Significant Guidance Documents, 40270 [E7-14254]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 141 (Tuesday, July 24, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 40270]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-14254]


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Notices
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
appearing in this section.

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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 141 / Tuesday, July 24, 2007 / 
Notices

[[Page 40270]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2007-0105]


Significant Guidance Documents

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of a Web site that will 
list significant guidance documents issued by the Animal and Plant 
Health Inspection Service and provides related information.

ADDRESSES: The agency's Web site for significant guidance documents is 
located at: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/guidance.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Cindy Howard, Chief, Regulatory 
Analysis and Development, Policy and Program Development, APHIS, 4700 
River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238; (301) 734-5957.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 18, 2007, the President issued 
Executive Order (EO) 13422, ``Amendment to Executive Order 12866 for 
Regulatory Planning and Review.'' On that same day, the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) issued a related document, the OMB Bulletin 
on Agency Good Guidance Practices (the Bulletin). The primary focus of 
the EO and the Bulletin is on improving the way the Federal government 
does business with respect to significant guidance documents issued to 
the public by increasing their quality, transparency, accountability, 
and coordination. OMB subsequently issued a memorandum to assist 
agencies in their implementation of the EO and Bulletin.\1\
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    \1\ Links to the (1) revised EO, (2) the Bulletin, and (3) OMB's 
memorandum for implementing the revised EO and Bulletin may be found 
at:
    (1) https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/eo12866/fr_notice_
eo12866_012307.pdf.
    (2) https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg/2007/012507_good_
guidance.pdf.
    (3) https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda/fy2007/m07-13.pdf.
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    Among other things, the Bulletin requires an agency to:
     Maintain on its Web site a list of significant guidance 
documents in effect, along with a link to each document.
     Establish and clearly advertise on the Web site a means 
for the public to submit comments electronically on significant 
guidance documents, and to submit a request electronically for 
issuance, reconsideration, modification, or rescission of significant 
guidance documents.
     Designate an office (or offices) to receive and address 
complaints by the public that the agency is not following procedures in 
the Good Guidance Bulletin or is treating a significant guidance 
document as a binding requirement. Provide the name and contact 
information for the office(s) on the Web site.
    This notice announces the Web address where APHIS will maintain its 
list of significant guidance documents in effect, along with a link to 
each document. That Web address, also shown in the ADDRESSES section of 
this notice, is https://www.aphis.usda.gov/guidance.
    APHIS intends to make new or revised significant guidance documents 
available for public comment through the Federal eRulemaking Portal, 
https://www.regulations.gov. If we issue an economically significant 
guidance document, we will take public comment on a draft of the 
economically significant guidance document prior to making it 
effective, as required by the Bulletin. We will also publish a response 
to comments we receive on the economically significant guidance 
document and make our response and the final guidance document 
available at Regulations.gov as well as on our Web site. We may make 
significant guidance documents that are not economically significant 
effective prior to taking public comment. We will give due 
consideration to comments we receive on significant guidance documents 
that are not economically significant, but, as provided in the 
Bulletin, we will not publish a response to the comments. All comments 
we receive through Regulations.gov will be available for the public to 
view on that site.
    As announced on our significant guidance document Web site, members 
of the public who wish to request that APHIS issue, reconsider, modify, 
or rescind a significant guidance document, or who wish to complain 
that the agency is not following the procedures in OMB's Bulletin or is 
improperly treating a significant guidance document as a binding 
requirement, may do so by sending an e-mail to Good--Guidance--
Comments@aphis.usda.gov or by mailing a letter to the following office: 
Guidance Officer, Policy and Program Development, Animal and Plant 
Health Inspection Service, USDA, 4700 River Road, Unit 20, Riverdale, 
MD 20737-1230.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 18th day of July 2007.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E7-14254 Filed 7-23-07; 8:45 am]
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