55996 Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 199 / Friday, October 15, 1999 / Notices

dated April 5, 1999, as supplemented on

August 27, 1999. These documents are

available for public inspection at the

Commission’s Public Document Room,

2120 L Street, NW, Washington, DC

20555 and the Local Public Document

Room at the Swem Library, the College

of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA

23185.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 7th day

of October 1999.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

E. William Brach,

Director, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of

Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.

[FR Doc. 99–26941 Filed 10–14–99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–U

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

Products and Results of Research at

the Organization for Economic

Cooperation and Development (OECD)

Halden Reactor Project

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory

Commission.

ACTION: Notice of seminar.

SUMMARY: The NRC has committed

through its Strategic Plan to conduct

confirmatory and anticipatory research

on issues of potential regulatory and

safety significance, engage in

cooperative, international research

agreements, and provide timely

information to our stakeholders. As part

of this commitment, a seminar has been

planned to present on-going research

being conducted at the OECD Halden

Reactor Project in Norway. The goal of

this seminar is to inform our

stakeholders of current research

activities and to solicit their

perspectives and interest in the safety

assessment of fuels, materials, and

nuclear power plant control room

design.

DATE: November 1–2, 1999—The

seminar will begin at 12:30 p.m. on

November 1st and end at 5 p.m. on

November 2nd.

LOCATION: Doubletree Hotel, Twinbrook,

Rockville, MD 20852.

CONTACT: Registration—Michael Scott,

Phone: (301) 415–5698, e-mail:

mas2@nrc.gov; General—Julius

Persensky, Phone: (301) 415–6759,

e-mail: jjp2@nrc.gov.

ATTENDANCE: This seminar is free and

open to the general public. All

individuals planning to attend should

preregister with Mr. Michael Scott by

telephone or e-mail and provide their

name, affiliation, phone number, and

e-mail address.

PROGRAM: This seminar describes past

and current research results, as well as

products and tools that may be useful in

a wide range of applications. There will

be four sessions covering the following

topics.

• Fuels and Materials Research.

• Human Factors Engineering and

Control Room Design.

• Virtual Reality Technology.

• Instrumentation and Control

Systems and Tools.

Dated in Rockville, Maryland this 7th day

of October 1999.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Charles E. Rossi,

Director, Division of Systems Analysis and

Regulatory Effectiveness.

[FR Doc. 99–26939 Filed 10–14–99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

PENSION BENEFIT GUARANTY

CORPORATION

Interest Assumption for Determining

Variable-Rate Premium; Interest on

Late Premium Payments; Interest on

Underpayments and Overpayments of

Single-Employer Plan Termination

Liability and Multiemployer Withdrawal

Liability; 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 October 1999. The interest

assumptions for performing

multiemployer plan valuations

following mass withdrawal under part

4281 apply to valuation dates occurring

in November 1999. The interest rates for

late premium payments under part 4007

and for underpayments and

overpayments of single-employer plan

termination liability under part 4062

and multiemployer withdrawal liability

under part 4219 apply to interest

accruing during the fourth quarter

(October through December) of 1999.

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’’ (currently 85

percent) 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.

The assumed interest rate to be used

in determining variable-rate premiums

for premium payment years beginning

in October 1999 is 5.16 percent (i.e., 85

percent of the 6.07 percent yield figure

for September 1999).

The following table lists the assumed

interest rates to be used in determining

variable-rate premiums for premium

payment years beginning between

November 1998 and October 1999.

For premium payment years beginning in

The assumed interest

rate is

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

December 1998 ............................ 4.46

January 1999 ................................ 4.30

February 1999 .............................. 4.39

March 1999 ................................... 4.56

April 1999 ..................................... 4.74

May 1999 ...................................... 4.72

June 1999 ..................................... 4.94

July 1999 ...................................... 5.13

August 1999 ................................. 5.08

September 1999 ........................... 5.16

October 1999 ................................ 5.16

Late Premium Payments;

Underpayments and Overpayments of

Single-Employer Plan Termination

Liability

Section 4007(b) of ERISA and

§ 4007.7(a) of the PBGC’s regulation on

Payment of Premiums (29 CFR part

4007) require the payment of interest on

late premium payments at the rate

established under section 6601 of the

Internal Revenue Code. Similarly,

§ 4062.7 of the PBGC’s regulation on
Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 199 / Friday, October 15, 1999 / Notices 55997

Liability for Termination of Singleemployer Plans (29 CFR part 4062)

requires that interest be charged or

credited at the section 6601 rate on

underpayments and overpayments of

employer liability under section 4062 of

ERISA. The section 6601 rate is

established periodically (currently

quarterly) by the Internal Revenue

Service. The rate applicable to the

fourth quarter (October through

December) of 1999, as announced by the

IRS, is 8 percent.

