Waiver or reduction of any fee provided for in § 1102.4 may be made upon a determination by the FOIA Officer, United States Section, International Boundary and Water Commission, 4171 North Mesa, suite C-310, El Paso, TX 79902-1422. The Section shall furnish documents without charge or at a reduced charge provided that: Disclosure of the information is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the Government, and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester. Requests for a waiver or reduction of fees shall be considered on a case-by-case basis.

In order to determine whether disclosure of the information is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the Government, the Section will consider the following four factors:

The subject of the request: Whether the subject of the requested records concerns the operations or activities of the Government;

The informative value of the information to be disclosed: Whether the disclosure is likely to contribute to an understanding of Government operations or activities;

The contribution to an understanding of the subject by the general public likely to result from disclosure: Whether disclosure of the requested information will contribute to public understanding; and

The significance of the contribution to public understanding: Whether the disclosure is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of Government operations or activities.

In order to determine whether disclosure of the information is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester, the Section will consider the following two factors:

The existence and magnitude of a commercial interest: Whether the requester has a commercial interest that would be furthered by the requested disclosure; and, if so

The primary interest in disclosure: Whether the magnitude of the identified commercial interest of the requester is sufficiently large, in comparison with the public interest in disclosure, that disclosure is primarily in the commercial interest of the requester.

The Section will not consider waiver or reduction of fees for requesters (persons or organizations) from whom unpaid fees remain due to the Section for another information access request.

The Section's decision to refuse to waive or reduce fees as requested under paragraph (a) of this section may be appealed to the Commissioner, United States Section, International Boundary and Water Commission, 4171 North Mesa, Suite C-310, El Paso, TX 79902-1422. Appeals should contain as much information and documentation as possible to support the request for a waiver or reduction of fees.

Appeals will be reviewed by the Commissioner, who may consult with other officials of the Section as appropriate. The requester will be notified within thirty working days from the date on which the Section received the appeal.