Federal/National - Policies and Guidance This category references federal/national policies and guidance in the form of publication catalogs or listings of federal/national publications. Oftentimes these listings are found online on the Web. The references in this category identify types of policy or guidance (fact sheets, etc.), as well as subject areas covered. Online publication lists and catalogs can be especially useful. Many of these online sites have the full text of publications available for users to view, download and print. Online documents in HTML or ASCII format can be viewed directly using a standard Web browser. Online documents are sometimes in Adobe portable document format (PDF) which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view. Adobe Acrobat Reader can be obtained free of charge by clicking on the "Get Acrobat Reader" button at the bottom of the EnviroSource Home Page. Related References See the EnviroSource category Hotlines/Clearinghouses for organizations that typically provide federal/national policies and guidance. Definitions Policies specify administrative procedure for how government agencies should operate. Guidance typically elaborates and provides direction on regulations. Guidance is broadly defined in this category to include any publication from a federal/national government. Example subject areas include regulatory based procedures and methodologies; technical areas such as QA/QC, H&S, technology transfer and risk assessment; and guides written for the general public (citizen guides).