§ 205.194 - Participants; official service list.

§ 205.194 Participants; official service list.

(a) Upon receipt of a Notice of Objection, the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall publish a notice in the Federal Register which states the person to whom the Proposed Remedial Order is directed, his address and the products, dollar amounts, time period, and geographical area specified in the Proposed Remedial Order. The notice shall state that any person who wishes to participate in the proceeding must file an appropriate request with the Office of Hearings and Appeals.

(b) The Office that issued the Proposed Remedial Order and the person to whom the Order is directed shall be considered participants before the Office of Hearings and Appeals at all stages of an enforcement proceeding. Any other person whose interest may be affected by the proceeding may file a request to participate in the proceeding with the Office of Hearings and Appeals within 20 days after publication of the notice referred to in paragraph (a) of this section. The request shall contain

(1) The person's name, address, and telephone number and similar information concerning his duly authorized representative, if any;

(2) A detailed description of the person's interest in the proceeding;

(3) The specific reasons why the person's active involvement in the proceeding will substantially contribute to a complete resolution of the issues to be considered in the proceeding;

(4) A statement of the position which the person intends to adopt in the proceeding; and

(5) A statement of the particular aspects of the proceeding, e.g. oral argument, submission of briefs, or discovery, in which the person wishes to actively participate.

(c) After considering the requests submitted pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section, the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall determine those persons who may participate on an active basis in the proceeding and the nature of their participation. Participants with similar interests may be required to consolidate their submissions and to appear in the proceeding through a common representative.

(d) Within 30 days after publication of the notice referred to in paragraph (a) of this section, the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall prepare an official service list for the proceeding. Within the same 30 day period the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall mail the official service list to all persons who filed requests to participate. For good cause shown a person may be placed on the official service list as a non-participant, for the receipt of documents only. An opportunity shall be afforded to participants to oppose the placement of a non-participant on the official service list.

(e) A person requesting to participate after the period for submitting requests has expired must show good cause for failure to file a request within the prescribed time period.

(f) The Office of Hearings and Appeals may limit the nature of a person's participation in the proceeding, if it finds that the facts upon which the person's request was based have changed or were incorrect when stated or that the person has not been actively participating or has engaged in disruptive or dilatory conduct. The action referred to in this provision shall be taken only after notice and an opportunity to be heard are afforded.