[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 163 (Thursday, August 22, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 54388-54389]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-21455]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms

27 CFR Part 7

[Notice No. 952; Re: Notice No. 946]
RIN 1512-AC10


Labeling and Advertising of Malt Beverages (2000R-107P)

AGENCY: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: This notice extends the comment period for Notice No. 946, a 
notice of proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register on June 
27, 2002, for an additional 30 days. The proposed rule revises the 
regulations regarding the labeling and advertising of malt beverages in 
accordance with plain language principles. These changes also 
incorporate minor technical amendments. There are no changes in the 
requirements of the existing regulations. We are making this change in 
order to more clearly communicate the regulations' existing 
requirements.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before September 25, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Chief, Regulations Division, 
Notice No. 946, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, P.O. Box 
50221, Washington, DC 20091-0221.
    See the Public Participation section below for information on 
alternative methods of commenting, and for information on how and where 
to review Notice No. 946 and the comments received in response to that 
notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charles N. Bacon, Program Manager, 
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, 10 Causeway Street, Room 701, 
Boston, MA 02222; telephone 617-557-1323.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:   

Background

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) published Notice 
No. 946 in the Federal Register on June 27, 2002, announcing the 
proposed plain language revision of 27 CFR Part 7, Labeling and 
Advertising of Malt Beverages. Please see Notice No. 946 at 67 FR 43496 
for a discussion of the proposed revisions and for the proposed rule 
language.
    As the proposed revision only adopts the plain language style, 
there is no change in the intent of the regulations from the existing 
part 7. There are no changes to the authority, scope, or effect of the 
regulations. The authority for the regulations in part 7 remains 27 
U.S.C. 205.
    We issued the original requirements in part 7 after an opportunity 
for notice and comment during the rulemaking process. Since we are 
proposing to make only stylistic changes and minor technical 
amendments, we are limiting comments on the proposed rule to the plain 
language issue.

Public Participation

    We request comments from all interested persons. We will carefully 
consider all comments we receive on or before September 25, 2002. We 
will give the same consideration to comments we receive after that date 
if it is practical to do so, but we can give assurance of consideration 
only to comments we receive on or before September 25, 2002.

Comments Limited to Plain Language Issue

    Because we only propose to amend these regulations to conform to 
the plain language style, we are limiting comments to the effects of 
this change in the regulations' language. Accordingly, comments should 
be limited to the following questions:
     Does this language have the same effect as the old 
regulations?
     Does the plain language format effect the operation of the 
regulations?
     Is this new style helpful or useful?
    We will not consider in this rulemaking any comments that go beyond 
this scope.

Will ATF Treat My Comments as Confidential?

    We will not recognize any material in comments as confidential, and 
your comments may be disclosed to the public. You should not include 
any material that you consider to be confidential or inappropriate for 
public disclosure. We may disclose the name of any person submitting a 
comment.

How May I Submit Comments?

    By Mail: You may send written comments by U.S. mail to the address 
shown above in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.
    By Fax: You may submit comments by facsimile transmission to (202) 
927-8602. Facsimile comments must reference Notice No. 946 and must:
     Be legible when printed on 8\1/2\" x 11" paper;
     Contain a written signature; and
     Be five pages or less in length (to ensure access to our 
equipment).

[[Page 54389]]

    We will not acknowledge receipt of FAX transmittals. We will treat 
facsimile comments as originals.
    By E-Mail: You may submit comments of any length by electronic mail 
to [email protected]. Electronic mail comments must include:
     A reference to Notice No. 946;
     Your e-mail address; and
     Your name and post office address.
    We will not acknowledge receipt of e-mail comments. We will treat 
e-mail comments as originals.
    By On-line Form: You may also submit comments electronically using 
the comment form provided with the online copy of Notice No. 946 on the 
ATF Internet web site at http://www.atf.treas.gov/alcohol/rules/index.htm. We will treat comments submitted via the web site as 
originals.

How Does ATF Use the Comments?

    We will summarize and discuss pertinent comments in the preamble to 
any subsequent notices or the final rule published as a result of the 
comments. We will not acknowledge receipt of comments or reply to 
individual comments.

Can I Review Comments Received?

    You may view copies of the comments on Notice No. 946 by 
appointment at the ATF Reference Library, Room 6480, 650 Massachusetts 
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20226, telephone (202) 927-7890. You may 
request copies of the comments (at 20 cents per page) by writing to the 
ATF Reference Librarian at the address shown above.
    For the convenience of the public, ATF will post comments received 
in response to Notice No. 946 on the ATF web site. All comments posted 
on our web site will show the name of the commenter, but will have 
street addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses removed. We 
may also omit voluminous attachments or material that we do not 
consider suitable for posting. In all cases, the full comment will be 
available in the ATF library as noted above. To access online copies of 
the comments on this rulemaking, visit http://www.atf.treas.gov/, 
select ``Regulations,'' and then ``Notices of proposed rulemaking 
(Alcohol).'' Then click on the ``View Comments'' button for Notice No. 
946.

Drafting Information

    The principal author of Notice No. 946 is William H. Foster, and 
the author of this notice is Michael D. Hoover, Bureau of Alcohol, 
Tobacco and Firearms.

List of Subjects in 27 CFR Part 7

    Advertising, Authority delegations, Beer, Consumer protection, 
Customs duties and inspection, Imports, Labeling, Packaging and 
containers, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

Authority and Issuance

    This notice is issued under the authority contained in 27 U.S.C. 
205.

    Signed: August 16, 2002.
Thomas R. Crone,
Chief, Regulations Division.
[FR Doc. 02-21455 Filed 8-21-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810-31-P