Request for confidential treatment.

(a) If any person filing a document with the Associate Administrator claims that some or all the information contained in the document is exempt from the mandatory public disclosure requirements of the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552), is information referred to in 18 U.S.C. 1905, or is otherwise exempt by law from public disclosure, and if that person requests the Associate Administrator not to disclose the information, that person shall file, together with the document, a second copy of the document with the confidential information deleted. The person shall indicate each page of the original document that is confidential or contains confidential information by marking or stamping “confidential” on each page for which a claim of confidentiality is made, and may file a statement specifying the justification for the claim of confidentiality. If the person states that the information comes within the exception in 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4) for trade secrets and commercial or financial information, that person shall include a statement as to why the information is privileged or confidential. If the person filing a document does not mark or stamp a document as confidential or submit a second copy of the document with the confidential information deleted, the Associate Administrator may assume that there is no objection to public disclosure of the document in its entirety.

(b) The Associate Administrator retains the right to make its own determination with regard to any claim of confidentiality. Notice of a decision by the Associate Administrator to deny the 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.

[40 FR 48470, Oct. 15, 1975, as amended by Amdt. 107-24, 56 FR 8621, Feb. 28, 1991; Amdt. 107-38, 61 FR 21095, May 9, 1996]