Action
Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
Summary
To further the goals of Executive Order 12866 on Regulatory Planning and Review, and in response to the recommendations of the National Performance Review and the Administrative Conference of the United States, RSPA is proposing to implement a new and more efficient procedure for adopting noncontroversial rules. This ``direct final rule'' procedure involves issuing a final rule that provides notice and an opportunity to comment, with a statement that if RSPA does not receive a significant adverse comment or notice of an intent to file a significant adverse comment, the rule will become effective on a specified date without further publication of the text of the rule. RSPA would publish a subsequent document in the Federal Register to confirm that no significant adverse comment was received, and reiterate the effective date. If a significant adverse comment or notice of an intent to file a significant adverse comment were received, RSPA would publish a document in the Federal Register before the effective date of the direct final rule withdrawing the rule or a part of the rule. RSPA also proposes to amend its rulemaking procedures to: Specify in more detail the required contents of a petition for rulemaking; and provide that petitions for rulemaking and petitions for reconsideration will be reviewed and acted upon by the Associate Administrator and that decisions of the Associate Administrator may be appealed to the Administrator.