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

6201

Vol. 69, No. 27

Tuesday, February 10, 2004

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Commodity Credit Corporation 

7 CFR Part 1423 

RIN 0560–AE50 

Standards for Approval of Warehouses 

for CCC Interest Commodity Storage

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation, 

USDA.

ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening and 

extension of comment period. 

SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit 

Corporation (CCC) is reopening and 

extending the comment period for the 

proposed rulemaking, ‘‘Standards for 

Approval of Warehouses for CCC 

Interest Commodity Storage.’’ The 

original comment period for the 

proposed rule closed on January 20, 

2004, and CCC is reopening and 

extending it for 30 days. This action 

responds to requests from warehouse 

operators to provide more time to 

comment on the proposed rule.

DATES: Comments are due March 11, 

2004.

ADDRESSES: Comments and requests for 

additional information should be 

directed to Howard Froehlich, Chief, 

Program Development Branch, 

Warehouse and Inventory Division, 

Farm Service Agency, United States 

Department of Agriculture, 1400 

Independence Avenue, SW., STOP 

0553, Washington, DC 20250–0553, 

telephone: (202) 720–7398, FAX: (202) 

690–3123, e-mail: 

Howard_Froehlich@wdc.fsa.usda.gov.

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means for communication 

for regulatory information (braille, large 

print, audiotape, etc.) should contact 

USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720–

2600 (voice and TDD).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

November 20, 2003, CCC published a 

proposed rule, ‘‘Standards for Approval 

of Warehouses for CCC Interest 

Commodity Storage’’ in the Federal 

Register (68 FR 65412). The rule 

proposed to revise regulations covering 

the storage of commodities in which 

CCC has an interest. For the most part, 

those commodities are acquired in 

connection with non-recourse 

commodity loan programs that benefit 

farmers. The rule will consolidate the 

regulations for all commodities stored 

by CCC into one set of regulations. In 

addition, the rule would, in some 

instances, revise the substantive 

provisions that are in effect under the 

existing regulations. 

The Agency believes that the request 

for additional time to comment on the 

proposed rule is reasonable and will 

still allow the rulemaking to proceed in 

a timely manner. As a result of the 

reopening and extension, the comment 

period for the proposed rule will close 

on March 11, 2004.

Signed in Washington, DC, January 23, 

2004. 

James R. Little, 

Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit 

Corporation.

[FR Doc. 04–2785 Filed 2–9–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Office of Thrift Supervision 

12 CFR Part 502 

[No. 2004–06] 

RIN 1550–AB47 

Assessments and Fees

AGENCY: Office of Thrift Supervision, 

Treasury.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

SUMMARY: The Office of Thrift 

Supervision (OTS) is proposing to 

amend its rules on assessments and fees. 

The proposed rule would replace 

examination fees for savings and loan 

holding companies (SLHCs) with semiannual assessments on top-tier SLHCs. 

OTS would charge a base assessment 

amount on all top-tier SLHCs, and 

would add up to three additional 

components to this base amount. The 

three components would be based on 

the risk or complexity of the SLHC’s 

business, its organizational form, and its 

condition. OTS is also considering 

assessing certain SLHCs that are large 

and complex enterprises 

(conglomerates) under a separate 

assessment procedure and solicits 

comments on these assessment 

procedures. 

OTS also proposes to amend the 

existing rules governing the calculation 

of savings association semi-annual 

assessments. Specifically, OTS proposes 

to eliminate the alternative calculation 

for the asset size component currently 

available to small ‘‘qualifying savings 

associations.’’

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before March 26, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Mail: Send comments to 

Regulation Comments, Chief Counsel’s 

Office, Office of Thrift Supervision, 

1700 G Street, NW., Washington, DC 

20552, Attention: No. 2004–06. 

Commenters should be aware that there 

have been some unpredictable and 

lengthy delays in postal deliveries to the 

Washington, DC area and may prefer to 

make their comments via facsimile, email, or hand delivery. 

Delivery: Hand deliver comments to 

the Guard’s Desk, East Lobby Entrance, 

1700 G Street, NW., from 9 a.m. to 4 

p.m. on business days, Attention: 

Regulation Comments, Chief Counsel’s 

Office, No. 2004–06. 

Facsimiles: Send facsimile 

transmissions to Fax Number (202) 906–

6518, Attention: No. 2004–06. 

E-Mail: Send e-mails to 

regs.comments@ots.treas.gov, Attention: 

No. 2004–06, and include your name 

and telephone number. 

Availability of comments: OTS will 

post comments and the related index on 

the OTS Internet Site at 

www.ots.treas.gov. You may inspect 

comments at the Public Reading Room, 

1700 G Street, NW., by appointment. To 

make an appointment for access, call 

(202) 906–5922, send an e-mail to 

public.info@ots.treas.gov, or send a 

facsimile transmission to (202) 906–

7755. (Please identify the materials you 

would like to inspect to assist us in 

serving you.) We schedule 

appointments on business days between 

10 a.m. and 4 p.m. In most cases, 

appointments will be available the 

business day after the date we receive a 

request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Donna Deale, Manager, Affiliates and 

Holding Company Supervision, (202) 

906–7488; or Karen Osterloh, Special 

Counsel, Regulations and Legislation 

Division, Chief Counsel’s Office, (202)