(a) The Secretary follows the procedures in Sec. 17.10 if:
(1) A state office or official is designated to act as a single
point of contact between a state process and all Federal agencies, and
(2) That office or official transmits a state process recommendation
for a program selected under Sec. 17.6.
(b)(1) The single point of contact is not obligated to transmit
comments from state, areawide, regional or local officials and entities
where there is no state process recommendation.
(2) If a state process recommendation is transmitted by a single
point of contact, all comments from state, areawide, regional, and local
officials and entities that differ from it must also be transmitted.
(c) If a state has not established a process, or is unable to submit
a state process recommendation, state, areawide, regional and local
officials and entities may submit comments to the Department.
(d) If a program or activity is not selected for a state process,
state, areawide, regional and local officials and entities may submit
comments to the Department. In addition, if a state process
recommendation for a nonselected program or activity is transmitted to
the Department by the single point of contact, the Secretary follows the
procedures of Sec. 17.10 of this part.
(e) The Secretary considers comments which do not constitute a state
process recommendation submitted under these regulations and for which
the Secretary is not required to apply the procedures of Sec. 17.10 of
this part, when such comments are provided by a single point of contact,
or directly to the Department by a commenting party.
