonable search;
4. The requester has failed unreasonably to comply with procedural requirements, including payment of fees, imposed by the FOIA and AR 25-55;
5. The request is withdrawn by the requester;
6. The information requested is not a record within the meaning of the FOIA and the AR 25-55; or 7. The record is denied in whole or part in accordance with procedures set forth in the FOIA and AR 25-55.  (See FOIA exemptions, below)

There are five categories of requesters:

Commercial. Requesters who seek information for a use or purpose that furthers their commercial, trade, or profit interest are considered commercial requesters. Commercial requesters pay all fees for search, review, and duplication.

Educational. Institutions of education, including preschools, elementary or secondary schools and institutions of higher learning, qualify as educational institutions. The records must be sought in furtherance of scholarly research.  Educational requesters pay only duplication fees, unless it is determined that fees are waived or reduced in the public interest. The first 100 pages are provided at no cost.

Non-Commercial Scientific. A non-commercial scientific institution is operated solely for conducting scientific research. The records must be sought in furtherance of scientific research. Like educational requesters, these requesters pay only duplication fees, unless it is determined that fees are waived or reduced in the public interest.  The first 100 pages are provided at no cost.

News Media. A representative of the news media is a person actively gathering news for an entity organized and operated to publicize or broadcast news to the public. News media pay only duplication fees, unless it is determined that fees are waived or reduced in the public interest. The first 100 pages are provided at no cost.

"Other" Requester. Requesters who do not qualify in another category are considered "other" requesters, and normally make requests for agency records for their personal use. "Other" requesters receive two hours search time, all review costs, and the first 100 pages at no cost.

When information is withheld, whether partially or fully, this constitutes a denial under FOIA.  A request may be denied for one or more of the aforementioned exemptions.  When this happens, you will be notified in writing by an Initial Denial Authority (IDA) and given appeal rights.  IDAs are denial authorities for records that fall under their custodial control.  If your request is denied partially, you will receive information that has portions deleted.  Redacted records have the denied information removed from where it was originally located within the document.  The appropriate exemption(s) for deletion of the information should be listed next to the sanitized area(s) on the document.  There are usually two methods for sanitizing a document; one is to blacken out the denied information, and the other is to completely remove it.

All requesters must include a "willingness to pay statement" in their request, regardless of the fee category, however, this does not mean you will be charged fees.  The requester can set a limit on the costs to be incurred. For example, he/she may state "not to exceed $50." If the estimate for answering the request exceeds the limit, the FOIA Officer will call the requester to discuss his/her options. The requester has four options: accept the copied documents up to the previous specified amount of money; cancel the entire request; authorize the money needed to complete the request; or authorize additional funds up to another specified amount. Except for commercial requesters whose fees total more than $15, waivers are always considered.  A Citizen's Guide to Request Army Records Under the FOIA, May 1, 1998 We trust this information will be helpful to you when pursuing FOIA requests with the New Orleans District.  If you have any questions, you may call (504) 862-2824 and ask for the FOIA Coordinator.

Agency records are those that are created or obtained by an agency and under the agency control at the time the FOIA request is made.  Agency records include hard-copy files, computerized records, databases, e-mail maps, books, and photographs.

.Fee waivers may be granted when disclosure of the records is in the public interest.  Information released in the public interest is defined as information that significantly enhances the public's knowledge of the operations and activities of the agency. The following factors are weighed in making a fee waiver determination:

The subject of the request;
The informative value of the information to be disclosed;
The contribution to an understanding of the subject by the general public likely to result from the disclosure;
The significance of the contribution to public understanding;
Disclosure of the information is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester; and
The ability of the requester to disseminate the information.

Any person can file a FOIA request, including U.S. citizens and foreign nationals, Organizations, universities, businesses, and state and local governments may also file FOIA requests.

FOIA’s scope includes Federal Executive Branch Departments, agencies, and offices, Federal regulatory agencies, and Federal corporations.  Congress, the Federal Courts, and parts of the Executive Office of the President are not subject to the FOIA.  State and local governments are likewise not subject to the Federal FOIA, but some states have their own equivalent access laws for state records.