(a) Right of appeal. If a request has been denied in whole or in part, the requester may appeal the denial to: FOIA Appeals Officer, United States Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, 2175 K Street, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20037-1809.
(b) Letter of appeal. The appeal must be in writing and must be sent within 30 days of receipt of the denial letter. An appeal should include a copy of the initial request, a copy of the letter denying the request in whole or in part, and a statement of the circumstances, reasons, or arguments advanced in support of disclosure of the requested record. Both the envelope and the letter of appeal must be clearly marked FOIA Appeal. An appeal improperly addressed shall be deemed not to have been received for purposes of the 20-day time period set forth in Sec. 1601.24(e) until it is received, or would have been received with the exercise of due diligence, by the Appeals Officer.
(c) Action on appeal. The disposition of an appeal will be in writing and will constitute the final action of the CSB on a request. A decision affirming in whole or in part the denial of a request will include a brief statement of the reason or reasons for affirmance, including each FOIA exemption relied on. If the denial of a request is reversed in whole or in part on appeal, the request will be processed promptly in accordance with the decision on appeal.
(d) Judicial review. If the denial of the request for records is upheld in whole or in part, or if a determination on the appeal has not been mailed at the end of the 20-day period or the last extension thereof, the requester is deemed to have exhausted his or her administrative remedies, giving rise to a right of judicial review under 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(4).