ANN Reader Dwight wrote us, "Here's some information that the aviation community needs:

"The U.S. government has opened a new Web site intended to make it easier for individuals to comment on federal rulemaking, whether from the FAA, TSA, or any other federal agency. On this site, you can find, review and submit comments on documents that are open for comment and published in the Federal Register. For example, on the first page in the upper right section, if you search by agency name for TSA, a list of proposed regulations and relevant data comes up along with both HTML and PDF versions of the document(s). There is also a place to "Submit a comment on this regulation" that takes you to a form to enter and submit your comments. It is very simple and quick to submit a response."

[For example, the TSA's "Certificate Holder Blacklist" mandate ("This final rule expressly makes a person ineligible to hold FAA-issued airman certificates if the Transportation Security Administration notifies the FAA in writing that the person poses a security threat") can be seen there; and your comments are solicited. By the way, if you could be so kind as to send us a copy of your comments on this particular rule, we'd like to see it. If you'd like us to strip your identity from your comment before we file it, we will --ed.]

"The site provides simple access both to proposed regulations and to submit a response. In the past many individuals found the process of responding to notices of proposed rulemaking both cumbersome and laborious, often finding it difficult to take the time to respond. Now responding to a Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking is as simple and quick as sending an email. With an organized effort to communicate this information, along with posting a reminder on how to respond in this fashion in future news articles concerning proposed regulations, the aviation community should be able to substantially increase responses and speak with a much stronger voice. I hope this information is useful to you."

Thank you, Dwight!

FMI: www.faa.gov