This part supplements the regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture implementing the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552 (FOIA) (subpart A of part 1 of this title, including the appendix), and governs the availability of records of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) to the public upon request.

The FOIA requires that certain materials be made available for public inspection in an electronic format. OIG records are available for public inspection on OIG's public Web site, https://www.usda.gov/oig/foia.htm.

Requests for OIG records shall be submitted to OIG's Office of Counsel and will be processed in accordance with subpart A of part 1 of this title. Specific guidance on how to submit requests (including current contact methods) is available through OIG's Web site, https://www.usda.gov/oig/foiareq.htm, and USDA's public FOIA Web site.

If it is determined that a requested record is exempt from mandatory disclosure and that discretionary release would be improper, the Counsel to the Inspector General or the Counsel's designee shall give written notice of denial in accordance with subpart A of part 1 of this title.

The denial of a requested record may be appealed in accordance with subpart A of part 1 of this title. Appeals shall be addressed to the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Whitten Building, Suite 441-E, Washington, DC 20250-2308. The Inspector General will give notice of the determination concerning an appeal in accordance with subpart A of part 1 of this title.