U.S. CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION 4330 EAST WEST HIGHWAY BETHESDA, MD 20814 October 30, 2019 VIA EMAIL & CERTIFIED MAIL Austin Evers American Oversight I 030 15th Street NW Suite b255 Washington, DC 20005 RE: Freedom of Information Act Request# l 9-F-00246: Dear Mr. Evers: Thank you for your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking "[a]ll calendars or calendar entries for Ann Marie Buerkle, including any calendars maintained on her behalf (e.g., by an administrative assistant)." In that request, you asked the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to, inter alia, "not limit your search to Outlook calendars" stating that you wanted "the production of any document-paper or electronic, whether on government-issued or personal devices-used to track or coordinate how these individuals allocate their time on agency business." The search dates requested were "January 20, 2017, through the date of the search.'" Former Acting Chairman Buerkle's calendar is made public through the Commission's website, located at https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/Public-Calendar. However, because the CPSC Public Calendar does not contain a list of her interviews and media appearances, enclosed please find records containing those calendar entries. Note: Ms. Buerkle did not conduct agency business using personal devices. She also did not keep an analog work calendar. Telephone numbers and passcodes contained in the attachments were withheld under FOIA Exemption 6 because the disclosure of that information would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. See 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(6) (exempting from disclosure "personnel and medical files and similar files the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy"). The Agency proactively discloses a public calendar to shed light on its actions. See 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(2)(D). That public calendar contains, inter alia, information regarding meetings between the Chair, the Commissioners, and CPSC staff, with all outside patties, whether those meetings are open or closed. See 5 U .S.C. 552b; I 6 C.F .R. Patt IO12. l 9-F-00246 - Mr. Evers Page 2 Beyond the public calendar and the attached documents, entries referencing pre-decisional meetings between former Acting Chairman Buerkle and internal CPSC staff, and other government officials that are contained on former Acting Chairman Buerkle's work calendar are deliberative and as such are withheld pursuant to Exemption 5 of the FO IA, which exempts from disclosure "inter-agency or intra-agency memorandums or letters that would not be available by law to a party other than an agency in litigation with the agency.'' See 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(5); see OF INFORMATION ACT, Exemption 5, 12-13 (May also DEP'T OFJUSTICE,GUIDETOTHEFREEDOM 17, 20 I 4)("The deliberative process privilege is designed to protect the 'decision making processes of government agencies"' and "this privilege protects not merely documents, but also the integrity of the deliberative process itself' such that "even the status of an agency decision within an agency decision making process may be protect[a]ble if the release of that information would have the effect of prematurely disclosing 'the recommended outcome of the consultative process ... as well as the source of any decision."')(citations omitted). The other entries on former Acting Chairman Buerkle's work calendar are personal in nature, do not shed light on any agency actions. reveal the identities of persons having no business before the agency, and are therefore exempt from disclosure under FOIA Exemption 6. See 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(6) (exempting from disclosure "personnel and medical files and similar files the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy''); see also Consumer Federal ofAmerica v. Dep 't ofAgric .. 