WASHINGTON, District of Columbia USA — U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyoming, said comments made by the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy (Advocacy) regarding a rule proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF ) are further evidence that the ATF should consider the broader ramifications of its actions.

Enzi's praise came after Advocacy released a statement outlining its concerns regarding the ATF's proposed Commerce in Explosives rule. The rule proposes changes to requirements for record keeping and storage facilities for explosives.

Enzi is concerned with the impact that the proposed storage changes could have on small businesses and hobbyists, specifically model rocket shops and rocketeers. Enzi has been at the forefront of the effort to preserve rocketeering. Enzi introduced a bill that would loosen the purchasing and transportation restrictions currently imposed on model rocket hobbyists by the ATF, which classifies rocket propellant as an explosive.

"This report confirms my concerns that this rule could have a very negative impact on small business," said Enzi. "The changes in storage magazine construction materials and lock requirements could force a huge capital expense on small businesses and hobbyists in order for them to be compliant."

Advocacy urged the ATF "to better identify the small entities that would be affected by the proposed rule and to perform an economic analysis that would more accurately measure the economic impact of the proposed rule on those small entities."

By monitoring and reporting on agencies' compliance with the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA), Advocacy ensures that the voice of small business is brought into the regulatory development process. Advocacy is an independent entity within the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

For more information on Enzi's model rocket bill you may visit his website at http://enzi.senate.gov/. A complete list of the Office of Advocacy's comments can be accessed via the internet at http://www.sba.gov/advo/laws/comments/atf03_0707.pdf.