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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) 4 DAYS TO RESPOND
TO ARCHIVE; OUTSTANDING REQUESTS AS OLD AS 1 YEAR
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Ten Oldest - USDA responded to the FOIA request within
four business days with seventeen requests from July 19, 2002
through December 2, 2002. Ten of the requests were made on
the same day by the same journalist and appear on their face
to be quite complex requests. They each relate to a different
high level government official, including a range of governors,
U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives, and others, several of
whom are running for presidential nominations. Each request
essentially asks for records of all dealings the agency has
had with the individual named in the letter. Other news media
requests include ones for any correspondence to or from a
limited number of offices within the agency and the U.S. Supreme
Court, the Administrative Offices of the US Courts of the
Judicial Conference of the United States, and two requests
for records from meetings between Anne Veneman and the British
Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Request from public interest groups seeks records on agency
meetings with the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch
and state governors, and records regarding changes in livestock
grazing in response to the 2002 draught in the Tonto National
Forest. |
Workload Statistics - Although USDA's reported statistics
from 1998 through 2002 indicate that the agency has received
a diminishing number of FOIA requests (down 12% from 88,592
in 1998 to 78,293 in 2002), it should be noted that in 2000
the number received skyrocketed to 140, 239. The number processed
each year has generally been close to the number received
(11.5% change from 88,204 processed in 1998 to 78,062 processed
in 2002). For example, 139,503 were processed in 2000. USDA's
processing rate per year - a comparison of the number processed
to the number received - increased from 99.56% in 1998 to
99.70% in 2002. |
Backlog Statistics - USDA's backlog of pending FOIA
requests has increased (from 1332 FOIA requests pending at
the end of 1998 to 2012 FOIA requests pending at the end of
2002). USDA's backlog as a percentage of FOIA requests processed
each year has increased from 1.51% in 1998 to 2.58% 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 1.5% in 1998 to 2.57%
in 2002. |
Processing Time - Under its two track system, USDA
reports a median processing time in 2002 for simple requests
of 2-43 days, while complex requests have ranged from a median
of 9-905 days (up to 3 ½ years). Expedited requests
have a median processing time range of 7-76 days over the
1998-2002 time period, with a range of 3-76 days reported
for 2002. The median days that backlogged requests have been
pending is reported as 5-661 (up to 2 ½ years) for
2002. The USDA FY 2002 annual FOIA report indicates that increased
timeliness and reduced backlogs for some components is due
to increased use of Web site postings. |
TEN
OLDEST REQUESTS
DOA
Response Letter
DOA July 19,
2002 Letter
DOA
August 13, 2002 (1) Letter
DOA
August 13, 2002 (2) Letter
DOA
August 13, 2002 (3) Letter
DOA
August 13, 2002 (4) Letter
DOA
August 13, 2002 (5) Letter
DOA
August 13, 2002 (6) Letter
DOA
August 13, 2002 (7) Letter
DOA
August 13, 2002 (8) Letter
DOA
August 13, 2002 (9) Letter
DOA
August 13, 2002 (10) Letter
DOA
September 10, 2002 (1) Letter
DOA
September 10, 2002 (2) Letter
DOA
September 10, 2002 (3) Letter
DOA October
14, 2002 Letter
DOA November
19, 2002 Letter
DOA December
2, 2002 Letter
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