Excerpt from the June, 1997 BATF Explosives Newsletter:

ITEMS OF INTEREST
Proposed Changes To Explosives Regulations:

ATF has proposed to amend the regulations contained in 27 CFR Part 55. A notice of proposed rulemaking was published in the Federal Register on October 15, 1996. The proposed amendments involve requiring the explosives industry to notify local law enforcement officials and fire departments of sites where explosives are stored or manufactured, increasing the license and permit fees, elimination of the manufacturer-limited license, clarification of definitions, and amendment of the American Table of Distances to conform with the explosives industry's latest revisions.

These proposals were introduced for a 90 day comment period which ended on January 13, 1997. During the comment period, ATF received approximately 400 letters, primarily from the model rocket industry. Their comments suggested that ATF create a separate catagory for rocketry permits with lower fees. ATF is considering the relative merits of such a proposal and will issue a final rule in the near future.