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FOIA Requester Service Center
US Consumer Product Safety Commission
4330 East West Highway, Room 502
Bethesda, MD 20814

January 31, 2008

Re: Freedom of Information Act Request

Dear FOIA Officer:

  On behalf of Public Citizen, and pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552, I request all records pertaining to filings under Section 15(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act received by the Consumer Product Safety Commission since Jan. 20, 1993. Particularly, I am interested in documents that provide or indicate:

a) a detailed description of the product or products concerned;
b) a reference to the date on which the 15(b) report was filed with the CPSC;
c) a reference to the initial date or dates upon which the entity filing the report received notice of the potential hazard or potential hazards that prompted it to file the 15(b) report; or
d) a reference to any dates on which the CPSC announced recalls pertaining to the products discussed in the 15(b) filing.

  I also request photocopies of any tables that include data on cases pertaining to 15(b) filings with the CPSC and electronic copies of any spreadsheets or databases that include data on cases pertaining to 15(b) filings.

  Public Citizen requests that all fees in connection with this FOIA request be waived in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(4)(iii), because Public Citizen does not seek records for a commercial purpose and disclosure “is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations and activities of the government.” Public Citizen is a nonprofit, research, litigation and advocacy organization that represents consumer interests before Congress, the executive branch, and the courts. Public Citizen regularly publishes reports based upon information acquired through FOIA. Public Citizen disseminates its reports via publication through its website, www.citizen.org, and through various newsletters distributed to consumers, lawyers, academics, and other interested parties free of charge.

  Accordingly, we request that you waive all fees for locating and duplicating the requested records. If you deny this request for a fee waiver, then please advise of the amount of any proposed search and reproduction charges before those activities are carried out.

  We will expect a response within 20 working days, as provided by law. If you have any questions regarding this request, please contact me at (202) 454-5197.

  Thank you very much for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Taylor Lincoln
Research Director
Public Citizen’s Congress Watch Division

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