According to a Final Rule published in the Federal Register today, the FAA will no longer publish dispositions of petitions for exemptions in the Federal Register. Currently the FAA notifies a petitioner in writing regarding the disposition of a petition for exemption and then the FAA also publishes the disposition in the Federal Register. However, now the FAA feels that “[p]ublishing dispositions in the Federal Register is unnecessary because petitioners are notified in writing of FAA’s decision and the decision is placed in the public docket, which is internet accessible and searchable.” It will also save on the cost of publication.
Although all of this may be true, reviewing and searching the public docket for exemption petitions and their disposition is more cumbersome than simply reviewing the Federal Register’s daily table of contents. Thus, the FAA may be making things easier for it, but it is certainly not doing the interested public any favors.
If you would like more information regarding this final rule, you can contact Ida Klepper, Airmen and Airspace Rules Division, Office of Rulemaking, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591. Telephone: (202) 267-9677.
