49 CFR 1012.7 – Meetings which may be closed to the public
(a) A meeting may be closed pursuant to this section only if a majority of the Board Members eligible to participate in the conduct or disposition of the matter which is the subject of the meeting votes to close the meeting.
(b) A single vote may be taken to close a series of meetings on the same particular matters held within 30 days of the initial meeting in the series.
(c) With respect to any meeting closed to the public under this section, the General Counsel of the Board will issue his or her certification that, in his opinion, the meeting is one which may properly be closed pursuant to one or more of the provisions of paragraph (d) of this section.
(d) Meetings or portions of meetings may be closed to the public if the meeting or portion thereof is likely to:
(1) Disclose matters (i) specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive order to be kept secret in the interests of national defense or foreign policy and (ii) in fact properly classified pursuant to such Executive order.
(2) Relate solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of the Board.
(3) Disclose matters specifically exempted from disclosure by statute (other than 5 U.S.C. § 552); Provided, That such statute (A) requires that the matters be withheld from the public in such a manner as to leave no discretion on the issue, or (B) establishes particular criteria for withholding or refers to particular types of matters to be withheld.
(4) Disclose trade secrets or commercial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential.
(5) Involve accusing any person of a crime, or formally censuring any person.
(6) Disclose information of a personal nature where disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.
(7) 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 (i) interfere with enforcement proceedings, (ii) deprive a person of a right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication, (iii) constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, (iv) 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) disclose confidential information furnished only by the confidential source, (v) disclose investigative techniques and procedures, or (vi) endanger the life or physical safety of law enforcement personnel.
(8) Disclose information the premature disclosure of which could (i) lead to significant financial speculation in currencies, securities, or commodities, or (ii) significantly endanger the stability of any financial institution.
(9) Disclose information, the premature disclosure of which would be likely significantly to frustrate implementation of a proposed Board action, except that this subparagraph shall not apply in any instance after the content or nature of the proposed Board action has already been disclosed to the public by the Board, or where the Board is required by law to make such disclosure prior to the taking of final Board action on such proposal.
(10) Specifically concern the issuance of a subpoena.
(11) Specifically concern the Board’s participation in a civil action or proceeding or an arbitration.
(12) Specifically concern the initiation, conduct, or disposition of a particular case or formal adjudication conducted pursuant to the procedures in 5 U.S.C. § 554 or otherwise involving a determination on the record after an opportunity for hearing.