Response To Administrative Closure
October 5, 2018
General Counsel U.S. Postal Service 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW Washington, DC 20260
RE: Continued processing of USPS FOIA #2018-FPFD-00525 [IH1]
To Whom it May Concern:
I am writing in response to your letter dated September 7, 2018 regarding my Freedom of Information Act request submitted to the U.S. Postal Service on August 31, 2018. In your letter, you indicated that USPS would not take further action in processing our request until we provide “sufficient detail to allow for the ready identification and retrieval of the desired documents or information” that I have requested, and that you would administratively close our request in 30 days if you did not hear back from me. [IH2]
Insufficient Detail and Closure of Request
In regards to the closure of this request, I left a voicemail on October 1, 2018 notifying USPS that my request not be closed. On October 3, 2018, I received your voicemail in which you said that you would extend this request for another 30 days. I greatly appreciate that USPS will continue processing my request. [IH3]
However, in regards to USPS rejecting this request as insufficient in detail, we disagree. This is a narrow request regarding the closure of one specific post office serving a relatively small population in Louisiana. We provided USPS with its address, and also a time frame (“2010 to Present”). Part 1 of our request concerns all records relating specifically to the closure of the St. James post office. Part 3 of our request was specific to communications between USPS and one specific public official (Louisiana Congressman Cedric Richmond). [IH4] While we continue to see no reason for this request to have been deemed insufficient, I will provide some additional information in regards to Part 2 of our request, which stated “Emails, letters or any other forms of communications or recorded correspondence sent to or received from St. James Parish officials about the post office.” For clarification, we are seeking any and all emails, letters or any other form of communications or recorded correspondence sent to or received from St. James Parish officials regarding the closure of the St. James Post Office.[IH5]
Additionally, USPS’s September 7th letter cited 39 CFR 265.3(c), saying that we must “specify the likely senders and recipients, keywords and a range of dates” in our request, and provide you with “the names and email addresses (if known) of likely senders and recipients.” It is extremely unlikely that the Louisiana Bucket Brigade (LABB) or any requester not working for the St. James Post Office would know the names or email addresses of its employees or officials. Furthermore, the regulation does not require us to provide this specific of information in order for USPS to process the request.[1] Gaining transparency as to who at the post office was involved in the closure of the St. James Post Office is an important aspect of our request.[IH6]
Conclusion
I certify that everything here is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. If you have any further questions about this request, please feel free to reach me at XXX.
Any further responses regarding this request and/or appeal should be directed to me at the address below.
Sincerely,
Anne Rolfes
Founding Director
Louisiana Bucket Brigade