[This text based, with permission, on texts used successfully by Seth Borenstein of Knight Ridder News Service.] [submit on letterhead:] [Requester's address block] Ms. Betty Lopez FOIA Officer United States Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue: 2822-T Washington, DC 20460 (202) 566-1667 FAX (202) 566-2147 via E-mail at hq.foia@epa.gov; ONLY ELECTRONICALLY [Date] Dear Ms. Lopez, I am [Name], reporter [or other job title] for [name of publication or outlet]. Pursuant to the federal Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, I request access to and copies of the following materials: [Point-by-point description of documents requested, as specific and helpful as possible]. As a news media representative I am only required to pay for the direct cost of duplication after the first 100 pages. As a news media representative, I ask you to please waive any applicable fees. In the following eight paragraphs I will underscore my reasons in response to your guidelines on fee requests. I understand that is a separate process than my FOIA request. So I ask that you initiate both processes simultaneously. In other words, please start processing the FOIA request itself as you are doing the fee-waiver request. In the event that you disallow my fee-waiver request, I pledge to pay the price of the FOIA request up to $[dollar amount, suggested not less than $250]. Please notify me upon passing the $100, $200, $300, and $400 threshold if this is before a decision on fee-waiver request or if my fee-waiver is denied, however unwarranted that event may be. This paragraph should serve to authorize you to begin to accrue such charges, pending a decision on the fee-waiver request. Through this FOIA request I am gathering vital information on the activities of the taxpayer-funded EPA that is important to the public's understanding of how its environmental protection agency spends public money and whether it is doing so in compliance with federal laws. Now, let me specifically address the six hurdles used by the FOIA for fee-waiver determination. 1. The subject matter of the requested records must specifically concern identifiable operations or activities of the government. [Explain why you meet this test, even if obvious]. 2. The disclosure should be "likely to contribute" to an understanding of government operations or activities. [Explain why you meet this test, even if obvious]. 3. The disclosure must contribute to the understanding of the public at large, as opposed to the requester or a narrow segment of interested persons. [Explain why you meet this test, even if obvious. Description of your audience and its size is helpful here.] 4. The disclosure must contribute "significantly" to the public understanding of government operations. [Explain why you meet this test, even if obvious]. 5. The disclosure will not serve any commercial interest of me as an individual. [Explain why you meet this test, even if obvious. Borenstein's boilerplate: "My company will not likely sell a single newspaper more because of the disclosure. This is just a matter of a newspaper company fulfilling its public duty to ferret out the truth about the way government operates. In fact, the entire process will likely cost my company money."] 6. The public interest in disclosure far outweighs commercial interest. [Explain why you meet this test, even if obvious. Borenstein's boilerplate: "First, as shown above there is a massive amount of public interest. Second, as shown above, there is little if any commercial interest."] If my request is denied in whole or part, I ask that you justify all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the Act and release all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material. I reserve the right to appeal. As I am requesting this information as a daily journalist and this information is of timely value, please contact me by telephone, rather than by mail if you have questions regarding this request. My phone number is [phone number]. My e -mail is [e-mail]. I look forward to your reply within 10 business days, as the statute requires. Thank you in advance for your assistance. Sincerely, [signed] [printed name] [job title] [organization or company]