[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 15, Volume 3]

[Revised as of January 1, 2006]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 15CFR996.11]



[Page 412-413]

 

                  TITLE 15--COMMERCE AND FOREIGN TRADE

 

CHAPTER IX--NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT 

                               OF COMMERCE

 

PART 996_QUALITY ASSURANCE AND CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR NOAA 

HYDROGRAPHIC PRODUCTS AND SERVICES--Table of Contents

 

    Subpart B_The Quality Assurance Program for Hydrographic Products

 

Sec. 996.11  Development of standards for a hydrographic product or class.



    (a) NOAA shall work, to the extent practicable, through existing, 

recognized, standards bodies in the writing and adopting of standards 

for a hydrographic product or class that NOAA has accepted into this 

program. It shall be the responsibility of the sponsor to propose an 

appropriate standards writing body. NOAA may accept this body at its 

discretion, or may select an alternate body. NOAA will then undertake, 

jointly with the sponsor and acknowledged representatives of the 

affected communities, to submit the proposal for writing standards to, 

and to



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secure the cooperation of, the selected standards writing body.

    (b) Once accepted as a work item by the standards writing body, NOAA 

shall undertake, jointly with representatives of the affected community, 

members of the standards body, other governmental representatives, and 

the sponsor as appropriate, to write standards for the hydrographic 

product or class according to the practices of the standards body and 

the technical needs of the product. Participation in the writing of 

standards shall be determined according to the procedures of the 

standards writing body.

    (c) NOAA shall then undertake, jointly with representatives of the 

affected community, members of the standards body and the body itself, 

other governmental representatives, and the sponsor as appropriate, to 

have the resulting standard officially adopted by the standards body 

according to the procedures of that body.

    (d) NOAA may, at its option, proceed without the participation of an 

existing, recognized, standards body should it so choose. Such action 

might be taken, for example, if there were no appropriate standards 

body. In this eventuality, NOAA shall adhere to the following general 

procedure.

    (1) Announce, in the Federal Register or by other appropriate means, 

NOAA's intention to organize and chair a working group to write and 

publish standards for the proposed hydrographic product or class;

    (2) Solicit, via the Federal Register or by other appropriate means, 

participation and select, reject, and/or revoke permission to 

participate as NOAA deems appropriate so as to proceed in an orderly and 

representative manner in writing a standard;

    (3) Initiate, schedule, host, and chair, or designate a chair for, 

the work of the working group;

    (4) Circulate, via the Federal Register or by other appropriate 

means, the drafts of the working group;

    (5) Announce, via the Federal Register or by other appropriate 

means, the NOAA proposed standard and provide an opportunity for public 

comment;

    (6) Announce, via the Federal Register or by other appropriate 

means, and make available as a standard, the final version of the 

standard; and

    (7) Provide the necessary administrative support.

    (e) NOAA may, at its option, adopt an existing standard as the NOAA 

standard for this program. In this eventuality, NOAA shall adhere to the 

following general procedure.

    (1) Announce, in the Federal Register or by other appropriate means, 

NOAA's intention to adopt an existing standard for the proposed 

hydrographic product or class; and

    (2) Solicit, via the Federal Register or by other appropriate means 

including public meetings, comment on the standard that NOAA proposes to 

adopt, and shall consider the comments received.

    (f) Alternatively, NOAA may at its option, proceed by writing a 

standard by itself. Such action might be used, for example, in cases 

where the standard is obvious. Producing exact copies of existing NOAA 

products might be one such case. Once written, this NOAA-authored 

standard shall be made publicly available for comment, and comments 

shall be considered before NOAA publishes the final standard.

    (g) At the conclusion of the standards writing, whether through an 

existing standards body, by a NOAA-convened working group, by adopting 

an existing standard, or by NOAA itself, NOAA shall consider the 

resulting standard and comments, and either adopt or reject the standard 

as the NOAA Quality Assurance Program Standard for the particular 

hydrographic product or class. NOAA's decision shall be publicly 

announced in the Federal Register or by other appropriate means.

    (h) Any party may request NOAA to reconsider its decision to adopt 

or reject the standard by submitting its request in writing to the 

Quality Assurance Program address within 30 days of NOAA's announcement 

of its decision. NOAA shall have, if its other obligations permit, 60 

calendar days from the receipt of a request for reconsideration to 

either deny the request, or to reconsider and announce its decision. 

NOAA's original decision if unappealed within 30 days, or its decision 

upon reconsideration shall be considered final.



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