For clarity, ARIN has not yet approved 2009-3. The ARIN AC has revised it, and the revised version is going to be up for adoption discussion at the Dearborn meeting. If the community supports the revised version, and the ARIN AC votes to adopt it, then the other RIRs can decide whether they want to adopt that text as well.
Without global consensus, this policy doesn't really do much for us. It is written as a Global Policy because it directs IANA how to redistribute returned address space. That portion of the policy has to go through as a Global Policy, or not at all. Exactly. And that part of the policy is still common. So even if ARIN changes the conditions under which they decide to return addresses to
Scott Leibrand wrote: the pool for the common good, the policy can still go forward for adoption as a global policy. Of course the other RIRs might decide that ARIN's stance changes their minds on whether to adopt this policy, but that is a different situation. Nigel