CEQ will not charge search fees or duplication fees if we have failed to grant or deny your request within the period described in § 1515.13, unless:

(a) CEQ determines that unusual circumstances are present, as described in § 1515.13; and

(1) CEQ finishes processing your request within 10 working days of the original deadline; or

(2) Your request seeks more than 5,000 pages of records; CEQ has provided you timely written notice of the unusual circumstances; and we have discussed with you how you could effectively limit the scope of your request (or we made at least three attempts in good faith to do so); or

(b) A court grants CEQ additional time to process your request due to exceptional circumstances, and we finish processing your request within the period set forth in a court order.