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Under what circumstances should products in the Restricted-File Federal Interagency Report (RFFIR) series (formerly Administrative Report series) be prepared? [146]

By Office of Science Quality and Integrity

These limited-use publication series products are prepared when directed by USGS management in concert with or independent of a request from a U.S. Government agency, foreign government or agency, or international entity funding partner. RFFIRs are directed and (or) requested when investigations involve threatened or endangered species or are in support of confidential negotiations or litigation.

These limited-use publication series products are prepared when directed by USGS management in concert with or independent of a request from a U.S. Government agency, foreign government or agency, or international entity funding partner. The USGS should never seek to produce an RFFIR instead of another USGS publication series product or journal article. RFFIRs are directed and (or) requested when investigations involve threatened or endangered species or are in support of confidential negotiations or litigation. In no circumstances should an RFFIR be used in an attempt to circumvent the USGS FSP, editing, or other publication requirements. An example of when an RFFIR might be correctly requested is when a Department of the Interior trustee council requests a report from the USGS to support the trustee’s Natural Resource Damage Assessment activities.