Office of the Federal Register (OFR)

Federal Register Bulletin Newsletter

(Replaced by April 2022 COOP Guidance to Agencies)

September 9, 2009

A Letter from the Director of the Federal Register

Procedure for Submittal of Documents to the Federal Register During a Continuity Emergency

1. Where do I submit documents for publication if the Office of the Federal Register facility at 800 N. Capitol Street is not operational?

If the Office of the Federal Register (OFR) building at 800 N. Capitol Street, NW is destroyed, unsafe, or without power, or otherwise unavailable, the OFR will move to the 7th floor of the main Government Printing Office (GPO) building.

The OFR can be reached at 202-512-0625 at GPO. OFR phone lines also may be redirected to answer at GPO's switchboard (main OFR number: 202-741-6000). OFR e-mail addresses ending in "@gpo.gov" will continue to function. OFR e-mail addresses ending in "@nara.gov" should also be accessible.

Redirect document deliveries to:

Government Printing Office
7th Floor, Proof Room (C-741)
732 North Capitol Street
Washington, DC 20401

OFR will advise agencies of current conditions via Federal Register liaison officers who will be contacted by e-mail and fax. OFR will use its web sites (www.federalregister.gov, www.archives.gov/federal-register/), the GPO web site (www.gpo.gov), and press releases to inform agencies and the public.

Federal Register regulations and document drafting requirements remain in place by law. Agencies must continue to submit original signed paper documents with two certified copies (and disk whenever possible). Alternatively, agency signers enrolled in OFR's digital signature program may submit electronically authenticated documents via e-mail or web portal (www.fedreg.gov). Contact the OFR Information Services and Technology unit at 202-741-6020 for information about digital signature certificate requirements.

Depending on the nature and duration of the emergency, OFR will prioritize the publication of documents with preference given to those relating to essential governmental functions. Agencies may be advised not to submit non-essential notices and proposed rules until normal operations resume.

If an attack or threat of attack on the United States severely affects Federal Register operations, the President may declare a national security emergency and activate the Emergency Federal Register (EFR) system in place of the daily Federal Register. See 44 U.S.C. 1505(c) and E.O. 12656. The purpose of the EFR is to preserve the rule of law and a constitutional form of government, as per NSPD-51/HSPD-20. The Federal Register would continue to carry out its basic functions at an alternate location, identified in this document, or at a classified location. Agencies would be informed of status of the emergency publication system through pre-established COOP/COG channels.

Note: the EFR can only be activated under extreme national security conditions, and only the President may authorize suspension of the regular Federal Register publication system.

In an order activating the EFR system, the President specifies how the alternate publication system is to function and may authorize procedural modifications. Only those documents having the highest national priority will be published in the EFR. GPO may not be involved.

The OFR would activate a public web site, http://Emergency-Federal-Register.gov, to provide legal notice of Presidential actions, administrative rules and orders, and Acts of Congress. The OFR's emergency continuity web site redirects to www.archives.gov/federal-register when inactive. Copies of the EFR also would be distributed to agency COOP sites and the media.

2. Where do I submit documents for publication if the Office of the Federal Register's facilities at 800 N. Capitol Street and GPO's N. Capitol Street buildings are not operational?

If both the OFR and GPO buildings on North Capitol Street, NW are destroyed, unsafe, or without power, or otherwise unavailable, the OFR and GPO will move to alternate work sites. The local alternate site is in Laurel, MD at a GPO Book Warehouse. The regional alternate site is in Rocket Center, WV (near Cumberland, MD).

OFR will e-mail and fax to agency liaison officers and COOP contacts the current operating status of the Federal Register. OFR will utilize its web sites (www.federalregister.gov, www.archives.gov/federal-register/), the GPO web site (www.gpo.gov), and press releases to keep agencies and the public informed.

Note: For flu pandemic or similar conditions, OFR and GPO have plans to continue operations on North Capitol Street with reduced on-site staff and teleworkers, rather than relocating to an alternate site.

Directions to the Alternate OFR/GPO Work Site in Laurel, MD

From New York Ave in NW Washington, or the Washington Beltway (I-495):

Take the Baltimore-Washington Parkway north (MD-295).

At the MD-197 (Laurel/Bowie) exit, take the ramp for Laurel 0.3 miles.

Bear LEFT at Laurel/Bowie Road, and go 2.2 miles.

Turn LEFT onto Cherry Lane, and go 0.6 miles.

Look for the GPO Book Warehouse entrance to the right.

The OFR/GPO local alternate work site address is Office of the Federal Register Satellite Work Site, U.S. Government Printing Office Bookstore, Retail Sales Outlet, 8660 Cherry Lane, Laurel, MD, 20707. The OFR phone number at Laurel is: 301-317-3953. Additional lines are: 301-317-9635, 301-317-7940, and 301-317-9641; the OFR fax number at Laurel is: 301-317-6883. OFR's DC phone lines may be redirected to answer at Laurel. OFR e-mail addresses ending in "@gpo.gov" should continue to function. OFR e-mail addresses ending in "@nara.gov" should be accessible.

Directions to the NARA/OFR COOP Site in Rocket Center, WV

The NARA/OFR COOP site is located at the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (ABL) in Rocket Center, WV. The facility is operated by Alliant Techsystems (ATK), for the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). The NARA/OFR COOP site is approximately 145 miles from downtown Washington, DC.

From the Washington Beltway:

Take I-270 W toward Frederick.

Take exit 32 to merge onto I-70 W toward Hagerstown

Take exit 1A on the left to merge onto I-68 W/US-40 W toward Cumberland

Take exit 42 for Greene St/US-220 S

Turn left at MD-956/Patriot Pkwy (signs for MD-956 E).

Continue on WV-956 410 ft to Allegany Ballistics Lab Turn left into plant entrance and proceed to security check point.

NARA/OFR's mailing address is Robert C. Byrd Hilltop Office Complex, 610 State Route 956, Building 494, Rocket Center, WV, 26726. COOP Phones: 304-726-7800 (Operator); 304-726-7859 (OFR editor direct dial); 304-726-7863 (Managing Editor).

Federal Register regulations and document drafting requirements remain in place by law. Agencies must continue to submit original signed paper documents with two certified copies (and disk whenever possible). Alternatively, agency signers enrolled in OFR's digital signature program may submit electronically authenticated documents via e-mail or web portal (www.fedreg.gov). Contact the OFR Information Services and Technology unit at 202-741-6020 for information about digital signature certificates.

If an attack or threat of attack on the United States severely affects Federal Register operations, the President may declare a national security emergency and activate the Emergency Federal Register (EFR) system in place of the daily Federal Register. See 44 U.S.C. 1505(c) and E.O. 12656. The purpose of the EFR is to preserve the rule of law and a constitutional form of government, as per NSPD-51/HSPD-20. The Federal Register would continue to carry out its basic functions at an alternate location identified in this document or a classified location. Agencies would be informed of status of the emergency publication system through pre-established COOP/COG channels.

Note: the EFR can only be activated under extreme national security conditions, and only the President may authorize suspension of the regular Federal Register publication system.

Please direct any questions on this notice to the Legal Affairs and Policy Unit at 202-741-6030 or Fedreg.legal@nara.gov.

Thank you.

Raymond Mosley, Director
Office of the Federal Register

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