Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 219 / Friday, November 13, 1998 / Notices 63511

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Victor Nerses,

Senior Project Manager, Project Directorate

I–2, Division of Reactor Projects-I/II, Office

of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.

[FR Doc. 98–30418 Filed 11–12–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

Boiling-Water Reactor Licensees Use

of the BWRVIP–05 Report To Request

Relief From Augmented Examination

Requirements on Reactor Pressure

Vessel Circumferential Shell Welds;

Issue

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory

Commission.

ACTION: Notice of Issuance.

SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (NRC) has issued Generic

Letter (GL) 98–05 to all holders of

operating licenses for nuclear power

reactors, except those who have

permanently ceased operations and

have certified that fuel has been

permanently removed from the reactor

vessel, to inform them that the NRC staff

has completed its review of the ‘‘BWR

Vessel and Internals Project (BWRVIP),

BWR Reactor Pressure Vessel Shell

Weld Inspection Recommendations

(BWRVIP–05),’’ and that they may

request permanent (i.e., for the

remaining term of operation under the

existing, initial license) relief from the

inservice inspection requirements of 10

CFR 50.55a(g) for the volumetric

examination of circumferential reactor

pressure vessel welds, by demonstrating

that: (1) At the expiration of the license,

the circumferential welds will continue

to satisfy the limiting conditional failure

probability for circumferential welds

stated in the NRC staff’s July 28, 1998,

safety evaluation, and (2) licensees have

implemented operator training and

established procedures that limit the

frequency of cold over-pressure events

to that specified in the staff’s July 28,

1998, safety evaluation. Addressees will

still need to perform their required

inspections of ‘‘essentially 100 percent’’

of all axial welds.

The generic letter is available in the

NRC Public Document Room under

accession number 9811030134.

DATES: The generic letter was issued on

November 10, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Not applicable.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Gene Carpenter, at (301) 415–2169.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

generic letter requires no specific action

or written response. Any action on the

part of an addressee to request relief

from the inservice inspection

requirements of 10 CFR 50.55a(g) is

strictly voluntary.

Dated at Rockville, Md., this 10th day of

November 1998.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Jack W. Roe,

Acting Director, Division of Reactor Program

Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation.

[FR Doc. 98–30417 Filed 11–12–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

PENSION BENEFIT GUARANTY

CORPORATION

Interest Assumption for Determining

Variable-Rate Premium; Interest

Assumptions for Multiemployer Plan

Valuations Following Mass Withdrawal

AGENCY: Pension Benefit Guaranty

Corporation.

ACTION: Notice of interest rates and

assumptions.

SUMMARY: This notice informs the public

of the interest rates and assumptions to

be used under certain Pension Benefit

Guaranty Corporation regulations. These

rates and assumptions are published

elsewhere (or are derivable from rates

published elsewhere), but are collected

and published in this notice for the

convenience of the public. Interest rates

are also published on the PBGC’s web

site (http://www.pbgc.gov).

DATES: The interest rate for determining

the variable-rate premium under part

4006 applies to premium payment years

beginning in November 1998. The

interest assumptions for performing

multiemployer plan valuations

following mass withdrawal under part

4281 apply to valuation dates occurring

in December 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Harold J. Ashner, Assistant General

Counsel, Office of the General Counsel,

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation,

1200 K Street, NW., Washington, DC

20005, 202–326–4024. (For TTY/TDD

users, call the Federal relay service tollfree at 1–800–877–8339 and ask to be

connected to 202–326–4024.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Variable-Rate Premiums

Section 4006(a)(3)(E)(iii)(II) of the

Employee Retirement Income Security

Act of 1974 (ERISA) and § 4006.4(b)(1)

of the PBGC’s regulation on Premium

Rates (29 CFR part 4006) prescribe use

of an assumed interest rate in

determining a single-employer plan’s

variable-rate premium. The rate is the

‘‘applicable percentage’’ (described in

the statute and the regulation) of the

annual yield on 30-year Treasury

securities for the month preceding the

beginning of the plan year for which

premiums are being paid (the ‘‘premium

payment year’’). The yield figure is

reported in Federal Reserve Statistical

Releases G.13 and H.15.

