Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced last week that the administration is seeking input from American manufacturers to learn about the unnecessary burdens they face from federal regulatory and permitting requirements. The request for information is intended to help execute President Donald Trump’s memorandum directing the secretary to ask stakeholders for ways to reduce regulatory burdens for domestic manufacturing and streamline the federal permitting process.

Based on the comments received, Secretary Ross and his department are expected to recommend regulatory reforms. Specifically, the secretary wants to identify the top four burdensome regulations affecting manufacturing and ways that regulatory compliance could be simplified. He wants to learn more about the type and number of permits required to build, expand or operate a manufacturing facility and which are the most onerous parts of the permitting process. He also aims to identify the federal, state and local agencies with best permitting processes.

The brief public comment period ends March 31.

IDFA is seeking member input on burdensome dairy regulations that should be brought to the attention of the Department of Commerce. These could include aligning the compliance dates for the Food and Drug Administration’s Nutrition Facts panel regulations with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s GMO disclosure requirements, aligning the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance with provisions in the Food Safety Modernization Act or reducing duplicative and unnecessary recordkeeping requirements.

IDFA encourages members to send input and suggestions to be incorporated into the association’s comments to Emily Lyons, IDFA director of regulatory affairs and counsel, at elyons@idfa.org before the March 31 deadline.