To support rule-writers, we are developing techniques to automatically analyze large number of public comments on proposed regulations. A document is analyzed in various ways including argument structure, topics, and opinions. The individual results are integrated into a unified output. The experiments reported here were performed on comments submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency in response to their proposed rule for mercury regulation. Categories and Subject Descriptors I.2.7 [Natural Languages]: Text analysis General Terms Algorithms, Experimentation, Human Factors, Languages Keywords Regulations, Electronic Rulemaking, Federal Government, Text Annotation, Semantic Frame, Argument Structure
Namhee Kwon, Stuart W. Shulman, Eduard H. Hovy