Mitigation Plans under the Exceptional Events Rule (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality)

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

1. All draft and final mitigation plans and packages as required by the EPA under the Exceptional Events Rule , according to https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2016-10-03/pdf/2016-22983.pdf.
2. Any acknowledgement or response from the EPA to mitigation plans or packages.
3. All subsequent responses, decisions and correspondence communicated by the EPA about mitigation plans, including approvals, denials or requests for more information.

Please note that this request was first filed with the Nevada Division of Environment Protection who said that it did not have jurisdiction over Washoe or Clark County, and this request would thus have to be filed separately to the according agencies in those two counties.

Request for Explanation of Withholdings and Redactions
If this request is denied in whole or in part, please provide a reasonable description of any withheld materials and a justification for all such withholdings that includes reference to the specific FOIA exemptions authorizing withholding and specific reasons why such exemptions apply. 45 C.F.R. § 5.31. An agency shall withhold information only if “the agency reasonably foresees that disclosure would harm an interest protected by an exemption” or “disclosure is prohibited by law.” 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(8)(A)(i). We therefore request that if the EPA determines that an exemption applies that it also provide specific reasons why disclosure would harm any interest protected by such exemption. An agency shall also “consider whether partial disclosure of information is possible whenever the agency determines that a full disclosure of a requested record is not possible” and “take reasonable steps necessary to segregate and release nonexempt information.” Id. 552(a)(8)(A)(ii). We therefore request that the EPA release all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material.

Limitation of Fees
We are also entitled to a limitation of fees because we are a member of the news media. 45 C.F.R. § 5.53(b); 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(A)(ii)(II). Accordingly, even if our application for a waiver of all fees is denied, we are entitled to a limitation of fees. As a news media requester, we are “entitled to search time, review time, and up to 100 pages of duplication” and can be charged only duplication fees after the first 100 pages or its cost equivalent. 45 C.F.R. § 5.53(b). We request that the information be provided in its native electronic format, and thus there should be no duplication fees.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Dillon Bergin

Hello! I am seeking a confirmation that you have received this request, and a response.

Thank you very much,

Molly Peterson & Dillon Bergin
Reporters

Hello! I'm so sorry, I attached a form that you may not need for this request. You have just received this request, and we have not yet been notified of a request tracking number.

Thank you
Dillon Bergin

Hello:

I just want to make sure we're clear in our understanding; as a reminder, we initially filed a request with this language:

"1. All draft and final mitigation plans and packages as required by the EPA under the Exceptional Events Rule , according to https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2016-10-03/pdf/2016-22983.pdf.
2. Any acknowledgement or response from the EPA to mitigation plans or packages.
3. All subsequent responses, decisions and correspondence communicated by the EPA about mitigation plans, including approvals, denials or requests for more information."

We filed it because it appears that under federal law, Harris County and El Paso County had to have mitigation documents for winds and dust, as of 2018.

If TDEQ does not have the documents, that's helpful information.

Kind regards,

Molly Peterson