Catalog of Sample Policies for Pennsylvania's Conservation Districts

Access to Sensitive Information
(Department of Environmental Protection, excerpts)

While we are clearly obligated under law to provide for citizen access to our public records, it is the policy of the Department that we will no longer provide location information to citizens over the phone or in writing concerning facilities that are considered to be potential targets. All citizens requesting this type of information must be directed to conduct a file review at the appropriate DEP office(s).

In order to ensure that these DEP records are being made available only to persons who are citizens of the United States, all requests for review of a file that may contain location information about one or more potential target facilities should be notified that they will be required to provide valid identification verifying U.S. citizenship, i.e., a Pennsylvania Driver's License or Identification Card, a valid driver's license from another state, a passport, a voter's registration card, Department of Defense identification, etc. at the time of the file review.

DEP records management personnel are required to ask for the purpose of the file review at the time the review is requested. However, refusal to provide a reason for the review does not provide legal grounds for denying access to public records. Requests for access to files that may contain location information about potential targets from persons that cannot prove that they are citizens of the United States will be denied.

Records management personnel will maintain a record of all file review requests. The record should include the reviewer's name; a copy of the identification verifying U.S. citizenship; the purpose of the request; a listing of the files they reviewed and the date of the review or whether the request was denied for failure to provide proof of U.S. citizenship.