(a) Requesters may administratively appeal an adverse determination regarding a request by writing directly to the General Counsel via email at [email protected] or first class United States mail at 500 Poydras Street, Suite 1117, New Orleans, LA 70130. Administrative appeals sent to other individuals or addresses are not considered perfected. An adverse determination is a denial of a request and includes decisions that: The requested record is exempt, in whole or in part; the information requested is not a record subject to the FOIA; the requested record does not exist, cannot be located, or has previously been destroyed; or the requested record is not readily reproducible in the form or format sought by the requester. Adverse determinations also include denials involving fees or fee waiver matters or denials of requests for expedited processing.

(b) FOIA administrative appeals must be in writing and should contain the phrase “FOIA Appeal” on the front of the envelope or in the subject line of the electronic mail.

(c) Appellants are encouraged to include a copy of the original request and the initial denial (if any) in the appeal. The appeal letter may include as much or as little related information as the appellant wishes, as long as it clearly identifies the component determination (including the assigned request number, if known) that is being appealed.

(d) Requesters submitting an administrative appeal of an adverse determination must ensure that the Council receives the appeal within 45 days of the date of the denial letter.

(e) Upon receipt of an administrative appeal, Council staff shall inform the requester within 20 days of the determination on that appeal.

(f) The determination on an appeal shall be in writing and, when it denies the appeal, in whole or in part, the letter to the requester shall include:

(1) A brief explanation of the basis for the denial, including a list of the applicable FOIA exemptions and a description of how they apply;

(2) A statement that the decision is final for the Council;

(3) Notification that judicial review of the denial is available in the district court of the United States in the district in which the requester resides, or has his or her principal place of business, or in which the agency records are located, or in the District of Columbia; and

(4) The name and title or position of the official responsible for denying the appeal.