In an interim final rule published on August 31, 2001, the Maritime Administration ("MARAD," "we," "our," or "us") amended our regulations implementing the new U.S. citizenship requirements set forth in the American Fisheries Act of 1998 ("AFA"). MARAD's regulation, at 46 CFR part 356, contains the substantive requirements mandated by the AFA and procedural requirements established by MARAD for administration of the AFA. We promulgated an amendment that provides us with the ability to waive any procedural requirement, if there is good cause to do so and the waiver would not be inconsistent with the AFA and the intent of part 356. The waiver provision was effective, as an interim final rule, upon publication, but we are now publishing this waiver provision as a final rule.