The FOIA offices in the bureaus/offices of the Department of the Interior are continuing to process FOIA requests to the best of their ability during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To keep employees healthy and safe, the Department is maximizing telework flexibility and employing social distancing protocols. As a result of these precautions, most employees are working remotely and unable to collect hard copy records located in government facilities at this time. If your request is for hard copy records, the response to your request will very likely be delayed.
In addition, employees may not receive FOIA requests that are sent by U.S. mail, overnight mail services, or facsimile in a timely manner. We recommend, therefore, that requesters submit requests through FOIAonline, a secure, web-based tracking and case-management system, at https://www.foiaonline.gov, unless the requests are for the Office of Inspector General's records.
You may file requests with the Office of Inspector General at https://www.doioig.gov/complaints/FOIA/how-to-submit-a-foia-request or through the government-wide portal at https://www.foia.gov.
FOIA Requester Centers typically serve as your first point of contact for questions about how the FOIA works. Even before you make a request, the FOIA Requester Center can assist you by: identifying information that is already posted and available; informing you about the types of records maintained by the bureau; providing suggestions for formulating requests; describing the Department’s various processing tracks and the average processing times for the various tracks; and answering questions about expedited processing standards and the FOIA’s fee provisions. After you make a request, questions about its status can also be answered by the applicable FOIA Requester Center.
The FOIA Public Liaison reports to the Department’s Chief FOIA Officer and is responsible for assisting in reducing delays, increasing transparency and understanding of the status of requests, and resolving disputes between the you and the agency.
Additionally, you may contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) for assistance. OGIS serves as a bridge between requesters and agencies, particularly in situations where clear, direct communication has been lacking. You can reach OGIS by email at ogis@nara.gov, by phone at 1-877-684-6448, or by fax at (202) 741-5769.
AS-IA
FOIA Requester Center: (202) 513-7707
BIA
FOIA Requester Center: (505) 563-3012
BIE
FOIA Requester Center: (505) 563-3107
BLM
FOIA Requester Center: (202) 742-0630
BOEM
FOIA Requester Center: (703) 787-1204
BOR
FOIA Requester Center: (303) 445-3292
BSEE
FOIA Requester Center: (703) 787-1404
FWS
FOIA Requester Center: (720) 425-5173
NPS
FOIA Requester Center: (303) 969-2959
OIG
FOIA Requester Center: (202) 208-6523
ONRR
FOIA Requester Center: (202) 513-0765
OSMRE
FOIA Requester Center: (412) 552-9440
OS
FOIA Requester Center: (202) 513-0765
SOL
FOIA Requester Center: (202) 208-5817
USGS
FOIA Requester Center: (814) 470-6271 (Work Cell)
Public Liaison
Public Liaison Phone: (888) 603-7119
Acting Public Liaison: Cindy Cafaro