FOIA b(3) Exemptions

Dept. of Interior FOIA Exemptions

5.5
Use Rate 		122.0
Total claims 		2,206
Denials

Dept. of Interior Annual Reports: '08 |
The Dept. of Interior used b(3) exemptions to withhold information from FOIA requesters 2,206 times in 2008-2009.

Category

  • All
  • Conservation
  • Government Organization and Employees
  • Indians
  • Other
  • Public Contracts
  • The Public Health and Welfare
Statute Description Claims
16 USC 470hh(a) Archaeological survey data 44.0
41 USC 253b(m) Proposals submitted by unsuccessful contract bidders 26.0
16 USC 470w-3 Information concerning the location, character or ownership of an historic resource. 21.0
FRCP 6(e) Grand Jury Information 17.0
16 USC 5937 Plant locations & names of rare endangered species 6.0
41 USC 423(a) Contractor bid or proposal information or evaluations 3.0
25 USC 2103(c) Indian Mineral Development Agreement with Black Rock, JT Energy and Dakota 3 and Leases signed under the Act 2.0
16 USC 4304 Specific location of significant caves. 1.0
5 USC 574(j) Dispute Resolution Communication 1.0
42 USC 1996 Location of plants used for ceremonial purposes 1.0

About This Project

This project uses data compiled by the Sunshine in Government initiative, a coalition of journalism and transparency groups. SGI compiled data from federal agency annual FOIA reports to track how often b(3) exemptions were used. SGI also standardized the exemptions since some agencies used slightly different citations of the same laws. In some cases, agencies listed general laws without specifying a section under which information was withheld. This project does not include information from agencies that use no b(3) exemptions in 2008 or 2009. ProPublica compiled information about FOIA denials.

FOIA Resources