Executive Order 12866 mandates that guidance documents receive appropriate review within an agency, by the public, and by other Federal agencies; the EO places particular emphasis on significant guidance and economically significant guidance.  These types of guidance documents may have a practically-binding effect on regulated entities by stating that a regulation or statute may be complied with through one or a limited number of alternatives.  The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has required that all Federal agencies prepare a procedure to ensure appropriate review of significant and economically significant guidance documents.

For future guidance documents:

• If PHMSA determines the guidance is economically significant, as defined by OMB, PHMSA will publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing when a draft is available, how long the public has to comment, and how to submit comments.  PHMSA will post the draft on this site, and make the draft publicly available in hard copy or by other appropriate means.  PHMSA will post the draft on the Guidance page, on regulations.gov, and make the draft publicly available in hard copy or by other appropriate means. PHMSA will also respond to any public comments on its website and make this document available in hard copy.
  
  
• All other PHMSA guidance will be made available on this website.

The public may submit electronic comments on – and electronic requests for issuance, reconsideration, modification, or rescission of – significant guidance documents. You may also contact PHMSA if you wish to make a complaint that PHMSA is not complying with the OMB bulletin or is improperly treating a significant guidance document as a binding requirement.  PHMSA's agency contact for any issues relating to our guidance documents is:

Pat Burke
Office of the Chief Counsel
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
East Building, 2^nd Floor (PHC)
Washington, DC 20590

202-366-4400
202-366-7041 (Fax)

PHMSA_Guidance_Complaints@dot.gov