§ 209.11 - Request for confidential treatment.

§ 209.11 Request for confidential treatment.

(a) This section governs the procedures for requesting confidential treatment of any document filed with or otherwise provided to FRA in connection with its enforcement of statutes or FRA regulations related to railroad safety. For purposes of this section, “enforcement” shall include receipt of documents required to be submitted by FRA regulations, and all investigative and compliance activities, in addition to the development of violation reports and recommendations for prosecution.

(b) A request for confidential treatment with respect to a document or portion thereof may be made on the basis that the information is -

(1) Exempt from the mandatory disclosure requirements of the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552);

(2) Required to be held in confidence by 18 U.S.C. 1905; or

(3) Otherwise exempt by law from public disclosure.

(c) Any document containing information for which confidential treatment is requested shall be accompanied at the time of filing by a statement justifying nondisclosure and referring to the specific legal authority claimed.

(d) Any document containing any information for which confidential treatment is requested shall be marked “CONFIDENTIAL” or “CONTAINS CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION” in bold letters. If confidentiality is requested as to the entire document, or if it is claimed that nonconfidential information in the document is not reasonably segregable from confidential information, the accompanying statement of justification shall so indicate. If confidentiality is requested as to a portion of the document, then the person filing the document shall file together with the document a second copy of the document from which the information for which confidential treatment is requested has been deleted. If the person filing a document of which only a portion is requested to be held in confidence does not submit a second copy of the document with the confidential information deleted. FRA may assume that there is no objection to public disclosure of the document in its entirety.

(e) FRA retains the right to make its own determination with regard to any claim of confidentiality. Notice of a decision by the FRA to deny a claim, in whole or in part, and an opportunity to respond shall be given to a person claiming confidentiality of information no less than five days prior to its public disclosure.

[42 FR 56742, Oct. 28, 1977, as amended at 70 FR 11094, Mar. 7, 2005]