The following table lists the late

payment interest rates for premiums and

employer liability for the specified time

periods:

From Through Interest rate

(percent)

10/1/92 .............. 6/30/94 7

7/1/94 ................ 9/30/94 8

10/1/94 .............. 3/31/95 9

4/1/95 ................ 6/30/95 10

7/1/95 ................ 3/31/96 9

4/1/96 ................ 6/30/96 8

7/1/96 ................ 3/31/98 9

4/1/98 ................ 12/31/98 8

1/1/99 ................ 3/31/99 7

4/1/99 ................ 12/31/99 8

Underpayments and Overpayments of

Multiemployer Withdrawal Liability

Section 4219.32(b) of the PBGC’s

regulation on Notice, Collection, and

Redetermination of Withdrawal

Liability (29 CFR part 4219) specifies

the rate at which a multiemployer plan

is to charge or credit interest on

underpayments and overpayments of

withdrawal liability under section 4219

of ERISA unless an applicable plan

provision provides otherwise. For

interest accruing during any calendar

quarter, the specified rate is the average

quoted prime rate on short-term

commercial loans for the fifteenth day

(or the next business day if the fifteenth

day is not a business day) of the month

preceding the beginning of the quarter,

as reported by the Board of Governors

of the Federal Reserve System in

Statistical Release H.15 (‘‘Selected

Interest Rates’’). The rate for the fourth

quarter (October through December) of

1999 (i.e., the rate reported for

September 15, 1999) is 8.25 percent.

The following table lists the

withdrawal liability underpayment and

overpayment interest rates for the

specified time periods:

From Through Interest rate

(percent)

10/1/92 .............. 6/30/94 6.00

7/1/94 ................ 9/30/94 7.25

10/1/94 .............. 12/31/94 7.75

1/1/95 ................ 3/31/95 8.50

4/1/95 ................ 9/30/95 9.00

From Through Interest rate

(percent)

10/1/95 .............. 3/31/96 8.75

4/1/96 ................ 6/30/97 8.25

7/1/97 ................ 12/31/98 8.50

1/1/99 ................ 9/30/99 7.75

10/1/99 .............. 12/31/99 8.25

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

November 1999 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 8th day

of October 1999.

David M. Strauss,

Executive Director, Pension Benefit Guaranty

Corporation.

[FR Doc. 99–26959 Filed 10–14–99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7708–01–P

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE

COMMISSION

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

Upon Written Request, Copies Available

From: Securities and Exchange

Commission, Office of Filings and

Information Services, Washington, DC

20549

Extension:

Rule 10b–17 SEC File No. 270–427 OMB

Control No. 3235–0476

Notice is hereby given that pursuant

to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) the Securities

and Exchange Commission

(‘‘Commission’’) has submitted to the

Office of Management and Budget a

request for extension of the previously

approved collection of information

discussed below.

Rule 10b–17, Untimely

announcements of record dates (17 CFR

240.10b–17).

Rule 10b–17 requires any issuer of a

class of securities publicly traded by the

use of any means or instrumentality or

interstate commerce or of the mails or

of any facility of any national securities

exchange to give notice of the following

actions relating to such class of

securities: (1) a dividend; (2) a stock

split; or (3) a rights or other subscription

offering. Notice shall be (1) given to the

National Association of Securities

Dealers, Inc.; (2) in accordance with the

procedures of the national securities

exchange upon which the securities are

registered; or (3) may be waived by the

Commission.

The information required by Rule

10b–17 is necessary for the execution of

the Commission’s mandate under the

Exchange Act to prevent fraudulent,

manipulative, and deceptive acts and

practices by broker-dealers. The

consequence of not requiring the

information collection pursuant to Rule

10b–17 is that sellers who have received

distributions as recordholders may

dispose of the cash or stock dividends

or other rights received as recordholders

without knowledge of possible claims of

purchasers.

Annually, there are approximately

29,430 respondents (based on

information received from the NASD

that it received 15,586 responses in

1998 and the NYSE that it received

13,847 responses in 1998). It is

estimated that each response takes about

10 minutes (or 0.1666 hours) to

complete, thus imposing approximately

4,905 burden hours annually (29,430 ×

0.1666). We believe that the average

hourly cost to produce and file a

response under the rule is about $50.

Therefore, the annual reporting cost

burden for complying with this rule is

about $245,250 (4,905 × $50).

An agency may not conduct or

sponsor, and a person is not required to

respond to, a collection of information

unless it displays a currently valid

control number. Written comments

regarding the above information should

be directed to the following persons: (i)

Desk Officer for the Securities and

Exchange Commission, Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Office of Management and Budget,

Room 10102, New Executive Office

Building, Washington, D.C. 20503; and

(ii) Michael E. Bartell, Associate

Executive Director, Office of

Information Technology, Securities and

Exchange Commission, 450 Fifth Street,

NW., Washington DC 20549. Comments

must be submitted to OMB within 30

days of this notice.

Dated: October 7, 1999.

Margaret H. McFarland,

Deputy Secretary.

[FR Doc. 99–26889 Filed 10–14–99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8010–01–M