The Federal Information Manual: How the Government Collects, Manages, and Discloses Information under FOIA and Other Statutes |
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Passed into law on July 4, 1966, the Freedom of Information Act, or "FOIA," gave the public greater access to records of the executive branch. Congress wrote the bill to address "the mushrooming growth of Government secrecy" and because it believed that a "democratic society requires an informed, intelligent electorate, and the intelligence of the electorate varies as the quantity and quality of its information varies."
Are you or a client faced with a request for information from a federal agency, or are you seeking information from an agency? If your business involves seeking, using, or sharing information in the hands of the U.S. government, The Federal Information Manual is the comprehensive guide you need to understand the maze of laws, regulations, and orders that govern this information.
The Federal Information Manual provides an easy-to-navigate and accessible explanation of the most well-known of these statues, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). It contains useful information for practitioners, including explaining how to submit a successful FOIA request and checklists to use in preparing the request.
But it also covers much more than FOIA, looking at all federal laws dealing with information handling and disclosure. These are varied and often obscure, ranging from the Federal Records Act to the Paperwork Reduction Act and the Classified Information Procedures Act, and a web of other statutes, cases, regulations, judicial decisions, executive orders, and policies that govern federal information. Among the topics covered in this book are:
The collection and management of information
Electronic records
How to successfully complete and submit a request under FOIA
Classified information
Litigation involving federal records
Homeland security
The trend toward more government secrecy
This is an especially valuable resource for environmental practitioners. The Environmental Protection Agency has many different statutory authorities to request information from outside parties, some that either complement or overlap each other. This book explains the details of the authority included in all major environmental statutes, including CERCLA, RCRA, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, TSCA, and FIFRA.
The Federal Information Manual includes invaluable reference material, including glossaries of abbreviations and federal information statutes; a table of cases; appendices; checklists; a listing of useful public websites; and a comprehensive index.
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"In practice before federal agencies, the Freedom of Information Act is the principal (if not the only) means of discovery. It is the chief way that applicants, communities, and other interested parties have of learning the essential facts. Stephen Gidiere's book is an invaluable guide to using FOIA and its related enactments. It provides a thorough and well-documented analysis of what information is and is not available, how it can be obtained or withheld, and how disputes are litigated. It also has an extensive discussion of the difficult area of homeland security-related information. I am glad to have it on my bookshelf, and I expect to refer to it often."
Michael B. Gerrard
Arnold & Porter, New York, New York
Former Chair, ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources
"Corporations today are more closely regulated than ever before, both in their business activities as well as their corporate obligations to shareholders and securities regulators. Sensitive information is often at the center of these regulatory obligations as well as most business activities. The Federal Information Manual will help any business understand how a company's sensitive information is handled by the government, when it might be released, and what steps a company can take to maximize its protection. And, should a problem arise, you'll want this book close at hand."
David A. Golden
Director, Global Business Conduct and Chief Audit Executive
Eastman Chemical Company
"The Federal Information Manual by Stephen Gidiere is a welcome addition to the literature on information policy. The book is a comprehensive look at the statutes and policies that underlie our scheme of public access to government information. The book is an excellent reference tool for anyone who needs to understand the breadth of information policy as well as the specifics of the Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy Act, the Paperwork Reduction Act, or a host of regulatory statutes providing for federal collection of information."
Harry Hammitt
Editor and Publisher, Access Reports
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