10538 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 32 / Thursday, February 15, 2001 / Notices

DATES: The meeting will be held on

February 21, 2001 from 8:30 am–5 pm;

February 22, 2001 from 8:30 am–12

noon. Registration will begin at 8 am

each day. To facilitate maximum

participation and information sharing,

the meeting will be open to the public.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the NRC’s Region IV Office, 611 Ryan

Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington, Texas

76011–8064.

Members of the public who are unable

to attend the meeting can send

comments to the Office of the Secretary,

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,

Washington, DC 20555–0001, Attention:

National Materials Program Working

Group.

A notice about this meeting is also

published at the NRC web site, News

and Information, Public Meetings, Other

Meetings (http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/

PUBLIC/meet.html#OTHER).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

James Myers, Project Manager, Office of

State and Tribal Programs, U.S. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission, Washington,

DC 20555; Telephone: 301–415–2328; Email: jhm@nrc.gov

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 32

Agreement States (AS) regulate about 70

percent of the total number of

radioactive materials licensees. NRC is

forecasting three more AS by FY 2003.

This will bring the percentage of

licensees regulated by AS to more than

80 percent. With a declining number of

licensees, NRC believes that its

activities that support the national

program infrastructure (rulemaking,

guidance development, information

technology systems, technical support,

event follow up and the Integrated

Materials Performance Evaluation

Program) will have a significant impact

on an increasingly smaller number of

NRC licensees.

The NRC staff determined that the

following issues were key to defining

and implementing State and Federal

roles under a national program:

delineate the scope of activities to be

covered by the program and need for

statutory changes at the State and

Federal levels; establish formal program

coordination mechanisms; establish

performance indicators, a program

assessment process to measure

performance and ensure program

evolution; and provisioning and

budgeting of both State and Federal

resources for the program. Additionally,

it was directed that the project be

completed by May 1, 2001.

To assure adequate coordination and

sharing of information with OAS,

CRCPD and the public, it is the

intention of the working group to place

information at the Office of State and

Tribal Programs web site http://

www.hsrd.ornl.gov/nrc/home.html.

Notices of future meetings will be

posted at the NRC web site’s Public

Meeting Notice area: http://

www.nrc.gov/NRC/PUBLIC/

meet.html#OTHER. To facilitate

maximum participation and information

sharing, the working group’s meetings

will be open to the public. Future

meeting notices will be published at the

NRC web site, News and Information,

Public Meetings, Other Meetings.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 8th day

of February, 2001.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Frederick C. Combs,

Deputy Director, Office of State and Tribal

Programs.

[FR Doc. 01–3826 Filed 2–14–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

Correction to Biweekly Notice

Applications and Amendments to

Operating Licenses Involving No

Significant Hazards Consideration

On February 7, 2001 (66 FR 9377), the

Federal Register published the

‘‘Biweekly Notice of Applications and

Amendments to Operating Licenses

Involving No Significant Hazards

Considerations.’’ On page 9377, column

3, second paragraph, ‘‘January 29, 2001,

through February 9, 2001’’ should read

‘‘January 16, 2001 through January 26,

2001.’’

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day

of February 2001.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

John A. Zwolinski,

Director, Division of Licensing Project

Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation.

[FR Doc. 01–3827 Filed 2–14–01; 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 February 2001. The

interest assumptions for performing

multiemployer plan valuations

following mass withdrawal under part

4281 apply to valuation dates occurring

in March 2001.

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 February 2001 is 4.71 percent (i.e., 85

percent of the 5.54 percent yield figure

for January 2001).

The following table lists the assumed

interest rates to be used in determining

variable-rate premiums for premium

payment years beginning between

March 2000 and February 2001.

For premium payment years

beginning in

The assumed

interest rate is

March 2000 ........................... 5.30

April 2000 ............................. 5.14

May 2000 .............................. 4.97

June 2000 ............................. 5.23

July 2000 .............................. 5.04

August 2000 ......................... 4.97

September 2000 ................... 4.86

October 2000 ........................ 4.96

November 2000 .................... 4.93

December 2000 .................... 4.91

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 32 / Thursday, February 15, 2001 / Notices 10539

1 15 U.S.C 78s(b)(1)

2 17 CFR 240.19b–4

3 17 CFR 240.19b(f)(6).

4Since the proposal rule change was filed with

the Commission, the Exchange made a technical

change to the text of proposed Amex Rule 934(a)

to insert the word ‘‘and.’’ The change does not

affect the substance of the rule. Telephone

conversation between Claire McGrath, Vice

President and Special Counsel, Amex, and Jennifer

Colihan, Special Counsel, Division of Market

Regulation, Commission, on February 6, 2001.

