(a) When held.

(1) A public hearing must be held in connection with an investigation initiated under §618.210 whenever, but not later than 10 days after the date of publication in the Federal Register of the notice of receipt of the petition, such a hearing is requested in writing by:

(i) The petitioner; or

(ii) Any other person found by the Administrator to have a substantial interest in the proceedings.

(2) Such petitioner and other interested persons must be afforded an opportunity to be present, to produce evidence, and to be heard.

(3) An explanation of why the requestor is requesting the hearing must be provided to the Department.

(b) Form of request. A request for public hearing must be filed, in letter format, in the same manner as provided for other documents under §618.205(d)(2). The request must contain:

(1) The name, address, and telephone number of the person, organization, or group requesting the hearing;

(2) A complete statement of the relationship of the person, organization, or group requesting the hearing to the petitioner or the petition's subject matter; and

(3) An explanation of why the person, organization, or requestor of the hearing is interested in the matter.

(c) Time, place, and scope. The time, place, and scope of a public hearing will be set by the presiding officers and published in the Federal Register a reasonable period of time before the scheduled hearing.

(d) Presiding officer. The Administrator, or his or her designee, must conduct and preside over public hearings.

(e) Order of testimony. Witnesses will testify in the order designated by the presiding officer. Each witness, after being duly sworn, will proceed with testimony. After testifying, the presiding officer or an agent designated by the presiding officer may question the witness. Any person who has entered an appearance in accordance with paragraph (k) of this section may direct questions to the witness, but only for the purpose of assisting the presiding officer in obtaining relevant and material facts with respect to the subject matter of the hearing.

(f) Evidence. Witnesses may produce evidence of a relevant and material nature to the subject matter of the hearing.

(g) Briefs. Parties who have entered an appearance may file briefs regarding the evidence produced at the hearing. The briefs must be filed with the presiding officer within 10 days of the completion of the hearing.

(h) Oral argument. The presiding officer must provide opportunity for oral argument by parties listed in paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (ii) of this section after conclusion of the testimony in a hearing. The presiding officer will determine in each instance the time to be allowed for argument and the allocation thereof.

(i) Authentication of evidence. Evidence, oral or written, submitted at hearings, will, upon order of the presiding officer, be subject to verification from books, papers, and records of the parties submitting such evidence and from any other available sources.

(j) Transcripts. All hearings will be transcribed or recorded in compliance with the standards of the Department. Persons interested in records of the hearings may inspect them at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, DC.

(k) Appearances. Any person showing a substantial interest in the proceedings may enter an appearance at a hearing, either in person or by a duly authorized representative.