This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains notices to the public of the proposed

issuance of rules and regulations. The

purpose of these notices is to give interested

persons an opportunity to participate in the

rule making prior to the adoption of the final

rules.

Proposed Rules Federal Register

9694 

Vol. 76, No. 35 

Tuesday, February 22, 2011 

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL 

MANAGEMENT 

5 CFR Part 532 

RIN 3206–AM33 

Prevailing Rate Systems; Redefinition 

of the Northeastern Arizona and 

Colorado Appropriated Fund Federal 

Wage System Wage Areas 

AGENCY: U.S. Office of Personnel 

Management. 

ACTION: Proposed rule with request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Office of Personnel 

Management is issuing a proposed rule 

that would redefine the geographic 

boundaries of the Northeastern Arizona 

and Southern Colorado appropriated 

fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage 

areas. The proposed rule would redefine 

Dolores, Montrose, Ouray, San Juan, and 

San Miguel Counties, CO, and the 

Curecanti National Recreation Area 

portion of Gunnison County, CO, from 

the Southern Colorado wage area to the 

Northeastern Arizona wage area. These 

changes are based on recent consensus 

recommendations of the Federal 

Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee to 

best match the counties proposed for 

redefinition to a nearby FWS survey 

area. No other changes are proposed for 

the Northeastern Arizona and Southern 

Colorado FWS wage areas. 

DATES: We must receive comments on or 

before March 24, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Send or deliver comments 

to Jerome D. Mikowicz, Deputy 

Associate Director for Pay and Leave, 

Employee Services, U.S. Office of 

Personnel Management, Room 7H31, 

1900 E Street, NW., Washington, DC 

20415–8200; e-mail pay-performancepolicy@opm.gov; or FAX: (202) 606– 

4264. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Madeline Gonzalez, (202) 606–2838; email pay-performance-policy@opm.gov; 

or FAX: (202) 606–4264. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. 

Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 

is issuing a proposed rule to redefine 

the Northeastern Arizona and Southern 

Colorado appropriated fund Federal 

Wage System (FWS) wage areas. This 

proposed rule would redefine Dolores, 

Montrose, Ouray, San Juan, and San 

Miguel Counties, CO, and the Curecanti 

National Recreation Area portion of 

Gunnison County, CO, from the 

Southern Colorado wage area to the 

Northeastern Arizona wage area. 

OPM considers the following 

regulatory criteria under 5 CFR 532.211 

when defining FWS wage area 

boundaries: 

(i) Distance, transportation facilities, 

and geographic features; 

(ii) Commuting patterns; and 

(iii) Similarities in overall population, 

employment, and the kinds and sizes of 

private industrial establishments. 

Montrose County is currently defined 

to the Southern Colorado area of 

application. Based on our analysis of the 

regulatory criteria for defining 

appropriated fund FWS wage areas, we 

find that Montrose County would be 

more appropriately defined as part of 

the Northeastern Arizona area of 

application. When measuring to cities, 

the distance criterion favors the 

Northeastern Arizona wage area. When 

measuring to host installations, the 

distance criterion favors the Southern 

Colorado wage area. All other criteria 

are indeterminate. Although a standard 

review of regulatory criteria shows that 

most factors are indeterminate, distance 

to the closest cities does favor the 

Northeastern Arizona wage area. Based 

on this analysis, we recommend that 

Montrose County be redefined to the 

Northeastern Arizona wage area. 

Gunnison County is currently defined 

to the Southern Colorado area of 

application. Our analysis of the 

regulatory criteria indicates that 

Gunnison County is appropriately 

defined as part of the Southern Colorado 

area of application. The distance 

criterion favors the Southern Colorado 

wage area. All other criteria are 

indeterminate. Based on the mixed 

nature of our regulatory analysis 

findings, there is no clear indication 

that Gunnison County should be placed 

in a different FWS wage area. However, 

the Department of the Interior informs 

us that the Black Canyon of the 

Gunnison National Park in Montrose 

County and the Curecanti National 

Recreation Area in Gunnison County are 

co-managed and that the majority of 

employees who service the Black 

Canyon of the Gunnison National Park 

have duty stations at the Curecanti 

National Recreation Area. The two parks 

are adjacent, with the Curecanti 

National Recreation Area sharing its 

western boundary with the Black 

Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. 

Because we are recommending that 

Montrose County be redefined to the 

Northeastern Arizona wage area, and 

because of the organizational 

relationship and geographic proximity 

of these two parks, we recommend that 

the portion of Gunnison County 

occupied by the Curecanti National 

Recreation Area be part of the 

Northeastern Arizona wage area. This 

change would ensure that FWS 

employees at the Black Canyon of the 

Gunnison National Park and the 

Curecanti National Recreation Area are 

paid from the same wage schedule. The 

remaining portion of Gunnison County 

would continue to be part of the 

Southern Colorado wage area. We 

believe the mixed nature of our 

regulatory analysis findings indicates 

that the remaining locations in 

Gunnison County remain appropriately 

defined to the Southern Colorado wage 

area, with distance being the deciding 

factor. 

Dolores County is currently defined to 

the Southern Colorado area of 

application. Our analysis of the 

regulatory criteria indicates that Dolores 

County would be more appropriately 

defined as part of the Northeastern 

Arizona area of application. The 

distance criterion for Dolores County 

favors the Northeastern Arizona wage 

area more than the Southern Colorado 

wage area. The commuting patterns 

criterion slightly favors the Northeastern 

Arizona wage area. All other criteria are 

indeterminate. Based on this analysis, 

OPM proposes to redefine Dolores 

County to the Northeastern Arizona area 

of application. 

