(a) This part contains FEMA's procedures for informal rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) that affect the public.

(b) This part does not apply to rules issued in accordance with the formal rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 556, 557).

(a) Rule or regulation have the same meaning as those terms are defined in the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 551(4)).

(b) Rulemaking means the FEMA process for considering and formulating the issuance, amendment, or repeal of a rule.

(c) Administrator means the Administrator, FEMA, or an official to whom the Administrator has expressly delegated authority to issue rules.

(d) FEMA means Federal Emergency Management Agency.

(a) It is the general policy of FEMA to provide for public participation in rulemaking regarding its programs and functions, including matters that relate to public property, loans, grants, or benefits, or contracts, even though these matters are not subject to a requirement for notice and public comment rulemaking by law.

(b) It is the general policy of FEMA that its notices of proposed rulemaking are to afford the public at least 60 days for submission of comments unless the Administrator makes an exception and sets forth the reasons for the exception in the preamble to the notice of proposed rulemaking.

(c) The general policies contained in this section are not intended to and do not create a right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable against the United States or its agencies or officers. FEMA may depart from such policies in its absolute discretion, including for its annual grant programs and in other cases as circumstances warrant.

(a) FEMA maintains a public docket for each rulemaking after it is published in the Federal Register and until the rulemaking is closed and archived at the National Archives and Records Administration. The public docket includes every document published in the Federal Register in conjunction with a rulemaking. It also includes regulatory assessments and analyses, written comments from the public addressed to the merits of a proposed rule, comments from the public received in response to notices, or to withdrawals or terminations of a proposed rulemaking, requests for a public meeting, requests for extension of time, petitions for rulemaking, grants or denials of petitions or requests, and transcripts or minutes of informal hearings. The public rulemaking docket is maintained by the Regulatory Affairs Division, Office of Chief Counsel.

(b) After FEMA establishes a public rulemaking docket, any person may examine docketed material during established business hours by prearrangement with the Regulatory Affairs Division, Office of Chief Counsel, FEMA, 500 C St. SW, Washington, DC 20472, and may obtain a copy of any docketed material (except for copyrighted material). FEMA also maintains a copy of each public docket electronically, with the exception of copyrighted material, on www.regulations.gov. To access the docket on www.regulations.gov, search for the docket ID associated with the rulemaking.

(c) The docket for flood hazard elevation rules issued by the National Flood Insurance Program are partially maintained at the locality that is the subject of the rule. FEMA includes in the preamble of each flood hazard elevation rule the repository address for supporting material.

A member of the public may submit comments via mail or courier to the Regulatory Affairs Division, Office of Chief Counsel, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 500 C St. SW, Washington, DC 20472, or may submit comments electronically to the rulemaking docket at www.regulations.gov under the applicable docket ID.

(a) All oral or written communications from outside the Federal Executive branch of significant information and argument respecting the merits of a rulemaking document, received after publication of a notice of proposed rulemaking, by FEMA or its offices and divisions or their personnel participating in the decision, must be summarized in writing and placed promptly in the public docket. This applies until the agency publishes a final regulatory action such as a withdrawal of the notice of proposed rulemaking or a final rule.

(b) FEMA may conclude that restrictions on ex parte communications are necessitated at other times by considerations of fairness or for other reasons.

(c) This section does not apply to Tribal consultations.

(a) When FEMA affords an opportunity for oral presentation, the hearing is an informal, non-adversarial, fact-finding proceeding. Any rulemaking issued in a proceeding under this part in which a hearing is held need not be based exclusively on the record of such hearing.

(b) When such a hearing is provided, the Administrator will designate a representative to conduct the hearing.

(c) The transcript or minutes of the hearing will be kept and filed in the public rulemaking docket.

(a) Any interested person may petition the Administrator for the issuance, amendment, or repeal of a rule. For purposes of this section, the term person includes any member of the public and any entity outside the Federal Executive branch of Government. Each petitioner must:

(1) Submit the petition to the Regulatory Affairs Division, Office of Chief Counsel, FEMA, 8NE, 500 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20472;

(2) Label the petition with the following: “Petition for Rulemaking” or “Rulemaking Petition”;

(3) Set forth the substance of the rule or amendment proposed or specify the rule sought to be repealed or amended;

(4) Explain the interest of the petitioner in support of the action sought; and

(5) Set forth all data and arguments available to the petitioner in support of the action sought.

(b) FEMA will specify additional methods of submitting rulemaking petitions on its website at www.fema.gov/about/offices/chief-counsel/rulemaking and petitioners seeking to confirm whether FEMA has received or responded to a specific rulemaking petition may inquire at [email protected]. The website may also contain other information about the petition for rulemaking process.

(c)(1) FEMA may solicit public comment on the petition in its discretion. If the Administrator finds that the petition contains adequate justification, a rulemaking proceeding will be initiated, or a final rule will be issued as appropriate. If the Administrator finds that the petition does not contain adequate justification, the petition will be denied by letter or other notice, with a brief statement of the ground for denial. The disposition will be posted on www.regulations.gov under docket ID FEMA–2022–0011.

(2) The Administrator may consider new evidence at any time; however, FEMA will not consider repetitious petitions for rulemaking.

Petitions for reconsideration of a final rule will not be considered. Such petitions, if filed, will be treated as petitions for rulemaking in accordance with § 1.8.