455 F.3d 283,293 (D.D.C. 2006)(finding "the personal entries [on officials' calendars] may be redacted")(citing Bureau ofNational Affairs v. Dep 't of Justice, 742 F.2d 1484, 1496 (D.C.Cir.1984). As requested, please also find enclosed copies of the request for documents (RFD) sent to Ms. Buerkle's office, and copy of their RFD response. This completes the processing of your request. FOIA Administrative Procedures Righi to appeal. lfyou are not satisfied with the response to this request, you may administratively appeal in writing, addressed to FOIA APPEAL, Office of the General Counsel, ATTN: Division of the Secretariat. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 4330 East West Highway. Room 820 Bethesda, MD 20814-4408. Your appeal must be postmarked or electronically transmitted (cpscfoiareguests@cpsuwv) within 90 days of the date of the response to your request. You may also fax your appeal to: 301-504-0127. You may contact us Monday- Friday from 8:00AM - 4:30PM EST by telephone at: 1-800-638-2772, by fax to: 301-504-0127. Before filing a formal appeal with the CPSC, you may contact me or Senior FOlA Public Liaison, Robert Dalton, at rdaltonrai.cpsc.gov, or 1-800-638-2772 for fmther assistance orto l 9-F-00246 - Mr. Evers Page 3 discuss any aspect of your request. Assistance may include guidance on possible reformulation of your request or an alternative time frame for processing the request. Right to Mediation. Additionally, you may contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at the National Archives and Records Administration to inquire about the FOIA mediation services they offer. The contact information for OGIS is as follows: Office of Government Information Services, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road-OGIS, College Park, MD 20740-6001; e-mail at: ogis@nara.gov; telephone at: 202-7415770; toll free at: 1-877-684-6448; or facsimile to: 202-741-5769. Fees. No fees were charged. Sincerely, ABIOYE MOSHEIM Digitally signed by ASIOYEMOSHEIM DN·c=US,o=US Government, ou=Consumer Product Safety Commission,cn=ABIOVE MOSHEIM, 0 9 2342, 19200300.1 00.1.1 =61001003544829 Date, 2019 10.30 12:05:19 -04'00' Abioye Mosheim Chief FOIA Officer, and Assistant General Counsel Office of the General Counsel Division of the Secretariat P: 301-504-7454 E: amosheim@cpsc.gov Attachments/Enclosures Page1of2 Sub)ect Call wi;h D,we S,hme!uer Regildtomer Adv1son•Group KPHSO Ses5lon Plafl/1inocall WJlman \Norld Anchor It Phone lnti;rview AMB C.,I!with Hal Str,mon C~IIwith Nancy Cowles Anchor ltl Pho no lnwrview with the AP Call w,th MP (Ami and Zach) Hold: Call with Mark Welner Wa!imirt World Interview C,111 with Dan Mu~tico & Grr~ Knott !OP[l) Call With Eli,sa Call with MFA amb/rad,o lnteivlew AMB Speak to CPSCNAM Coa!1tton Call with iar.,et call With Gr;.,ew,chsUdt Call with Zack Kerr (rer,ardlPfl aw.:ird) Interview with Robert Hardin~ (Auburn Cit1zcnl Recall Effectiveness Interview with CNBC PPAl Product Respons1b1lity5ummil Planning Call (See n~mber below) Visit Chevy Cha>e Fire De"~rtment AMB Cal!with Hal Stratton NYTInterview ProPublica lnterv1ew AMB & JM Speak 10 RltA Cill wnh Martma Barash (B!oomberr, BNA)Rer,ardmg WCMA Buerkhi/AHFACall Ul/Buerkle Conference Call re: Table Saws & Fr,rnd Call with John Hatkmler AMB Kevmite al AHAM2017 Annual Meet mi: Call with Sarah Owen/UL Call w,th Gordon & Ed c.,11wHh Rob Moore (Bellomy Rese,irch) I nhone c;ill w,th Hal Stranon Cati w,th An~ela LoRornasml{CEI} PPAILivi.'5trt>ain Press Conference Cal! AOCworld News Toni ,01 Interview with David Cvr!ev Yahoo New~ Brit.:ixlnterv,ew CllS Radio 8nta~ 1n1en11ew NGOs Jnd Industry Do They Have the Same Objectives Panel AMBStewvcte Event ICPHSOCall with Em Rube! and COMR ACEPanel Evenl AMB Keynote at the ABA'~Second Annual National lns11tute on the lntern,;,t of Thln"S Phone Interview with Rebccrn l(cr5her {NPR)on