(a) This part explains how you, a member of the public, may request copies of records from the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). You can find the text of the FOIA at 5 U.S.C. 552.

(b) Nothing in this part entitles you to any service or to the disclosure of any record to which you are not entitled under the FOIA.

CEQ carries out responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321-4347); the Environmental Quality Improvement Act of 1970, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4371-4375); Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1977 (July 15, 1977); and various Executive orders, among other authorities. CEQ maintains certain records on these subjects, among others.

Yes. The FOIA requires CEQ to proactively disclose—that is, to make certain records available for public inspection online—records that have been or are likely to become the subject of repeated requests. You can find those records, together with an index, at https://www.whitehouse.gov/ceq/foia/.

(a) CEQ's Chief FOIA Officer oversees the administration of requests made to CEQ under the FOIA. The Chief FOIA Officer, or the Chief FOIA Officer's designee, is responsible for processing and granting or denying FOIA requests. The Chair of CEQ appoints the Chief FOIA Officer.

(b) The Chief FOIA Officer may appoint a FOIA Appeals Officer. If the Chief FOIA Officer does so, the FOIA Appeals Officer or the FOIA Appeals Officer's designee is responsible for processing and granting or denying FOIA appeals. Otherwise, the Chief FOIA Officer or the Chief FOIA Officer's designee is responsible for processing FOIA appeals.

(a) You may contact CEQ's FOIA Public Liaison for assistance with your FOIA request, including help in formulating your request and information about the status of your request, or to submit concerns about CEQ's handling of your request. You can contact CEQ's FOIA Public Liaison by email at [email protected] or by phone at 202-395-5750. For additional contact information, visit https://www.foia.gov and choose “Council on Environmental Quality” in the index of Government agencies.

(b) If you have a dispute with CEQ over its handling of your FOIA request, you may contact the National Archives and Records Administration's Office of Government Information Services for assistance or dispute resolution services by calling (202) 741-5770 or visiting https://archives.gov/ogis. If CEQ agrees to participate in the voluntary dispute resolution services provided by the Office of Government Information Services, CEQ will actively engage as a partner to the process in an attempt to resolve the dispute.

(c) If you are an individual with a disability, CEQ will provide you with access to and use of information and data through its FOIA program that is comparable to the access to and use of the information and data by members of the public who are not individuals with disabilities, unless doing so would impose an undue burden on CEQ.

(d) If your proficiency in English is limited, CEQ will take steps as appropriate to provide you with meaningful access to CEQ's FOIA program.

(a) CEQ preserves records pursuant to title 44 of the United States Code and the Records Schedules issued by the Archivist of the United States.

(b) CEQ will not dispose of or destroy agency records that are the subject of a pending request, appeal, or lawsuit under the FOIA.