5Currently, only market and marketable limit

orders up to specifically established sizes are

eligible for execution through Auto-Ex; however,

the Exchange has a proposal pending before the

Commission that would allow the automatic

execution of non-marketable limit orders that

improve the best price available on the Exchange

by automatically executing such limit order if the

current best bid/offer quote on another market is

better than the Amex quote by a predefined number

of ticks. (See SR-Amex 00–29.)

For premium payment years

beginning in

The assumed

interest rate is

January 2001 ........................ 4.67

February 2001 ...................... 4.71

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 March

2001 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 12th day

of February 2001.

John Seal,

Acting Executive Director, Pension Benefit

Guaranty Corporation.

[FR Doc. 01–3882 Filed 2–14–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7708–01–P

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE

COMMISSION

[Release No. 34–43938; File No. SR-Amex–

01–03]

Self-Regulatory Organizations; Notice

of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness

of Proposed Rule Change by the

American Stock Exchange LLC

Relating to the Prohibition Against

Members Functioning as Market

Makers and the Entry of Electronically

Generated Orders Into the Exchange’s

Order Routing System

February 7, 2001.

Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934 1 (the

‘‘Act’’) and Rule 19b–4 thereunder 2,

notice is hereby given that on February

1, 2001, the American Stock Exchange

LLC (‘‘Amex’’ or ‘‘Exchange’’) filed with

the Securities and Exchange

Commission (‘‘SEC’’) or ‘‘Commission’’)

the proposed rule change as described

in Items I, II, and III below, which Items

have been prepared by the Exchange.

The Exchange has designated the

proposed rule change as constituting a

‘‘non-controversial’’ rule change under

paragraph (f)(6) of Rule 19b–4 under the

Act,3 which renders the proposal

effective upon receipt of this filing by

the Commission. The Commission is

publishing this notice to solicit

comments on the proposed rule change

from interested persons.

I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s

Statement of the Terms of Substance of

the Proposed Rule Change

The Amex proposes to adopt new

Rule 934, which restricts the entry of

certain option limit orders and prohibits

the entry of orders that are created and

communicated electronically without

manual input into the Exchange’s order

routing and execution systems. The text

of the proposed rule change is available

at the Office of the Secretary, Amex and

at the Commission.

II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s

Statement of the Purpose of, and

Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule

Change

In its filing with the Commission, the

Amex included statements concerning

the purpose of and basis for the

proposed rule change and discussed any

comments it received on the proposed

rule change. The text of these statements

may be examined at the places specified

in Item IV below. The Amex has

prepared summaries, set forth in

sections A, B, and C below, of the most

significant aspects of such statements.

A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s

Statement of the Purpose of, and the

Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule

Change

1. Purpose

The Exchange proposes to adopt new

Rule 934 restricting the entry of certain

option limit orders and of orders that

are created and communicated

electronically without manual input

into the Exchange’s electronic order

routing and delivery system (Amex

Order File—AOF), which routes orders

of up to 250 option contracts to the

Exchange’s electronic order execution

and processing systems (i.e., Auto-Ex

and the Amex Options Display Book or

AODB).

The proposed new rule provides that

members, acting as either principal or

agent, may not permit the entry of

orders into the electronic order routing

system if the orders are limit orders for

the account or accounts of the same or

related beneficial owners and the limit

orders are entered in such a manner that

the member of the beneficial owner(s)

effectively is operating as a market

maker by holding itself out as willing to

buy and sell such securities on a regular

or continuous basis. In determining

whether a member or beneficial owner

effectively is operating as a market

maker, the Exchange will consider,

among other things, the simultaneous or

near-simultaneous entry of limit orders

to buy and sell the same security; the

multiple acquisition and liquidation of

positions in the security during the

same day; and the entry of multiple

limit orders at different prices in the

same security.4

The proposed rule would also

prohibit members from entering orders

that are created and communicated

electronically without manual input and

if such orders are eligible for execution

through the Exchange’s Automatic

Execution System (‘‘Auto-Ex’’).5 Orders

entered by customers or associated

persons of members will be deemed to

involve manual input if the terms of the

order are entered into an order-entry

screen or there is a manual selection of

a displayed order against which an offsetting order should be sent. It should

be noted that members shall not be

prohibited from electronically

communicating to the Exchange orders

entered by customers into front-end

communication systems (e.g., Internet

gateways, online networks, etc.).

The Exchange states that its business

model depends upon specialists and

registered options traders for

competition and liquidity. To encourage

participation by these market makers,

the Exchange needs to limit the ability

of non-specialists/registered traders to

compete on preferential terms within its

automated systems. In addition,

customer orders are provided with

certain benefits such as automatic

execution, priority of bids and offers

and firm quote guarantees, and thus

should not be allowed to act as market

makers. The proposed rule will prevent

non-specialist/registered trader

members and their customers from

reaping the benefits of market making

activities without any of the

concomitant obligations such as

providing continuous quotations during