(a) In general. NACIC components shall devote such personnel and other resources to the responsibilities imposed by the Freedom of Information Act as may be appropriate and reasonable considering:

(b) Discharge of FOIA responsibilities. Components shall exercise due diligence in their responsibilities under the FOIA and must allocate a reasonable level of resources to requests under the Act in a strictly “first-in, first-out” basis and utilizing two or more processing queues to ensure that smaller as well as larger (i.e., project) cases receive equitable attention. The Information and Privacy Coordinator is responsible for management of the NACIC-wide program defined by this part and for establishing priorities for cases consistent with established law. The Director, NACIC shall provide policy and resource direction as necessary and render decisions on administrative appeals.

(c) Requests for extension of time. When NACIC is unable to meet the statutory time requirements of the FOIA, it will inform the requester that the request cannot be processed within the statutory time limits, provide an opportunity for the requester to limit the scope of the request so that it can be processed within the statutory time limits, or arrange with the requester an agreed upon time frame for processing the request, or determine that exceptional circumstances mandate additional time in accordance with the definition of “exceptional circumstances” per section 552(a)(6)(C) of the Freedom of Information Act, as amended, effective October 2, 1997. In such instances NACIC will, however, inform a requester of his or her right to decline our request and proceed with an administrative appeal or judicial review as appropriate.