Ouray, San Juan, and San Miguel 

Counties are currently defined to the 

Southern Colorado area of application. 

Our analysis of the regulatory criteria 

indicates that Ouray, San Juan, and San 

Miguel Counties would be more 

appropriately defined as part of the 

Northeastern Arizona area of 

application. The distance criterion 

favors the Northeastern Arizona wage 

area more than the Southern Colorado 

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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 35 / Tuesday, February 22, 2011 / Proposed Rules 9695 

wage area. All other criteria are 

indeterminate. Since the distance 

criterion indicates that Ouray, San Juan, 

and San Miguel Counties are closer to 

the Northeastern Arizona survey area, 

we recommend that these three counties 

be redefined to the Northeastern 

Arizona wage area. 

The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory 

Committee (FPRAC), the national labormanagement committee responsible for 

advising OPM on matters concerning 

the pay of FWS employees, 

recommended these changes by 

consensus. These changes would be 

effective on the first day of the first 

applicable pay period beginning on or 

after 30 days following publication of 

the final regulations. FPRAC 

recommended no other changes in the 

geographic definitions of the 

Northeastern Arizona and Southern 

Colorado wage areas. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act 

I certify that these regulations would 

not have a significant economic impact 

on a substantial number of small entities 

because they would affect only Federal 

agencies and employees. 

List of Subjects in 5 CFR Part 532 

Administrative practice and 

procedure, Freedom of information, 

Government employees, Reporting and 

recordkeeping requirements, Wages. 

U.S. Office of Personnel Management. 

John Berry, 

Director. 

Accordingly, the U.S. Office of 

Personnel Management is proposing to 

amend 5 CFR part 532 as follows: 

PART 532—PREVAILING RATE 

SYSTEMS 

1. The authority citation for part 532 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 5343, 5346; § 532.707 

also issued under 5 U.S.C. 552. 

2. Appendix C to subpart B is 

amended by revising the wage area 

listings for the Northeastern Arizona 

and Colorado wage areas to read as 

follows: 

Appendix C to Subpart B of Part 532— 

Appropriated Fund Wage and Survey 

Areas 

* * * * * 

ARIZONA 

Northeastern Arizona 

Survey Area 

Arizona: 

Apache 

Coconino 

Navajo 

New Mexico: 

McKinley 

San Juan 

Area of Application. Survey Area plus: 

Colorado: 

Dolores 

Gunnison (Only includes the Curecanti 

National Recreation Area portion) 

La Plata 

Montezuma 

Montrose 

Ouray 

San Juan 

San Miguel 

Utah: 

Kane 

San Juan (Does not include the 

Canyonlands National Park portion) 

* * * * * 

COLORADO 

* * * * * 

Southwestern Colorado 

Survey Area 

Colorado: 

El Paso 

Pueblo 

Teller 

Area of Application. Survey Area plus: 

Colorado: 

Alamosa 

Archuleta 

Baca 

Bent 

Chaffee 

Cheyenne 

Conejos 

Costilla 

Crowley 

Custer 

Delta 

Fremont 

Gunnison (Does not include the Curecanti 

National Recreation Area portion) 

Hinsdale 

Huerfano 

Kiowa 

Kit Carson 

Las Animas 

Lincoln 

Mineral 

Otero 

Pitkin 

Prowers 

Rio Grande 

Saguache 

* * * * * 

[FR Doc. 2011–3769 Filed 2–18–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6325–39–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

7 CFR Part 1214 

[Document No. AMS–FV–10–0008–PR–1A] 

RIN 0581–AD00 

Proposed Christmas Tree Promotion, 

Research, and Information Order; 

Extension of Comment Period on 

Proposed Establishment of a Program 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Reopening and extension of 

comment period. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the comment period on the proposed 

establishment of an industry-funded 

promotion, research, and information 

program for fresh cut Christmas trees is 

reopened and extended. The comment 

period is also reopen and extended for 

the new Christmas tree information 

collection requirements by the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for the 

operation of the proposed program. The 

proposed Christmas Tree Promotion, 

Research, and Information Order 

(Proposed Order), was submitted to the 

Department of Agriculture (Department) 

by the Christmas Tree Checkoff Task 

Force, an industry wide group of 

producers and importers that support 

this proposed program. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

March 9, 2011. Pursuant to the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), 

comments on the information collection 

burden that would result from this 

proposal must be received by March 9, 

2011. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments on 

the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov or to the Research 

and Promotion Branch, Fruit and 

Vegetable Programs, AMS, USDA, 1400 

Independence Avenue, SW., Stop 0244, 

Room 0632–S, Washington, DC 20250– 

0244; fax: (202) 205–2800. All 

comments should reference the docket 

number and the date and page number 

of this issue of the Federal Register and 

will be made available for public 

inspection in the above office during 

regular business hours or can be viewed 

at http://www.regulations.gov. All 

comments submitted in response to this 

proposed rule will be included in the 

record and will be made available to the 

public. Please be advised that the 

identity of the individuals or entities 

submitting comments will be made 

public on the Internet at the address 

provided above. 

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