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focus of internal EPA policy coordination for ground-water.

(f) Office of Marine and Estuarine Protection. The Office of Marine and Estuarine Protection, under the supervision of a Director, is responsible for the development of policies and strategies and implementation of a program to protect the marine/estuarine environment, including ocean dumping. The Office provides national direction for the Chesapeake Bay and other estuarine programs, and policy oversight of the Great Lakes Program.

(g) Office of Wetlands Protection. The Office of Wetlands Protection, under the supervision of a Director, administers the 404/Wetlands Program and develops policies, procedures, regulations, and strategies addressing the maintenance, enhancement, and protection of the Nations Wetlands. The Office coordinates Agency issues related to wetlands.

[50 FR 26721, June 28, 1985, as amended at 52 FR 30360, Aug. 14, 1987]

Subpart C-Field Installations

§ 1.61 Regional Offices.

Regional Administrators are responsible to the Administrator, within the boundaries of their Regions, for the execution of the Regional Programs of the Agency and such other responsibilities as may be assigned. They serve as the Administrator's prinicipal representatives in their Regions in contacts and relationships with Federal, State, interstate and local agencies, industry, academic institutions, and other public and private groups. Regional Administrators are responsible for:

(a) Accomplishing national program objectives within the Regions as established by the Administrator, Deputy Administrator, Assistant Administrators, Associate Administrators, and Heads of Headquarters Staff Offices;

(b) Developing, proposing, and implementing approved Regional programs for comprehensive and integrated environmental protection activities;

(c) Total resource management in their Regions within guidelines provided by Headquarters;

(d) Conducting effective Regional enforcement and compliance programs;

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2.215 Confidentiality agreements. 2.216-2.300 [Reserved]

2.301 Special rules governing certain information obtained under the Clean Air Act.

2.302 Special rules governing certain information obtained under the Clean Water Act.

2.303 Special rules governing certain information obtained under the Noise Control Act of 1972.

2.304 Special rules governing certain information obtained under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

2.305 Special rules governing certain information obtained under the Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended.

2.306 Special rules governing certain information obtained under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

2.307 Special rules governing certain information obtained under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. 2.308 Special rules governing certain information obtained under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

2.309 Special rules governing certain information obtained under the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972.

2.310 Special rules governing certain information obtained under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended.

2.311 Special rules governing certain information obtained under the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act.

Subpart C-Testimony by Employees and Production of Documents in Civil Legal Proceedings Where the United States Is Not a Party

2.401 Scope and purpose.

2.402 Policy on presentation of testimony and production of documents.

2.403 Procedures when voluntary testimony is requested.

2.404 Procedures when an employee is subpoenaed.

2.405 Subpoenas duces tecum.

2.406 Requests for authenticated copies of EPA documents.

AUTHORITY: 5 U.S.C. 301, 552 (as amended), 553; secs. 114, 205, 208, 301, and 307, Clean Air Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 7414, 7525, 7542, 7601, 7607); secs. 308, 501 and 509(a), Clean Water Act, as amended (33 U.S.C. 1318, 1361, 1369(a)); sec. 13, Noise Control Act of 1972 (42 U.S.C. 4912); secs. 1445 and 1450, Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j-4, 300j-9); secs. 2002, 3007, and 9005, Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 6912, 6927, 6995); secs. 8(c), 11, and 14, Toxic Substances Control Act (15 U.S.C. 2607(c), 2610, 2613); secs. 10, 12, and 25, Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, as amended (7 U.S.C. 136h, 136j, 136w); sec. 408(f), Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, as amended (21 U.S.C. 346(f)); secs. 104(f) and 108, Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (33 U.S.C. 1414(f), 1418); secs. 104 and 115, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (42 U.S.C. 9604 and 9615); sec. 505, Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act, as amended (15 U.S.C. 2005).

SOURCE: 41 FR 36902, Sept. 1, 1976, unless otherwise noted.