For plan years beginning before July

1, 1997, the applicable percentage of the

30-year Treasury yield was 80 percent.

The Retirement Protection Act of 1994

(RPA) amended ERISA section

4006(a)(3)(E)(iii)(II) to change the

applicable percentage to 85 percent,

effective for plan years beginning on or

after July 1, 1997. (The amendment also

provides for a further increase in the

applicable percentage—to 100 percent—

when the Internal Revenue Service

adopts new mortality tables for

determining current liability.)

The assumed interest rate to be used

in determining variable-rate premiums

for premium payment years beginning

in November 1998 is 4.26 percent (i.e.,

85 percent of the 5.01 percent yield

figure for October 1998).

(Under section 774(c) of the RPA, the

amendment to the applicable percentage

was deferred for certain regulated public

utility (RPU) plans for as long as six

months. The applicable percentage for

RPU plans has therefore remained 80

percent for plan years beginning before

January 1, 1998. For ‘‘partial’’ RPU

plans, the assumed interest rates to be

used in determining variable-rate

premiums can be computed by applying

the rules in § 4006.5(g) of the premium

rates regulation. The PBGC’s 1997

premium payment instruction booklet

also describes these rules and provides

a worksheet for computing the assumed

rate.)

The following table lists the assumed

interest rates to be used in determining

variable-rate premiums for premium

payment years beginning between

December 1997 and November 1998.

The rate for December 1997 in the table

(which reflects an applicable percentage

of 85 percent) applies only to non-RPU

plans. However, the rates for months

after December 1997 apply to RPU (and

‘‘partial’’ RPU) plans as well as to nonRPU plans.

For premium payment years beginning in:

The assumed interest

rate is:

December 1997 ............................ 5.19

January 1998 ................................ 5.09

February 1998 .............................. 4.94

March 1998 ................................... 5.01

April 1998 ...................................... 5.06

May 1998 ...................................... 5.03
63512 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 219 / Friday, November 13, 1998 / Notices

For premium payment years beginning in:

The assumed interest

rate is:

June 1998 ..................................... 5.04

July 1998 ...................................... 4.85

August 1998 .................................. 4.83

September 1998 ........................... 4.71

October 1998 ................................ 4.42

November 1998 ............................ 4.26

Multiemployer Plan Valuations

Following Mass Withdrawal

The PBGC’s regulation on Duties of

Plan Sponsor Following Mass

Withdrawal (29 CFR part 4281)

prescribes the use of interest

assumptions under the PBGC’s

regulation on Allocation of Assets in

Single-employer Plans (29 CFR part

4044). The interest assumptions

applicable to valuation dates in

December 1998 under part 4044 are

contained in an amendment to part 4044

published elsewhere in today’s Federal

Register. Tables showing the

assumptions applicable to prior periods

are codified in appendix B to 29 CFR

part 4044.

Issued in Washington, DC, on this 6th day

of November 1998.

John Seal,

Acting Executive Director, Pension Benefit

Guaranty Corporation.

[FR Doc. 98–30447 Filed 11–12–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7708–01–P

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL

MANAGEMENT

New Application Procedures for

Federal Jobs (Automated Resume

Processing)

AGENCY: Office of Personnel

Management (OPM).

ACTION: Notice with request for written

comments.

SUMMARY: This notice announces

approval for Federal agencies to restrict

application format for employment

consideration to the resume when

applications will be processed using

automation.

Beginning on November 13, 1998,

agencies may continue to accept the

Optional Application for Federal

Employment (OF–612), resumes, or

other written formats when considering

applicants for Federal employment; or

agencies may choose to restrict

application format to the resume when

applications will be processed using

automation.

