Prehearing conferences; procedural matters.

In any proceeding the Administrative Law Judge may direct that one or more conferences be held for the purpose of: (a) Clarifying issues; (b) Examining the possibility of obtaining stipulations, admissions of fact and of authenticity or contents of documents; (c) Determining matters of which official notice may be taken; (d) Discussing amendments to pleadings; (e) Limiting the number of witnesses; (f) Considering objections to the introduction of documentary evidence and the testimony of witnesses identified in prehearing materials filed or otherwise furnished by the parties pursuant to § 10.42; (g) Discussing adoption of shortened procedures pursuant to § 10.92; (h) Promoting a fair and expeditious hearing. At or following the conclusion of a prehearing conference, the Administrative Law Judge shall serve a prehearing memorandum containing agreements reached and any procedural determinations made by him, unless the conference shall have been recorded and transcribed in written form and a copy of the transcript has been made available to each party. [41 FR 2511, Jan. 16, 1976, as amended at 63 FR 55791, Oct. 19, 1998]