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For the purposes of this part:

(a) EPA means the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

(b) EPA Record or, simply record means any document, writing, photograph, sound or magnetic recording, drawing, or other similar thing by which information has been preserved, from which the information can be retrieved and copied, and over which EPA has possession or control. It may include copies of the records of other Federal agencies (see §2.111(d)). The term includes informal writings (such as drafts and the like), and also includes information preserved in a form

which must be translated or deciphered by machine in order to be intelligible to humans. The term includes documents and the like which were created or acquired by EPA, its predecessors, its officers, and its employees by use of Government funds or in the course of transacting official business. However, the term does not include materials which are the personal records of an EPA officer or employee. Nor does the term include materials published by non-Federal organizations which are readily available to the public, such as books, journals, and periodicals available through reference libraries, even if such materials are in EPA's possession.

(c) Request means a request to inspect or obtain a copy of one or more records.

(d) Requestor means any person who has submitted a request to EPA.

(e) The term 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 requestor or the person on whose behalf the request is made. In determining whether a requestor properly belongs in this category, EPA must determine the use to which a requestor will put the documents requested. Moreover, where EPA has reasonable cause to doubt the use to which a requestor will put the records sought, or where that use is not clear from the request itself, EPA may seek additional clarification before assigning the request to a specific category.

(f) The term non-commercial scientific institution refers to an institution that is not operated on a commercial basis as that term is referenced in paragraph (e) 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.

(g) The term educational institution 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 or professional education, and an institution of vocational education, which operates a program or programs of scholarly research.

(h) The term representative of the news media refers to any person actively gathering news for an entity that is organized and operated to publish or broadcast news to the public. 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 include television or radio stations broadcasting to the public at large, and publishers of periodicals (but only in those instances when they can qualify as disseminators of news) who make their products available for purchase or subscription by the general public. These examples are not intended to be all-inclusive. Moreover, as traditional methods of news delivery evolve (e.g., electronic dissemination of newspapers through telecommunications services), such alternative media would be included in this category. In the case of freelance journalists, they may be regarded as working for a news organization if they can demonstrate a solid basis for expecting publication through that organization, even though not actually employed by it. A publication contract would be the clearest proof, but EPA may also look to the past publication record of a requestor in making this determination.

(i) The term search includes all time spent looking for material that is responsive to a request, including pageby-page or line-by-line identification of material within documents. Searching for material must be done in the most efficient and least expensive manner so as to minimize costs for both the EPA and the requestor. For example, EPA will not engage in line-by-line search when merely duplicating an entire document would prove the less expensive and quicker method of complying with a request. Search will be distinguished, moreover, from review of material in order to determine whether the material is exempt from disclosure (see paragraph (j) of this section). Searches may be done manually or by computer using existing programming.

(j) The term review refers to the process of examining documents located in response to a request that is for a commercial use (see paragraph (e) of this

section) to determine whether any portion of any document located is permitted to be withheld. It also includes processing any documents for disclosure, e.g., doing all that is necessary to excise them and otherwise prepare them for release. Review does not include time spent resolving legal or policy issues regarding the application of exemptions. (Documents must be reviewed in responding to all requests; however, review time may only be charged to Commercial Use Requesters.)

(k) The term duplication refers to the process of making a copy of a document necessary to respond to an FOIA request. Such copies can take the form of paper copy, microform, audio-visual materials, or machine readable documentation (e.g., magnetic tape or disk), among others. The copy provided must be in a form that is reasonably usable by requesters.

[41 FR 36902, Sept. 1, 1976, as amended at 50 FR 51658, Dec. 18, 1985; 53 FR 216, Jan. 5, 1988]

§ 2.101 Policy on disclosure of EPA records.

(a) EPA will make the fullest possible disclosure of records to the public, consistent with the rights of individuals to privacy, the rights of persons in business information entitled to confidential treatment, and the need for EPA to promote frank internal policy deliberations and to pursue its official activities without undue disruption.

(b) All EPA records shall be available to the public unless they are exempt from the disclosure requirements of 5 U.S.C 552.

(c) All nonexempt EPA records shall be available to the public upon request regardless of whether any justification or need for such records has been shown by the requestor.

(d) When documents responsive to a request are maintained for distribution by agencies operating statutory-based fee schedule programs, such as, but not limited to, the Government Printing Office or the National Technical Information Service, EPA will inform the requester of the steps necessary to obtain records from the sources.

