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Justice Delayed is Justice Denied

The Ten Oldest Pending FOIA Requests

The National Security Archive
Freedom of Information Act Audit

 
Press Release
Executive Summary
The Ten Oldest FOIA Requests in the Federal Government
Chart - Agency Response Times
Table - Oldest Outstanding FOIA Requests
Methodology
Findings Regarding The Ten Oldest FOIA Requests and FOIA Backlogs
Summary Discussion of Individual Agencies
Update on Phase One: The Ashcroft Memorandum
FOIA Audit Phase One: The Ashcroft Memo

 

 

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)
22 DAYS TO RESPOND TO ARCHIVE; OUTSTANDING REQUESTS AS OLD AS 9 YEARS

Ten Oldest - EPA responded within 22 business days after the request was made; it reported ten FOIA requests ranging from May 23, 1994 to October 10, 1997. These included a request from the Arizona Department of Emergency Management regarding air dispersion models, a request for a list of corporate sponsors for the President's Environmental Awards program, and the winners for 1994, a request for a 1994 memorandum of the EPA Assistant Administrator that states that participants in the EPA's new common sense Initiative on multimedia regulations will not be targeted for enforcement action, a request for records regarding claims brought by the EPA against any company engaged in the business of metal finishing alleging a violation of the community Right to Know Act, records relating to fill activities involving Carmen Reahard, the official cancer designation of specified chemicals, a transcript of a telephone call between EPA Administrator Carol Browner and the press concerning Hazardous Waste Combustor Regulations, and specified Pesticide Reports for the years 1991-1995.
Workload Statistics - EPA's reported statistics from 1998 through 2002 indicate that the agency has received a decreasing number of FOIA requests (down 37% from 21,220 in 1998 to 13,443 in 2002). The number processed each year has increased (up 2.18% from 18,848 processed in 1998 to 19,259 processed in 2002). EPA's processing rate per year -- a comparison of the number of requests processed to the number received -- increased from 97.56% in 1998 to 98.51% in 2002.
Backlog Statistics - EPA's reported statistics from 1998 through 2002 indicate that the agency has received a decreasing number of FOIA requests (down 37% from 21,220 in 1998 to 13,443 in 2002). The number processed each year has increased (up 2.18% from 18,848 processed in 1998 to 19,259 processed in 2002). EPA's processing rate per year -- a comparison of the number of requests processed to the number received -- increased from 97.56% in 1998 to 98.51% in 2002.
Processing Time - Under its two track system, EPA reports a median processing time in 2002 for simple requests of 15-1113 days, while complex requests in 2002 have ranged from a median of 31-123 days. Expedited requests have a median processing time range of 7-44 days over the 1998-2000 time period with a range of 8-105 reported for 2001 and a range of 6-75 reported for 2002. The median days that backlogged requests have been pending is reported as 11-438 for 2002.

 

TEN OLDEST REQUESTS

EPA Response Letter

EPA May 23, 1994 Letter

EPA January 26, 1995 Letter

EPA February 25, 1995 Letter

EPA March 6, 1995 Letter

EPA July 25, 1995 Letter

EPA August 30, 1995 Letter

EPA April 24, 1996 Letter

EPA May 16, 1996 Letter

EPA May 21, 1996 Letter

EPA September 26, 1997 Letter

 

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