Commission's Ex Parte Rules and Other Procedural Rules

In this document the Commission revises certain ex parte and organizational rules. This document amends and reforms the Commission's rules on ex parte presentations made in the course of Commission rulemakings and other permit-but-disclose proceedings. It also adopts a new rule requiring all oral ex parte communications to be documented, and their contents described. This reform should enable those participating in our proceedings as well as those observing them to better identify and understand the issues being debated before the Commission. New electronic filing rules will empower anyone using the Internet to access this information, and stronger enforcement provisions will bolster these new requirements. Given the complexity of the issues we must decide and the far-reaching impact our decisions often have, we believe these initiatives to increase transparency serve the best interests of the Commission, the entities we regulate, and the public we serve.