(a) Addressing requests. Requests for records in the possession of the CSB shall be made in writing. The envelope and the request both should be clearly marked FOIA Request and addressed to: FOIA Officer, United States Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, 2175 K Street, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20037-1809. A request improperly addressed will be deemed not to have been received for the purposes of Sec. 1601.24(a) until it is received, or would have been received with the exercise of due diligence, by the FOIA Officer. Records requested in conformance with this section and which are not withholdable records may be obtained in person or by mail as specified in the request. Records to be obtained in person will be available for inspection or copying during business hours on a regular business day in the office of the CSB.
(b) Description of records. Each request must reasonably describe the desired records in sufficient detail to enable CSB personnel to locate the records with a reasonable amount of effort. A request for a specific category of records will be regarded as fulfilling this requirement if it enables responsive records to be identified by a technique or process that is not unreasonably burdensome or disruptive of CSB operations.
(1) Whenever possible, a request should include specific information about each record sought, such as the date, title or name, author, recipient, and subject matter of the record.
(2) If the FOIA Officer determines that a request does not reasonably describe the records sought, he or she will either advise the requester what additional information is needed to locate the record or otherwise state why the request is insufficient. The FOIA Officer will also extend to the requester an opportunity to confer with CSB personnel with the objective of reformulating the request in a manner which will meet the requirements of this section.
(c) Agreement to pay fees. A FOIA request shall be considered an agreement by the requester to pay all applicable fees charged under Sec. Sec. 1601.30 through 1601.33 up to $25, unless the requester seeks a waiver of fees. The CSB ordinarily will confirm this agreement in an acknowledgement letter. When making a request, you may specify a willingness to pay a greater or lesser amount.
(d) Types of records not available. The FOIA does not require the CSB to:
(1) Compile or create records solely for the purpose of satisfying a request for records;
(2) Provide records not yet in existence, even if such records may be expected to come into existence at some future time; or
(3) Restore records destroyed or otherwise disposed of, except that the FOIA Officer must notify the requester that the requested records have been destroyed or otherwise disposed of.