Research Guides: Food, Farming & Sustainability Research Guide: Fiinding Administrative Materials

Federal Agencies

There are a few federal regulatory agencies that are involved in this area, including the FDA, USDA and the EPA. Each regulatory scheme is unique, but there are similar features. All of the agency's powers are set forth in the agency's enabling statute (power to issue regulations, investigate, prosecute, and/or adjudicate). Also the Administrative Procedure Act controls the administrative processes for all agencies.

Types of documents a researcher might be interested in include:

Rules/Regulations
Decisions/Orders
Licenses
Interpretive and guidance materials

Federal Regulations

Westlaw (law faculty and law students only) This link opens in a new window
Beginning at the homepage, select Regulations > Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) > Code of Federal Regulations Index (top right box)
Also included are litigation materials, international legal materials, news and business information, and secondary legal authority such as law reviews, bar association journals, attorney practice materials, and legal treatises. Content is organized by types of material, jurisdiction, legal topics, etc., with powerful search capabilities. The license agreement for password access to Westlaw limits authorized users to University of Oregon Law School faculty, administration, staff, and students and may be used only for the educational purposes of the Law program.

e-CFR
Regularly updated version of the CFR by the GPO.
Annual CFR
Annual version of the CFR
Federal Register
Federal Register contains daily notices from agencies (proposed rules, final rules, etc.)
Federal Register (Office of Federal Register)
Use the Browse or Search tabs at the top of the page to locate materials

ProQuest Regulatory Insight This link opens in a new window
ProQuest Regulatory Insight offers U.S. federal administrative
law histories organized by federal statute and Executive Order.

Other Federal Regulatory Materials

Westlaw (law faculty and law students only) This link opens in a new window
Beginning at the homepage, select Administrative Decisions & Guidance > All Federal Administrative Decisions & Guidance > Agency
Also included are litigation materials, international legal materials, news and business information, and secondary legal authority such as law reviews, bar association journals, attorney practice materials, and legal treatises. Content is organized by types of material, jurisdiction, legal topics, etc., with powerful search capabilities. The license agreement for password access to Westlaw limits authorized users to University of Oregon Law School faculty, administration, staff, and students and may be used only for the educational purposes of the Law program.

It is highly advisable for researchers to go to the agency's website. Much more information can be found here. Either look for a menu at the top of the site or go to the bottom of the site to find regulations, decisions, notices, letters or other legal materials.