Freedom of Information Act
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552, provides
that any person has the right to request access to Federal
documents and other information. Agencies of the Federal Government
are required to disclose documents after receiving a FOIA request
for them, unless those documents are protected from disclosure by
one of nine exemptions of the FOIA. The Privacy Act (PA), 5
U.S.C. 552a, protects individuals against clearly unwarranted
invasion of their personal privacy. The PA informs individuals as
to what information is maintained on them and where the information
is stored. The PA allows individuals to access documents maintained
in a PA System of Records (records retrievable by an individual's
name or other personal identifier assigned to that individual) and
to request amendments to the records.
If you are interested in obtaining documents maintained by the
Economic Research Service (ERS), you will find information on
accessing both FOIA and non-FOIA records on the REE Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act
Guide website. This website is a reference guide that
outlines specific procedures for making FOIA and/or PA requests to
the Research, Education, and Economic agencies, which includes
ERS.
If you have any questions, please contact the REE FOIA Office at
REEFOIA@ars.usda.gov.
"Nothing could be more irrational than to give the
people power and to withhold from them information, without which
power is abused. A people who mean to be their own governors must
arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives. A popular
government without popular information or the means of acquiring it
is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy, or perhaps
both." -James Madison