Collapse to view only § 7.14 - Redaction of information that is exempt from disclosure.

§ 7.11 - What records are published in the Federal Register, and how are they accessed?

(a) General. Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(1), DOT publishes the following records in the Federal Register and makes an index of the records publicly available. For purposes of this paragraph, material that is reasonably available to the class of persons affected by the material is considered to be published in the Federal Register when the material is incorporated by reference with the approval of the Director of the Federal Register.

(1) Descriptions of DOT's organization and the established places at which, the officers from whom, and the methods by which, the public may secure information and make submittals or obtain decisions;

(2) Statements of the general course and methods by which DOT's functions are channeled and determined, including the nature and requirements of all formal and informal procedures available;

(3) Rules of procedure, descriptions of forms available or the places at which forms may be obtained, and instructions as to the scope and contents of all papers, reports, or examinations;

(4) Substantive rules of general applicability adopted as authorized by law and statements of general policy or interpretations of general applicability formulated and adopted by DOT; and

(5) Each amendment, revision, or repeal of any material listed in paragraphs (a)(1) through (4) of this section.

(b) Federal Register locations. DOT makes its Federal Register publications and indices publicly available at the physical locations identified in § 7.12(b). The publications and indices can be accessed online at http://www.federalregister.gov.

§ 7.12 - What records are available in reading rooms, and how are they accessed?

(a) General. Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(2), unless the following records are promptly published and offered for sale or published in the Federal Register, DOT and its components make the following records, and an index to the records, available in a reading room, including an electronic reading room if the records were created by DOT on or after November 1, 1996:

(1) Final opinions, including concurring and dissenting opinions, as well as orders, made in the adjudication of cases;

(2) Statements of policy and interpretations that have been adopted by DOT;

(3) Administrative staff manuals and instructions to staff that affect a member of the public; and

(4) Copies of all records, regardless of form or format, that have been released to any person under subpart C of this part and that:

(i) Because of the nature of their subject matter, DOT determines have become or are likely to become the subject of subsequent requests for substantially the same records; or

(ii) Have been requested three or more times.

(5) A general index of the records listed in paragraph (a)(4) of this section.

(b) Reading room locations. DOT makes its reading room records and indices (in the form of lists or links) available at https://www.transportation.gov/foia. To the extent that DOT continues to make reading rooms available at a physical location, those locations are listed on the DOT FOIA Web site at https://www.transportation.gov/foia.

[79 FR 16209, Mar. 25, 2014, as amended at 82 FR 21139, May 5, 2017; 84 FR 71733, Dec. 27, 2019; 86 FR 17295, Apr. 2, 2021]

§ 7.13 - How are copies of publicly available records obtained?

(a) Copies of materials covered by this subpart that are published and offered for sale. Records that are ordinarily made available to the public as a part of an information program of the Government, such as news releases and pamphlets, may be obtained upon request by contacting the appropriate DOT location identified in § 7.12(b) or the sources identified in § 7.41(g), and paying the applicable duplication fee or purchase price. Whenever practicable, DOT also makes the publications available at the appropriate physical locations identified in § 7.12(b).

(b) Copies of materials covered by this subpart that are not published and offered for sale. Such records may be ordered, upon payment of the appropriate fee (if any fee applies), through the applicable FOIA Requester Service Center or through the DOT Dockets Office identified in § 7.12(b):

(1) Per copy of each page (not larger than 8.5 × 14 inches) reproduced by photocopy or similar means—US $0.10.

(2) Per copy prepared by any other method of duplication—actual direct cost of production.

(3) Copies are certified upon request by contacting the applicable FOIA Requester Service Center listed in § 7.27 and paying the fee prescribed in § 7.41(e).

§ 7.14 - Redaction of information that is exempt from disclosure.

Whenever DOT determines it to be necessary to prevent the disclosure of information required or authorized to be withheld by FOIA or another Federal statute (such as, to prevent a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy), DOT redacts such information from any record covered by this subpart that is published or made available. A full explanation of the justification for the deletion accompanies the record published or made available.

§ 7.15 - Protection of records.

Records made available to the public under this subpart may not be removed, altered, destroyed, or mutilated (this excludes duplicate copies that are provided to a member of the public to take and keep). 18 U.S.C. 641 provides for criminal penalties for embezzlement or theft of Government records. 18 U.S.C. 2071 provides for criminal penalties for the willful and unlawful concealment, mutilation or destruction of, or the attempt to conceal, mutilate, or destroy, Government records.