[41 FR 36902, Sept. 1, 1976, as amended at 53 FR 216, Jan. 5, 1988]

§ 2.102 [Reserved]

§2.103 Partial disclosure of records.

If a requested record contains both exempt and nonexempt material, the nonexempt material shall be disclosed, after the exempt material has been deleted in accordance with §2.119.

§ 2.104 Requests to which this subpart applies.

(a) This subpart applies to any written request (other than a request made by another Federal agency) received by any EPA office, whether or not the request cites the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552. See §§2.107(a) and 2.112(b) regarding the treatment of requests which are directed by the requestor to offices other than those listed in §2.106.

(b) Any written request to EPA for existing records prepared by EPA for routine public distribution, e.g., pamphlets, copies of speeches, press releases, and educational materials, shall be honored. No individual determination under §2.111 is necessary in such cases, since preparation of the records for routine public distribution itself constitutes a determination that the records are available to the public.

§ 2.105 Existing records.

(a) The Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, does not require the creation of new records in response to a request, nor does it require EPA to place a requestor's name on a distribution list for automatic receipt of certain kinds of records as they come into existence. The Act establishes requirements for disclosure of existing records.

(b) All existing EPA records are subject to routine destruction according to standard record retention schedules.

§ 2.106 Where requests for agency

records shall be filed.

(a) A request for records may be filed with the EPA Freedom of Information Officer, A-101, 401 M Street, SW., Washington, DC 20460.

(b) Should the requestor have reason to believe that the records sought may be located in an EPA regional office, he

may transmit his request to the appropriate regional Freedom of Information Office indicated below:

(1) Region I (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont):

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Freedom of Information Officer, Room 2303, John F. Kennedy Federal Building, Boston, MA 02203.

(2) Region II (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands):

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

Freedom of Information Officer, Room 1005, 26 Federal Plaza, New York, NY 10007.

(3) Region III (Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, District of Columbia):

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Freedom of Information Officer, 841 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107.

(4) Region IV (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee): U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Freedom of Information Officer, 345 Courtland Street, NE., Atlanta, GA 30365.

(5) Region V (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin):

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Freedom of Information Officer, 77 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60604.

(6) Region VI (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas):

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Freedom of Information Officer (6M-MC), 1201 Elm Street, Dallas, TX 75270.

(7) Region VII (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska):

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Freedom of Information Officer, 726 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66101.

(8) Region VIII (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming):

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Freedom of Information Officer, One Denver Place, 999 18th Street, Suite 1300, Denver, CO 80202-2413.

(9) Region IX (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam, Trust Territory of Pacific Islands):

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Freedom of Information Officer, 215 Fremont Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. (10) Region X (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington):

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Freedom of Information Officer, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101.

[41 FR 36902, Sept. 1, 1976, as amended at 50 FR 51659, Dec. 18, 1985; 62 FR 1833, Jan. 14, 1997]

§2.107 Misdirected written requests; oral requests.

(a) EPA cannot assure that a timely or satisfactory response under this subpart will be given to written requests that are addressed to EPA offices, officers, or employees other than the Freedom of Information Officers listed in §2.106. Any EPA officer or employee who receives a written request for inspection or disclosure of EPA records shall promptly forward a copy of the request to the appropriate Freedom of Information Officer, by the fastest practicable means, and shall, if appropriate, commence action under §2.111. For purposes of §2.112, the time allowed with respect to initial determinations shall be computed from the day on which the appropriate Freedom of Information Officer receives the request.

(b) While EPA officers and employees will attempt in good faith to comply with requests for inspection or disclosure of EPA records made orally, by telephone or otherwise, such oral requests are not required to be processed in accordance with this subpart.

[41 FR 36902, Sept. 1, 1976, as amended at 50 FR 51659, Dec. 18, 1985]

§ 2.108 Form of request.

A request shall be made in writing, shall reasonably describe the records sought in a way that will permit their identification and location, and should be addressed to one of the addresses set forth in §2.106, but otherwise need not be in any particular form.

§ 2.109 Requests which do not reasonably describe records sought.

(a) If the description of the records sought in the request is not sufficient to allow EPA to identify and locate the

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