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DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR (DOI)
23 DAYS TO RESPOND TO ARCHIVE; OUTSTANDING REQUESTS AS OLD
AS 6 YEARS
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Recordkeeping Issues - The request to DOI was limited
to the Office of the Secretary after consulting with DOI regarding
the decentralization of the agency. In the cover letter accompanying
the release, DOI provided the following caveats: (1) DOI could
not confirm that the requesters were still interested in the
records requests; (2) other components within DOI may have
already responded in whole or in part to some or all of the
requests; and (3) the program offices within the Office of
Secretary also already may have responded to the requests.
The FOIA office also explained that data in its current configuration
had not been reconciled since conversion of their computer
tracking system in 2002. |
Ten Oldest - DOI responded approximately 23 business
days after the request was made; it reported ten FOIA requests
ranging from March 25, 1997 to November 5, 1999. The requests
included one from an environmental organization concerning
records from January 1995 to May 1997 relating to the 1997
Interim Trinity River Flows, a public interest legal organization's
request for records concerning the Clinton American Heritage
Rivers program, records concerning funding provided to the
USDOL-OSHA Region IX for the periods 1990-1997, a request
from the Arizona Division of Housing for information about
property owned by an applicant for Section 8 Housing that
was leased to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, an environmental
group's request for records concerning the request of the
Hopi Tribe to take eagles and hawks at Wupatki, a request
for records concerning the Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corporation
Site in Cambridge, Ohio, a Congressional Research Service
Request for records concerning funds being held to compensate
the Paiute Shoshone Indians for past wrongs against them,
a request for materials concerning the Bravo thermonuclear
test of Operation Castle performed in the Marshall Islands
in 1954, a media request for lists of films and videos of
the department, and a request for records concerning garment
manufacturers or Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association
in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. |
Workload Statistics - Although DOI's reported statistics
from 1998 through 2002 indicate that the agency has received
a decreasing number of FOIA requests (down 16% from 5221 in
1998 to 4396 in 2002), the number processed each year also
has decreased (down 12% from 5002 processed in 1998 to 4378
processed in 2002). DOI's processing rate per year -- a comparison
of the number of requests processed to the number received
-- increased from 95.81% in 1998 to 99.59% in 2002. |
Backlog Statistics - DOI's backlog of pending FOIA
requests has increased (from 545 FOIA requests pending at
the end of 1998 to 902 FOIA requests pending at the end of
2002). DOI's backlog as a percentage of FOIA requests processed
each year has increased from 10.90% in 1998 to 20.60% in 2002.
Its backlog rate per year -- a comparison of the number of
requests pending at the end of the year to the number received
during that year -- has increased from 9.83% in 1998 to 20.52%
in 2002. |
Processing Time - DOI reports processing times ranging
from 10-58 days for 2002. Expedited requests have a median
processing time range of 5-12 days over the 1998-2000 time
period, with a range of 9-33 days reported for 2002. For its
backlogged requests, however, it reports processing times
in 2002 ranging from 5-1407 days (up to 5 ½ years).
DOI's FY 2002 annual FOIA report indicates that DOI is implementing
a new electronic FOIA tracking system. It reports that this
will improve "the overall efficiency of the FOIA processing
in DOI." |
TEN
OLDEST REQUESTS
DOI
Response Letter
DOI March 25,
1997 Letter
DOI April 14,
1997 Letter
DOI June 14,
1997 Letter
DOI September
22, 1999 Letter
DOI September
23, 1999 Letter (link unavailable)
DOI September
24, 1999 Letter
DOI September
30, 1999 Letter
DOI October
19, 1999 Letter
DOI October
22, 1999 Letter
DOI November
5, 1999 Letter
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