July/August
2002
Internet
Watch
by
Keri Funderburg
Let
Your Voice Be Heard
How
DOT and Other Agencies Use the Internet to Gather Feedback
Government
agencies frequently issue invitations for individuals and organizations
to provide comments on laws, regulations, ordinances, and reports
by a specific date. Earlier this year, for example, the Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
on Work Zone Safety and requested comments from transportation professionals
by June 6, 2002. Also, in May of this year, the U.S. Department of
Transportation's (DOT) Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Joint
Program Office solicited feedback from transportation professionals
on its National ITS Program Plan.
In the
past, responding to these invitations for comment required writing
a letter to an Agency, perhaps submitting multiple copies of that
letter, paying for the postage, and mailing the letter(s). Persons
submitting comments might never know if the Agency ever received or
reviewed the comments.
The convenience
and speed of the Internet are simplifying the once-onerous task of
comment submittal. Increasingly, government agencies rely on an online
comment submittal system to gather feedback from industry peers or
the public.
DOT's
DMS Web
DOT's
new online Docket Management System, or DMS Web, is located at http://docketsinfo.dot.gov/.
Through DMS Web, users can view the documents currently available
for comment from several departments within DOT. In addition to the
document up for comment, dockets may contain copies of previous proposed
and final regulations, Federal Register notices, comments already
received, and other related information. A list of the documents and
proposed regulations currently open for comment within DOT is available
at http://docketsinfo.dot.gov/.
Submitting
a comment on a particular document is easy using DMS Web. From the
Web site http://docketsinfo.dot.gov/,
a user either registers as a DMS user or proceeds to the comment submittal
process. The Web site enables users to locate a specific document
by providing its title, docket ID number, or issuing agency. A user
may provide some information such as name and address before submitting
a comment, which will appear alongside the user's comments in the
docket. DMS Web staff review feedback and then post it online within
the docket. Registered DMS users will see their personal information
included along with their comments in the docket.
Other
Agencies with Online Comments
DOT
is not the only Federal agency with an electronic docket and online
comment system. Other systems include:
Although
most of the regulations and documents of interest to transportation
professionals probably will be found on DMS Web, keeping informed
of activities within other agencies may directly or indirectly affect
a project or program in the transportation industry. The OSHA e-comment
Web site, for example, featured a proposed rule on the placement of
traffic control signals, signs, and barricades, which was open for
comment until June 14, 2002.
States,
NGOs, and Public-Private Groups
A
few States also use online comment systems. For example, the Arizona
Department of Transportation solicited comments on the Governor's
Transportation Task Force Vision 21 Plan. Anyone could submit a comment
on the plan through August 10, 2002, at www.dot.state.az.us/Vision21/index.html.
Most States do not appear to have systems as complex as those operated
by the Federal government, and most States simply provide e-mail addresses
where comments can be sent. E-mail is still a step in the right direction
in simplifying and streamlining the comment submittal process.
In addition
to government agencies, many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs),
including several transportation organizations, participate in online
public comment periods. The American Association of State Highway
and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Institute of Transportation
Engineers (ITE), and ITS America actively solicit comments from their
members on new and upcoming research and reports through their Web
sites. ITS America recently ran an article on its Web site soliciting
e-mailed comments from transportation professionals on a draft of
its Transit Signal Priority White Paper.
These
organizations often send out alerts or post announcements on their
Web sites (usually on their "News" pages) about Federal
rules and regulations for which the government is soliciting comments.
Similar to State agencies, many nongovernmental organizations continue
to rely on e-mail to submit comments electronically.
The Innovative
Pavement Research Foundation (IPRF), an industry research consortium,
together with FHWA, are sponsoring a planning team that developed
an innovative online comment system to solicit feedback from interested
parties on long-term concrete pavement research.
Whether
you are submitting comments on regulations or providing your expertise
on current research projects, the Internet makes filing comments easier
and faster than ever before. Over the next year, DOT will help implement
an e-gov initiative to consolidate all of the Federal government's
public comment Web sites into one rulemaking portal. Once the site
becomes available, Public Roads will publish more information about
the portal and the Web address.