33 C.F.R. § 1.05-30
Advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM)
An advance notice of proposed rulemaking may be used to alert the affected public about a new regulatory project, or when the Coast Guard needs more information about what form proposed regulations should take, the actual need for a regulation, the cost of a proposal, or any other information. The ANPRM may solicit general information or ask the public to respond to specific questions.