Air Mattrc~~ Infant Deaths AMB (;ill with Nancy Cowles Mom Talk Radw Pool Safel11Interview Interview with O.ive Allen - 570 WSYR FOXNew$ EdPe Pool Sale/v Interview Speak at NEISSCoders Conft!rence Orr,anohalor,en Interview loc11tlon ,,, Start Recurrence Pattern Call Dave at Fu 1/6/201710 00 AM Fn 1/6/201710:30 AM Web Ex Ca!IIn Number Room 724 AMB Call Hal ilt AMB Call Nancy's Cell Room 724 Number: fn 1/6/2017 3:00 PM Fn l0/H/2017 l:30PM fri 10/20/2017 S 00 PM Fri 10/27/2017 2:00 PM fn 11/1/2017 3:30 PM Fri 12/8/2017 11:00 AM fn 2/10/2017 3 00 PM Fri 3/J 7/2017 3 00 PM Fn 3/3/2017 2:00 PM Fri 3/3/2017 3:30 PM Fn ~/2l/Z017 ll:OOAM Fri 5/26/1017 11:00 AM Fri 5/S/2017 11 00 AM Fri 5/5/2017 3:00 PM fr, S/5/2017 •l:00 PM Fri 6/30/1.017 2 00 PM Fn 7/28/2017 4 00 PM Fri 8/4/2017 11 00 AM fn 1/6/2017 4 00 PM Fr, 10/13/1017 2·00 PM fn 10/20/2017 5:30 PM Fri 10/27/2017 2:30 PM fr! 12/i/2017 4·00PM Fri 12/8/201711:30 AM Fri 2/10/2017 3:30 PM Fri 3/17/2017 3.30 PM fr, 3/3/2017 2:30 PM Fri 3/3/2017 4 00 PM fn 4/21/201111:30 AM Fri 5/26/201711:30 AM Fn S/S/2017 12:00 PM Fn 5/5/2017 4 00 PM Fri 5/5/2017 4:30 PM Fn 6/30/2017 2:30 PM fn 7/28/2017 4:30 PM Fri8/4/201711;30AM Pa5scode ' Room 720 ;acce~s code: dial: Ehssa to C;iUAMB Cell Number: Pas1code. f, N1\M~ Offi(e$- 755 10th Street, NW (71h Floorl Pancode- Number: N,mb"TBD- ' Conference Number, ; Participants Code Call lack at Call Robert .it CPSCStudio 8001 Connecticut Ave lfal lo Call AMB at Room 724 Room 724 Gr,,nd Cyores~ A ""'~ Numbrr Dial#: Acce~\Code: Pas5code Fr, 8/4/2017 4.00 PM Fn 8/4/2017 4:30 PM Fn 9/29/2.017 11:00 AM Fn 9/29/2017 mtraub Call with ConsumN~ Un1011/Consumer Reports Holidav Press Conference NPR Hohd.iv DecoraHn" Safety Phone lnto:.-r,,11ew Po1nt/COuntcrpo\m with COMR and AMS AMB CPSCOdy Opemnr, Se~s1on with P;1t11c1<1 AMB Speaks to OPEi lc1d & ReD-.ilatoryComollance Committee tfa11onal Drownme Pn>ven11onAtlianre Cor.fer('nce AMII S"eak at CallNlaw/SGS Product Safct" ScmmJr Spe<1kto ROHVA/SVINMIC Call with AHAM Re~ard1ng Watm f,lter,; NYTInterview on 6abv 6oxe$ Call with fnk Pritchard & Ed Krcmk AMB to Speuk ot AHF,\ Spr,nR Meelinf( Kelley Drve & Warren Rei::ulatorv Affairs Conference AMB's OPE! Session AMB ICPH::00101011toKeynote Speech Call with AAfA Re"ii!dlng Spandex trn1e Call w1lh RllA Memb('r~ Rera1d1ri--Hurncane Harvey Pas,rndeParticipant Passcodt'; Pa~,cot!tVentana Productions StudiO {1'819 LS1ree1, NW. Su,te 100; Washington, AMB to call AndrewsAF8 Mintz Levin 1701 Pe11nsy!van1aAve NW, Washin11ton, DC 20004) Number: P.:irt,opant Pa~soodc- AMS Call Bflan al Guilford Tcclmtcal Community College, Donald W. C~meron Campus, 7':l08 teabourne Road Colfax, NC 27235 CPSCStud10 Room 724 CPSCStud10 CPSC5tud,o Call Rachel at Number. f'a;~tQde' SRP I Grand Cyprc>s O,I Grilud Cypres~ 0-1 tl1lton Alexandria Old Town 1767 Km" Strecl, Ale~andria, VA Omni Wilham flenn Hotel (PiUSbUrP,h) Scand111av1aHouse New York, NY 10166 Capitol H,I! Nwnoe, Pas,rnd,. Room 720 (Call Rachel l'eachm.in a I Numhr.r P;i1scode Room G-11 Dirksen Senale 011,cc 8u1!1mn. The Watcr~.:ite !!otel The American Club - Grnat Lakes Ballroom - 419 Hial1!a11dDrive Kohler, \M 5304,1 Toronto Airport Marriott Ho:el 901 Dixon Road loionto, ON M9W lJS Part1~1p,1ntPas,,ode Number Code Diill-ln Number Tue 1/10/2017 2 00 PM Tu Cc: Lowery, Nancy Subject: FOIA 19-F-00246 - Follow Up Importance: High Hi Katelyn, Just folloV\,jngup on 19-F-00246 which asks for CHAB's calendar from January 20, 2017 to the date of your search. I have entries from 2017 (you pulled them for 19-F-00079) but would need something similar for 2018 to the date of your search to complete this request. Can you get a spreadsheet of entries to me by Monday, June 3? Thanks, Abi Abioye Ella Mosheim Assistant General Counsel Office of the General Counsel Division of the Secretariat U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission P: 301-504-7454 E: amosheim(iilcpsc.gov 1 CPSC-19-0491-A-000009