As you know, Executive Order 12866 directs all Federal agencies to periodically provide the Office ofManagement and Budget's (OMB) Office ofInformation and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) a listing ofits planned regulatory actions, indicating those which the agency has determined to be significant as defined by the Executive Order. The list allows OIRA greater selectivity in reviewing regulations so that focus can be put on the more important (significant and economically significant) regulatory actions. The process also allows for the expeditious publication ofthose actions designated not significant because those actions do not require further OIRA review.

This memo provides the regulatory review cycles for 2010. We ask that you submit your planned rulemakings using the workplan format as follows:
- January 11 (cycle 139)
- February 22
- April 5
- May 17
- June 28
- August 9
- September 20
- November 1
- December 13.

We continue to encourage you to ensure that your cycle submissions: include all regulatory actions that need to be published within a 60-90 day timeframe; provide sufficient information, including a cost statement and your agency's recommended designation, so that your policy officials and OIRA can make an informed decision regarding the rulemaking classification; and that all required analyses for each rulemaking are identified in the required analysis section ofthe workplan. In addition, we remind you that a workplan must be submitted at each stage of a planned regulatory action.

We also want to remind agencies that workplans must be submitted in one package by the above dates in order to be processed for that cycle. OBPA will process workplans submitted out ofcycle on a case-by-case basis.
Your continued effort to ensure that the rulemaking process at USDA is efficient and effective is appreciated.

AD116 Form (.pdf | Requires Acrobat Reader)