(a) With respect to any Commission proceeding, all presentations to decisionmakers concerning matters listed on a Sunshine Agenda, whether ex parte or not, are prohibited during the period prescribed in paragraph (b) of this section unless:
- (1) The presentation is exempt under § 1.1204(a);
- (2) The presentation relates to settlement negotiations and otherwise complies with any ex parte restrictions in this subpart;
- (3) The presentation occurs in the course of a widely attended speech or panel discussion and concerns a Commission action in an exempt or a permit-but-disclose proceeding that has been adopted (not including private presentations made on the site of a widely attended speech or panel discussion); or
- (4) The presentation is made by a member of Congress or his or her staff, or by other agencies or branches of the Federal government or their staffs in a proceeding exempt under § 1.1204 or subject to permit-but-disclose requirements under § 1.1206. Except as otherwise provided in § 1.1204(a)(6), if the presentation is of substantial significance and clearly intended to affect the ultimate decision, and is made in a permit-but-disclose proceeding, the presentation (or, if oral, a summary of the presentation) must be placed in the record of the proceeding by Commission staff or by the presenter in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 1.1206(b).
(b) The prohibition set forth in paragraph (a) of this section begins on the day (including business days and holidays) after the release of a public notice that a matter has been placed on the Sunshine Agenda until the Commission:
- (1) Releases the text of a decision or order relating to the matter;
- (2) Issues a public notice stating that the matter has been deleted from the Sunshine Agenda; or
- (3) Issues a public notice stating that the matter has been returned to the staff for further consideration, whichever occurs first.
- (c) The prohibition set forth in paragraph (a) of this section shall not apply to the filing of a written ex parte presentation or a memorandum summarizing an oral ex parte presentation made on the day before the Sunshine period begins, or a permitted reply thereto.
[62 FR 15855, Apr. 3, 1997, as amended at 64 FR 68947, Dec. 9, 1999; 76 FR 24381, May 2, 2011]