3 thoughts on “Got these “responses” to my FOIA request for landowner lists from FERC- BLANK sheets of paper! Thanks FERC! Our tax dollars at work. They based their blank response on “exemption 6” of FOIA…

  1. Apparently exemption 6 is simply a privacy concern. However since FERC is a government agency, and cannot waive an individual’s privacy rights, I am of the opinion that they cannot assert them either. And how can there be privacy expectations in your name, and mailing address? It has already been published to FERC by a private corporation. It’s something most people give out freely anyway. Hasn’t Spectra’s barrage of letters last summer and fall invaded that “privacy?” Or is FERC now just protecting what can only be described as Spectra’s proprietary interest in the lists? I suppose the argument would be that they spent time and money getting those lists from the appraisers’ offices- why should they give it up? The public’s right to know who is on it and where that pipeline is set to go, I believe outweighs any “privacy” interests that may attach to a name and a mailing address. In my opinion a name and a mailing address does not, by itself , constitute an invasion of privacy. If it did, wouldn’t Sabal Trail already have invaded our privacy? A good explanation of this exemption, what it is, and what it’s not, can be found at the Justice Department web site- http://www.justice.gov/oip/exemption6.htm

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