§ 124.118 - Submission of written comments on draft permit.

(a) No later than 30 days before the scheduled start of the hearing (or such other date as may be set forth in the notice of hearing), each party shall file all of its comments on the draft permit, based on information in the administrative record and any other information which is or reasonably could have been available to that party. All comments shall include any affidavits, studies, data, tests, or other materials relied upon for making any factual statements in the comments.

(b)(1) Written comments filed under paragraph (a) of this section shall constitute the bulk of the evidence submitted at the hearing. Oral statements at the hearing should be brief and in the nature of argument. They shall be restricted either to points that could not have been made in written comments, or to emphasize points which are made in the comments, but which the party believes can more effectively be argued in the hearing context.

(2) Notwithstanding the foregoing, within two weeks prior to the deadline specified in paragraph (a) of this section for the filing of comments, any party may move to submit all or part of its comments orally at the hearing in lieu of submitting written comments and the Presiding Officer shall, within one week, grant such motion if the Presiding Officer finds that the party will be prejudiced if required to submit the comments in written form.

(c) Parties to any hearing may submit written material in response to the comments filed by other parties under paragraph (a) of this section at the time they appear at the panel stage of the hearing under § 124.120.