Briefing Book

Public Involvement Resources for Rulemaking

• EPA's Brief Introduction to the Regulatory Process

• EPA's Unified Agenda Submissions All agencies publish semiannual regulatory agendas describing the regulatory actions they are developing or have recently completed. These agendas are published in the Federal Register, usually during April and October each year. EPA's last submission was published in the Federal Register on May 14, 2001, 66 Fed. Reg. 26119.

• The Federal Register Preamble Explains the rulemaking process, EPA's latest regulatory priorities and the contents of the Unified Agenda.

• The Table of Contents for the Unified Agenda [Tip - the easiest way to access this material is to scroll through the table of contents and click on the Regulation Identification Number on the left hand column]

  • Search the Unified Agenda

• Rulemaking Dockets at EPA and Docket Pages with Good Features

  • General Docket Page

  • Air and Radiation Office page that identifies rules open for comment

  • Electronic Docket on the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE)

  • Test Site for EPA's new online Regulatory Public Access System (This site may not always be accessible; EPA plans to bring an electronic docket system online during the fourth quarter of this year.)

• Web sites that provided excellent explanatory materials at the time a rule was proposed

  • EPA Water Office Rulemaking on Total Maximum Daily Loads

  • Forest Service Web site on the Roadless Rulemaking

• Electronic Superfund Dockets

  • Region 1 Online Administrative Records

• Reports on Electronic Rulemaking

  • Online Rulemaking: A Tool For Strengthening Civic Infrastructure by Barbara H. Brandon and Robert D. Carlitz

  • Federal Rulemaking: Agencies' Use of Information Technology to Facilitate Public Participation United States General Accounting Office, June 2000

  • Regulatory Management: Communication about Technology-Based Innovations Can Be Improved United States General Accounting Office, February 2001

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