Revisions to the Office of Hearings and Appeals Procedural Regulations for the DOE Contractor Employee Protection Program

Office of Hearings and Appeals, Department of Energy (DOE).

Direct final rule (DFR); request for comments.

This DFR rescinds an unnecessary regulation encouraging alternative dispute resolution to resolve complaints under the DOE Contractor Employee Protection Program.

The direct final rule is effective July 15, 2025, unless significant adverse comments are received by June 16, 2025. Significant adverse comments oppose the rule and raise, alone or in combination, a serious enough issue related to each of the independent grounds for the rule that a substantive response is required. If significant adverse comments are received, notice will be published in the Federal Register before the effective date either withdrawing the rule or issuing a new direct final rule which responds to significant adverse comments.

Interested persons are encouraged to submit comments using the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov under docket number DOE-HQ-2025-00120012. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. The docket for this direct final rule, which includes Federal Register notices, comments, and other supporting documents and materials, is ( printed page 20767) available for review at www.regulations.gov. All documents in the docket are listed in the www.regulations.gov index. However, not all documents listed in the index may be publicly available, such as information that is exempt from public disclosure. The docket web page can be found at www.regulations.gov/​docket/​DOE-HQ-2025-00120012. The docket web page contains instructions on how to access all documents, including public comments, in the docket, as well as a summary.

Docket: The docket for this rule, which includes Federal Register notices, public meeting attendee lists and transcripts (if one is held), comments, and other supporting documents and materials, is available for review at www.regulations.gov. All documents in the docket are listed in the www.regulations.gov index. However, not all documents listed in the index may be publicly available, such as information that is exempt from public disclosure.

The docket web page can be found at www.regulations.gov/​docket/​DOE-HQ-2025-00120012. The docket web page contains instructions on how to access all documents, including public comments, in the docket, as well as a summary of the rulemaking. See section, “Public Participation,” for further information on how to submit comments through www.regulations.gov. In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(4), a summary of this rule may be found at www.regulations.gov, under the docket number.