79560 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 250 / Monday, December 30, 2013 / Notices 

1See http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/construction/ 

contracts/cmaq131115.cfm 

State, SA–5, L/PD, Fifth Floor (Suite 

5H03), Washington, DC 20522–0505. 

Dated: December 18, 2013. 

Evan M. Ryan, 

Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational 

and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2013–31087 Filed 12–27–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 8579] 

Culturally Significant Objects Imported 

for Exhibition Determinations: ‘‘Khirbet 

el-Maqatir: History of a Biblical Site’’ 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the 

following determinations: Pursuant to 

the authority vested in me by the Act of 

October 19, 1965 (79 Stat. 985; 22 U.S.C. 

2459), Executive Order 12047 of March 

27, 1978, the Foreign Affairs Reform and 

Restructuring Act of 1998 (112 Stat. 

2681, et seq.; 22 U.S.C. 6501 note, et 

seq.), Delegation of Authority No. 234 of 

October 1, 1999, and Delegation of 

Authority No. 236–3 of August 28, 2000, 

I hereby determine that the objects to be 

included in the exhibition, ‘‘Khirbet elMaqatir: History of a Biblical Site,’’ 

imported from abroad for temporary 

exhibition within the United States, are 

of cultural significance. The objects are 

imported pursuant to loan agreements 

with the foreign owners or custodians. 

I also determine that the exhibition or 

display of the exhibit objects at the 

Dunham Bible Museum, Houston 

Baptist University, Houston, Texas, 

from on or about January 21, 2014, until 

on or about December 19, 2014, and at 

possible additional exhibitions or 

venues yet to be determined, is in the 

national interest. I have ordered that 

Public Notice of these Determinations 

be published in the Federal Register. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information, including a list of 

the exhibit objects, contact Paul W. 

Manning, Attorney-Adviser, Office of 

the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of 

State (telephone: 202–632–6469). The 

mailing address is U.S. Department of 

State, SA–5, L/PD, Fifth Floor (Suite 

5H03), Washington, DC 20522–0505. 

Dated: December 20, 2013. 

Evan Ryan, 

Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational 

and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2013–31064 Filed 12–27–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

Buy America Waiver Notification 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice provides 

information regarding the FHWA’s 

finding that a partial Buy America 

waiver is appropriate for the obligation 

of Federal-aid funds for 112 State 

requests regarding specific vehicle 

projects (including sedans, vans, 

pickups, SUVs, trucks, buses, and 

equipment, such as backhoes, street 

sweepers, tractors and low emission 

locomotives), including projects to 

retrofit vehicles with individual vehicle 

components, so long as they are 

assembled in the United States. The 

FHWA’s Buy America requirements 

provide that 100 percent of all steel and 

iron comprising a predominantly steel 

and iron product that is permanently 

incorporated into a project must be 

domestically manufactured. With 

respect to vehicles, manufacturers 

typically assemble these products with 

many different components and 

subcomponents containing steel and 

iron. As a result, vehicles are typically 

referred to as being made where the 

final product rolls off the assembly line 

for delivery into the marketplace. The 

FHWA is unaware of any vehicle that is 

comprised of 100 percent domestically 

produced steel and iron, resulting in a 

need for a partial Buy America waiver 

for these projects to proceed. 

DATES: The effective date of the waiver 

is December 31, 2013. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

questions about this notice, please 

contact Mr. Gerald Yakowenko, FHWA 

Office of Program Administration, (202) 

366–1562, or via email at 

gerald.yakowenko@dot.gov. For legal 

questions, please contact Mr. Michael 

Harkins, FHWA Office of the Chief 

Counsel, (202) 366–4928, or via email at 

michael.harkins@dot.gov. Office hours 

for the FHWA are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 

p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Electronic Access 

An electronic copy of this document 

may be downloaded from the Federal 

Register’s home page at: http:// 

www.archives.gov and the Government 

Printing Office’s database at: http:// 

www.access.gpo.gov/nara. 

Background 

The FHWA’s Buy America 

requirements at 23 U.S.C. 313 require a 

domestic manufacturing process for any 

steel or iron products (including 

protective coatings) that are 

permanently incorporated in a Federalaid project. The statute also provides for 

a waiver of the Buy America 

requirements when the application 

would be inconsistent with the public 

interest or when satisfactory quality 

domestic steel and iron products are not 

sufficiently available. This notice 

provides information regarding the 

FHWA’s finding that a partial Buy 

America waiver is appropriate for the 

obligation of Federal-aid funds for the 

purchase of 112 State requests regarding 

specific vehicle projects (including 

sedans, vans, pickups, SUVs, trucks, 

buses, and equipment, such as 

backhoes, street sweepers, and tractors 

and low emission locomotives).1

In accordance with Division A, 

section 122 of the ‘‘Consolidated and 

Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 

2012’’ (Pub. L. 112–284), the FHWA 

published a notice of intent to issue a 

waiver on its Web site for 112 State 

requests regarding specific vehicle 

projects (including sedans, vans, 

pickups, SUVs, trucks, buses, and 

equipment, such as backhoes, street 

sweepers, and tractors) (http:// 

www.fhwa.dot.gov/construction/ 

contracts/waivers.cfm?id=93) on 

November 15th. The FHWA received 20 

comments in response to the 

publication. No commenter objected to 

the waiver, and one commenter 

expressed concern regarding FHWA’s 

current process of approving a waiver 

for vehicle retrofit projects under the 

Congestion Mitigation Air Quality 

(CMAQ) Improvement Program. This 

commenter suggested that FHWA 

should make all diesel retrofit devices 

and components exempt from the Buy 

America requirements. 

The FHWA appreciates the need to 

provide clear guidance concerning the 

application of Buy America 

requirements to vehicles and diesel 

engine retrofit projects; however, the 

issuance of guidance for that subject is 

outside of the scope of this Notice. The 

FHWA issued a Federal Register Notice 

and Request for Comment on various 

aspects of the Buy America 

requirements on July 10, 2013. The 

FHWA is currently evaluating all 

comments and assessing the need for 

additional guidance or clarification. 

Based on all the information available 

to the agency, the FHWA concludes that 

maindgalligan on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES