ML20236N905

Responds to Appeal Re Denial of FOIA Request for Documents. Release of Documents Could Stifle Honest & Frank Communication within Agency.Documents Continue to Be Withheld (Ref FOIA Exemption 5)

ML20236N905
Person / Time
Issue date:	11/13/1987
From:	Chilk S NRC OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY (SECY)
To:	Bauman L GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT
References
FOIA-87-517, FOIA-87-A-83 NUDOCS 8711170052
Download: ML20236N905 (2)

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UNITED STATES

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8 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION '

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Linda Bauman, Legal Assistant Government Accountability Project Midwest Office 104 East Wisconsin' Avenue

[ Appleton, Wisconsin 54911

Dear Ms. Bauman:

This letter is in response to your September 23,1987 Freedown of Infonnation.

Act-(F0IA) Appeal 87-A-83C(87-517). On September 18, 1987, Donnie H. Grimsley, Director.of the Division of Rules and Records, notified you that you were being denied some of the material.you had requested on August 6, 1987 on the recent decision by the Federal. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on the NRC's "backfit rule."' The. documents denied you were listed in Appendices A and B of Mr. Grimsley's September 23 response to you.

4 In response to your. appeal,.the documents listed in those Appendices have been reviewed. On the basis of that review, I affirm the initial decisions to withhold the documents.

In these two documents, legal officers of the Commission carefully analyze the Court's decision, estimate the impact of the decision on the Connission's-mission, and advise the Conunission and the NRC's chief manager on how to proceed in the wake of- the Court's ruling. Thus both documents are essential .

parts of the deliberative process which led to the Commission's decision to issue a proposed rule which unambi Therefore, these' items "compris[e]guously part of the conformed to the governmental-process by which Court's decision.

decisions and policies are fonnulated." See NLRB v. Sears, Roebuck & Co.. 421 U.S.132,150(1975). Release of.these documents could '" stifle honest and 4

frank communication within the agency".. see Coastal States -Gas Corp.4v. ~ ~ "

Department of Energy, 617 F.2d 854, 866 K C. Cir. 1980), and thus "injur[e]

the quality of agency decisions". See NLRB v. Sears, 421 U.S. at 151.

Therefore,- under Exemption 5 of 5 UIC. t 552(b) and 10 C.F.R. l' 9.5(a), .

these documents are exempt from disclosure.

These documents do not contain any reasonably segregable portions which could-be released, since the few portions which discuss publicly known facts or discuss established law and policy are inextricably intertwined with exempt portions. See Neufeld v. IRS, 646 F.2d 661, 665-66 (D.C. Cir. 1981).

8711170052 871113 A-g3 PDR

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Ms. Linda,B4Lytn 2 This letter represents final agency action on your September 23, 1987 FOIA.

Appeal of the denials of the docvxints listed in Appendices A and B of Dennie Grimsley's September 18, 1987 notice to you. Judicial review of the denial of documents is available in Federal district court in the district in .!

which you reside or have your principal place of business, or in the District.

of Columbia.

Sincerely,

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(SamuelJ. ilk Secretary o the Comiss on )

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104 n. WICCollSIS ,'/JENJ3 APPLETON, hISCCUS~: 54911-4897 I August 6, 1987 1 i

FREEDOM 0F INFORMATION )

F3EEDOM OF INFOR5'JCION ACT REQUEST .

Director , ,

Of fice of Ac,ministratzen My p g.// g -

U.S. Nuclear Rege3torf Comission Washington, D.C. 20210 J

1 TO WilOM IT MAY CONCERN , l l

Pursuant to the Freedc: of Information Act (FOIA, 5 U.S.C. 552,) the Government Accountability Project (GAP) requests copies of any and all agency records and information, including but not limited to notes, letters, memoranda, drafts, minutes, diaries, logs, calenders, tapes, ,

transcripts, summaries, interview reports , procedures, instructions, j engineering analyses, drawings, files, graphs, charts, maps, photographs, I agreements, handwritten notes, studies, data sheets,-notebooks, books, l clephone .nessages, cc:putations , voice recordings, computer runoffs, and I any other data cce,cilations, interim and/or final reports, status reports, and any and all c:her records relevant to and or generated in connection with the NRC's response to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision of Tuseday, August 4, 1987, Case number 851757.

This request includes all agency records as defined in 10 C.F.R. 9.3a(b) -

Gnd the NRC Manual, Appendix 0211, Parts 1.A.2 and A.3,(approved October 8, 1980) whether they currently exist in the MRC offical,r" working",

investigative or other files, or at any other location, including private rosidences.

If any records as' defined in 10 C.F.R. 9.3a(b)'and the NRC Manual, supra, and covered by this request have been destroyed and/or removed af ter this request, please provide all surrounding records, including but not limited to a list of all records which have -been or are de,stroyed and/or removed, a description of the action (s) taken relevant to, generated in conn-ection 'with and/or issued in order to implement the action (s) . ,

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Thro'ug. rublte l a 4.niratio. :o.wo r:.m. .

vutrearh. tQe Projqct proychos :tleblowers on agents of goverr:.ent l c acour tabl ii ty. Th rou;h it , T.t. :r :nenta l Ubintlablower Clinic, 3.5.P of f e rs cssistr.nce t.o local public, inter 2r ,and citizens groups and intertenors in the ccncarn f or saf ety , at nticivir power plants.

We are requesting, hil ls ,information as part,of an , ongoing monitoring project of the NRC's ef f orts .to, protect ,pcolic health: and , safety at and near ,. . .

nuclecr processing pladtst.and radioactive waste facilities. / l For any documents or port Nns that .you deny due :bo a specific. FOIA' , , ,

f exemption, please, pro.'ide .an index itemizing and describing the documents Or pertions of documents withha.M. The index should provide a detailed j u s tif ica tic a,.of . you r . g roiind s f er :1 aiming each exeinption, explaining why i i

each exemption is . relevant..to _ the document or portion of the document -

withheld. is' required under Vaughn v. Rosen1(I), 484 F.2d 820 "

(C.C. Cir. 1973)' cert ,'d'enied ; 415 U.S: 977.(19.74).

This . index,i: -

. 5 We look forward to your response to this request withlin ten (10) working

- . 1 days. ,

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Sincerely l ,

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i,inda Bauman,. .

FOIA Coordinator

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INFORMATION ACTIFOfA) REQUEST (e.e.s ) 00 cart waam* is saamass SEP 18 B67 scoutsTta L im humae Pan t-McoRoe -i s==o on Nor toc 47:0 :ses cas .ed es,.i No agency records owWeet to the request howe been lessed.

No edesional agency reconis suisset to tie roguest how bem lacessd.

Agency records outsect to the request that are Iduitfled bi Appsien are already endable for putdc bepecten auf sepubgen to ISIC Pines Deeument Asem, 1717 M Soest, N.W., WesNngeon, DC.

Assney records outiset to the roguest that are identmed is Appends A are bebe mods swetstdo ler piede beposden med asygleg he Out 800C Pt4Ac Desurnent Room,1717 N Serest, N.W., Wem DC, h e Islam eender WdsW nunter and requester name.

T1 e norgeoprisesty wrelen of t>e propossile) West you agesd es acosas be a telephone conwrestien ulti e snanter of say assff is suer bebe meet ameAship ter padde buyecten end coves at Wie NRC PubAc Docurrent Roont,1717 H Soest. N.W., Washkigeon, DC, h a teMer urofer #ds FOIA masi.llmer end seessager assum Encioned is irdormadon on how you mey otnsei access as and the choses for copyhg records pieced in the NRC Pseec Document % 17f7 N Soest, N.W., WouNngeon, DC.

Agency records sutsect to the reipset are enchssci Ariy assesetdo charge %r cognes of the records provuled and psynunt pr* me send to 9te esamenes secdon.

Records and$ set to the request have been tvierved as ansdur Podmel agmctilen) for revleur and droct response to yes.

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In view of NRC's remporus to Wils request, no further assen le being eten on espesiIsamt desed PAflT BA-WIPOltMAT;0N WITHMELD PROM PUSUC 040Ct00UM Certain iniormston in the requessed records is being udpeeld from pi&Ac hg pursuent to the FOtA esempdore descreed b and der to masone sessed b Part N, ese-stone S. C. and O. Any reisesed poreans of the docurruses ter meidi ordy port of the record is beine whhheld are bebg made eveIstle ter potes tupassen and espyhg in wie Nmc Puddic Document Room.1717 H stroot. N.W., W DC, in e freder under this FOIA nurr6er and regissent name.

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, FOIA RESPONSE CONTINUATION

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Re: F01A-87-517 f 1

APPENDIX A j i

RECORDS PARTIALLY WITHHELD )

1. 8/6/87 SECY-87-197 Memorandum to Commissioners from William H.

subject: Liti mrt 1987-16-UCS vs NRC, Briggs, Jr.,(D.C.

No. 85-1757 Cir.). (gation 6 RelJOIA pages Exemption (5)),

Opinion (16pages)) .

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. j Re: F01A-87-517 APPENDIX B RECORDS TOTALLY WITHHELD l

1. 8/7/87 Memorandum to Stello and Jordan from Parler, subject:

Interim Effect of the Court's Vacating the Backfit Itale andManualChapter0514.(2pages)(FOIAExemption-(5))

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