§ 904.273 Administrative review of decision. ( a ) Subject to the requirements of this section, any party who wishes to seek review of an Initial Decision of a Judge must Petition for Review of the Initial Decision within 30 days after the date the decision is served. The petition must be served on the Administrator in conformance with § 904.3(b) at the following address: Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce, Room 5128, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230. Copies of the Petition for Review, and all other documents and materials required in paragraph (d) of this section, must be served in conformance with § 904.3(b) on all parties and to either *administrative.appeals@noaa.gov* or the following address: Chief, Oceans and Coasts Section, NOAA Office of General Counsel, 1305 East-West Highway, SSMC 4, Suite 6111, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
( b ) The Administrator may elect to issue an order to review the Initial Decision without petition and may affirm, reverse, modify or remand, in whole or in part, the Judge's Initial Decision. Any such order must be issued within 60 days after the date the Initial Decision is served.
( c ) Review by the Administrator of an Initial Decision is discretionary and is not a matter of right. If a party files a timely petition for discretionary review, or review is timely initiated by the Administrator, the effectiveness of the Initial Decision is stayed until further order of the Administrator or until the Initial Decision becomes final pursuant to paragraph (h) of this section. In determining whether or not to grant discretionary review, the Administrator will consider: ( 1 ) Whether the Initial Decision contains significant factual or legal errors that warrant further review by the Administrator; and
( 2 ) Whether fairness or other policy considerations warrant further consideration by the Administrator. Types of cases that fall within these criteria include, but are not limited to, those in which; ( i ) The Initial Decision conflicts with one or more other NOAA administrative decisions or federal court decisions on an important issue of federal law;
( ii ) The Judge decided an important federal question in a way that conflicts with prior rulings of the Administrator;
( iii ) The Judge decided a question of federal law that is so important that the Administrator should pass upon it even absent a conflict; or
( iv ) The Judge so far departed from the accepted and usual course of administrative proceedings as to call for an exercise of the Administrator's supervisory power.
( d ) A Petition for Review must comply with the following requirements regarding format and content: ( 1 ) The petition must include a concise statement of the case, that contains a statement of facts relevant to the issues submitted for review, and a summary of the argument that contains a succinct, clear and accurate statement of the arguments made in the body of the petition;
( 2 ) The petition must set forth, in detail, specific objections to the Initial Decision, the bases for review, and the relief requested;
( 3 ) Each issue raised in the petition must be separately numbered, concisely stated, and supported by detailed citations to specific pages in the record, and to statutes, regulations, and principal authorities. Petitions may not refer to or incorporate by reference entire documents or transcripts;
( 4 ) A copy of the Judge's Initial Decision must be attached to the petition;
( 5 ) Copies of all cited portions of the record must be attached to the petition;
( 6 ) A petition, exclusive of attachments and authorities, must not exceed 20 pages in length and must be in the form articulated in § 904.206(b); and
( 7 ) Issues of fact or law not argued before the Judge may not be raised in the petition unless such issues were raised for the first time in the Judge's Initial Decision, or could not reasonably have been foreseen and raised by the parties during the hearing. The Administrator will not consider new or additional evidence that is not a part of the record before the Judge.
( e ) The Administrator may deny a Petition for Review that is untimely or fails to comply with the format and content requirements in paragraph (d) of this section without further review.
( f ) No oral argument on Petitions for Review will be allowed.
( g ) Within 30 days after service of a petition for discretionary review, any party may file and serve an answer in support or in opposition. An answer must comport with the format and content requirements in paragraphs (d)(5) through (d)(7) of this section and set forth detailed responses to the specific objections, bases for review and relief requested in the petition. No further replies are allowed, unless requested by the Administrator.
( h ) If the Administrator has taken no action in response to the petition within 120 days after the petition is served, said petition shall be deemed denied and the Judge's Initial Decision shall become the final agency decision with an effective date 150 days after the petition is served.
( i ) If the Administrator issues an order denying discretionary review, the order will be served on all parties in conformance with § 904.3, and will specify the date upon which the Judge's Initial Decision will become effective as the final agency decision. The Administrator need not give reasons for denying review.
( j ) If the Administrator grants discretionary review or elects to review the Initial Decision without petition, the Administrator will issue an order to that effect. Such order may identify issues to be briefed and a briefing schedule. Such issues may include one or more of the issues raised in the Petition for Review and any other matters the Administrator wishes to review. Only those issues identified in the order may be argued in any briefs permitted under the order. The Administrator may choose to not order any additional briefing, and may instead make a final determination based on any Petitions for Review, any responses and the existing record.
( k ) If the Administrator grants or elects to take discretionary review, and after expiration of the period for filing any additional briefs under paragraph (j) of this section, the Administrator will render a written decision on the issues under review. The Administrator will serve the decision on each of the parties in conformance with § 904.3. The Administrator's decision becomes the final administrative decision on the date it is served, unless otherwise provided in the decision, and is a final agency action for purposes of judicial review; except that an Administrator's decision to remand the Initial Decision to the Judge is not final agency action.
( l ) An Initial Decision shall not be subject to judicial review unless: ( 1 ) The party seeking judicial review has exhausted its opportunity for administrative review by filing a Petition for Review with the Administrator in compliance with this section, and
( 2 ) The Administrator has issued a final ruling on the petition that constitutes final agency action under paragraph (k) of this section or the Judge's Initial Decision has become the final agency decision under paragraph (h) or (i) of this section.
( m ) For purposes of any subsequent judicial review of the agency decision, any issues that are not identified in any Petition for Review, in any answer in support or opposition, by the Administrator, or in any modifications to the Initial Decision are waived.
( n ) If an action is filed for judicial review of a final agency decision, and the decision is vacated or remanded by a court, the Administrator shall issue an order addressing further administrative proceedings in the matter. Such order may include a remand to the Chief Administrative Law Judge for further proceedings consistent with the judicial decision, or further briefing before the Administrator on any issues the Administrator deems appropriate.
[87 FR 38940, June 30, 2022]