§ 1704.4 - Grounds on which meetings may be closed or information may be withheld.

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Except in a case where the Board finds that the public interest requires otherwise, a meeting may be closed and information pertinent to such meeting otherwise required by §§ 1704.5, 1704.6, and 1704.7 to be disclosed to the public may be withheld if the Board properly determines that such meeting or portion thereof or the disclosure of such information is likely to:

Disclose matters that are:

Specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive Order to be kept secret in the interests of national defense or foreign policy; and

In fact properly classified pursuant to such Executive order. In making the determination that this exemption applies, the Board shall rely upon the classification assigned to a document by the Department of Energy or other originating agency;

Relate solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of the Board;

Disclose matters specifically exempted from disclosure by statute (other than 5 U.S.C. 552): Provided, That such statute:

Requires that the matters be withheld from the public in such a manner as to leave no discretion on the issue; or

Establishes particular criteria for withholding or refers to particular types of matters to be withheld;

This exemption applies to Board meetings, or portions of meetings, involving deliberations regarding recommendations which, under 42 U.S.C. 2286d(b) and (h)(3), may not be made publicly available until after they have been received by the Secretary of Energy or the President, respectively; Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.

Disclose trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential;

Involve accusing any person of a crime, or formally censuring any person;

Disclose information of a personal nature where disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;

Disclose investigatory records compiled for law enforcement purposes, or information which, if written, would be contained in such records, but only to the extent that the production of such records or information would;

Interfere with enforcement proceedings;

Deprive a person of a right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication;

Constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;

Disclose the identity of a confidential source and, in the case of a record compiled by a criminal law enforcement authority in the course of a criminal investigation, or by an agency conducting a lawful national security intelligence investigation, confidential information furnished only by the confidential source;

Disclose investigative techniques and procedures; or

Endanger the life or physical safety of law enforcement personnel;

Disclose information the premature disclosure of which would be likely to significantly frustrate implementation of a proposed action of the Board, except that this subsection shall not apply in any instance where the Board has already disclosed to the public the content or nature of its proposed action, or where the Board is required by law to make such disclosure on its own initiative prior to taking final action on such proposal;

Specifically concern the Board's issuance of a subpoena, or the Board's participation in a civil action or proceeding, an action in a foreign court or international tribunal, or an arbitration, or the initiation, conduct, or disposition by the Board of a particular case of formal agency adjudication pursuant to the procedures in 5 U.S.C. 554 or otherwise involving a determination on the record after opportunity for a hearing; or

Disclose other information for which the Government in the Sunshine Act provides an exemption to the open meeting requirements of that Act.