The OPM pamphlet, Applying for a

Federal Job (OF–510), which describes

what applicants should include in

resumes or applications submitted for

consideration for Federal jobs, will be

updated to include a sample resume

document and to explain new agency

application processing options.

Applicants can get copies of the

updated pamphlet beginning in

December 1998 from the USAJOBS

Governmentwide Automated

Employment Information System.

OPM has implemented an online

resume builder on the USAJOBS web

site at www.usajobs.opm.gov. The

online resume builder allows applicants

to prepare a resume that they can print

for personal use; save and/or edit on the

web site for future use; and

electronically submit for agencyspecified job opportunities in the

Federal Jobs Database. The online

resume builder contains all of the data

elements outlined in the Applying for a

Federal Job pamphlet as required for

resumes submitted for Federal

employment. The resume builder

produces a resume suitable for both

manual and electronic processing.

This action is being taken to continue

and expand employment application

options for both Federal agencies and

job applicants.

The Office of Personnel Management

and other Federal agencies rate

applicants for Federal jobs under the

authority of 5 U.S.C. 1104, 1302, 3301,

3304, 3320, 3361, 3393, and 3394.

DATES: Written comments will be

considered if received on or before

December 14, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Send or deliver written

comments to Mary Lou Lindholm,

Associate Director for Employment, U.S.

Office of Personnel Management, 1900 E

Street NW., Washington, DC 20415.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Richard Whitford at 202–606–1031

(rawhitfo@opm.gov) or Claire Gibbons at

202–606–1221 (cxgibbon@opm.gov).

U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Janice R. Lachance,

Director.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In a

December 16, 1994, Federal Register

notice (59 FR 65086) OPM announced a

new application process that became

effective on January 1, 1995. Under the

new procedures, agencies filling

positions in the competitive service, the

excepted service and the Senior

Executive Service could no longer

require the SF–171, Application for

Federal Employment, as the only

acceptable application form for

employment, but also had to inform

applicants for most jobs that they could

apply with a resume, the Optional

Application for Federal Employment

(OF–612), or any other written format of

their choice, including the SF–171.

Authorization of the SF–171 as an

official form expired on December 31,

1994. Exceptions for the creation of

special forms for unique jobs or jobs

filled through automation were allowed.

The new procedures were established to

implement a National Performance

Review (NPR) recommendation to OPM

to eliminate standard forms because the

length and complexity discouraged

applicants from seeking Federal

employment. An interagency task force

of 16 Federal agencies recommended

the new application procedures that let

applicants choose the format of their

application. The new procedures were

reviewed and accepted by the National

Partnership Council, the Interagency

Advisory Group, unions, and

organizations representing major

constituency groups. As the

proliferation of Government forms

would be counter to the NPR objective

to simplify the application process,

agencies were advised that they could

seek OMB approval for agency-specific

forms only for unique jobs with highly

specialized requirements or for special

forms needed for a computer-assisted

application system.

The Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) approved the new application

process for a period of three years which

ended on December 31, 1997. However,

due to requests received by the Federal

staffing community, authorization for

the Optional Application for Federal

Employment, OF–612, was extended for

a period of three years through

December 31, 2000.

At the time the Notice was issued, the

use of electronic application processing

systems was not widespread in Federal

agencies. Now more than three years

later, the staffing environment has

changed. Given full delegation of

examining authority and continued

downsizing, agencies are looking for

new ways to perform staffing work more

efficiently and cost effectively. Today’s

automated technology allows agencies

to accept employment applications via

fax, email and the world wide web.

Applications can be processed by

automated systems that are capable of

applying sophisticated search routines

to evaluate the competencies,

qualifications and skills that match the

knowledge, skills and abilities of jobs

being filled. To effectively use much of

this technology, the application format

must be limited to the resume.

The use of the resume is not

burdensome for job applicants. The

resume is the standard for applying for

employment in most segments of the