### 56868 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 179 / Monday, September 16, 2013 / Notices

necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.

Title of Collection: Program for International Student Assessments (PISA) Validation Study.

OMB Control Number: 1850–NEW. Type of Review: A new collection. Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or households.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 5,810.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 2,240.

Abstract: PISA (Program for International Student Assessment OMB #1850–0755) is an international assessment of 15-year-olds designed to evaluate, at the end of compulsory education, how well students are prepared for further education or entry into the workforce and, more fundamentally, to contribute to society as functioning young adults. However,PISA has been implemented as a crosssectional study and, thus, the claim that PISA assesses key competencies for later success has never been tested in the United States. What is lacking is an empirical linkage between PISA and measures of successful transition from high school to postsecondary education, the workforce, or the types of skills required for successful participation in adult life. This Validation Study is designed to provide this empirical linkage. (A separate OMB number is being requested for this clearance since it is a separate study from the PISA #1850–0755 collection.) Students in the U.S. who participated in PISA in 2012 and supplied contact information will be contacted in early 2013 and invited to participate in the PISA Validation Study. In 2015, when these students will be 18 years old, they will be asked to complete an online questionnaire and assessment, based on those used in the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), assessing their literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills, and asking them about their educational attainment, education and work experiences, skills used in daily life, and aspects of health and well-being. This submission is for address updates of both filed trial and main study sample members, and will be followed in 2014 by requests for field test and main study recruitment and data collections activities.

Kate Mullan, Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management.

[FR Doc. 2013–22473 Filed 9–13–13; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 4000–01–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION**

**[Docket No.: ED–2013–ICCD–0123]**

**Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Lender’s**  **Request for Payment of Interest and Special Allowance—LaRS** 

**AGENCY :**  Federal Student Aid (FSA), Department of Education (ED).

**ACTION :**  Notice.

**SUMMARY :**  In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq. ), ED is proposing an extension of an existing information collection.

**DATES :**  Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before November 15, 2013.

**ADDRESSES :**  Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http:// www.regulations.gov by selecting Docket ID number ED–2013–ICCD–0123 or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. Please note that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period will not be accepted. Written requests for information or comments submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the Director of the Information Collection Clearance Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Room 2E103, Washington, DC 20202–4537.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  For questions related to collection activities or burden, please call Kate Mullan, 202– 401–0563 or electronically mail ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. Please do not send comments here.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  The Department of Education (ED), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public’s reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department’s information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.

Title of Collection: Lender’s Request for Payment of Interest and Special Allowance—LaRS.

OMB Control Number: 1845–0013. Type of Review: An extension of an existing information collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal Governments.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 8,232.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 20,066.

Abstract: The Lender’s Request for Payment of Interest and Special Allowance (ED Form 799) is used by approximately 2,900 lenders participating in Title IV, Part B loan programs. The ED Form 799 is used to pay interest and special allowance to holders of the Part B loans; and to capture quarterly data from lender’s loan portfolio for financial and budgetary projections.

Kate Mullan, Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management.

[FR Doc. 2013–22430 Filed 9–13–13; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 4000–01–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY**

**Adjustment of Indemnification for Inflation** 

**AGENCY :**  Office of General Counsel, U.S Department of Energy.

**ACTION :**  Notice of adjusted indemnification amount.

**SUMMARY :**  The Department of Energy (DOE) is announcing the adjusted


### 56869 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 179 / Monday, September 16, 2013 / Notices

amount of indemnification provided under subsection 170d. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (AEA), 42 U.S.C.2210d., commonly known as the PriceAnderson Act. Subsection 170t. of the AEA requires an inflation adjustment of the indemnification amount at least once during each 5-year period following July 1, 2003, in accordance with the aggregate percentage change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) . This notice announces $12,697,798,000 as the second inflation-adjusted amount based on the aggregate percentage change in the CPI during the 5-year period from July 2008 to July 2013.

**DATES :**  This action is effective September 16, 2013.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Sophia Angelini, Attorney Advisor (GC– 52), Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586–0319.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  The PriceAnderson Act, section 170 of the AEA (42 U.S.C. 2210), establishes a system of financial protection for persons who may be liable for a ‘‘nuclear incident,’’ as defined at section 11q. of the AEA (42 U.S.C. 2014q.). The Price-Anderson Act is administered by the DOE with respect to the nuclear activities of contractors acting on DOE’s behalf. Subsection 170d. provides that the Secretary of Energy shall enter into agreements of indemnification with any person who may conduct activities under a contract with DOE that involve the risk of public liability and that are not subject to the financial protection requirements of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission system. DOE’s Price-Anderson Act indemnification contract provisions are codified in the Department of Energy Acquisition Regulation (DEAR), which sets forth a standard nuclear indemnification clause, the Nuclear Hazard Indemnity Clause at 48 CFR 952.250–70, that is incorporated into all DOE contracts and subcontractsinvolving source, special nuclear, or byproduct material.

Subsection 170t.(2) of the AEA requires that the Secretary adjust for inflation the amount of indemnification provided under an indemnification agreement pursuant to subsection 170d. at least once during each 5-year period following July 1, 2003, in accordance with the aggregate percentage change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI is defined in subsection 170t.(3) to mean the CPI for all urban consumers published by the Secretary of Labor. DOE’s initial adjustment increased the indemnification amount to $11.961 billion, 74 FR 52793 (October 14, 2009). This notice announces DOE’s second periodic inflation adjustment for the 5-year period following July 1, 2013 based on the aggregate percentage change in the CPI between July 1, 2008 and July 1, 2013.

The CPI in July 2008 was 219.964. In June 2013, the CPI was 233.504. This difference represents an increase of approximately 6.16%. Application ofthis increase to the initial inflationadjusted $11.961 billion DOE indemnification amount results in an inflation-adjusted indemnification amount rounded to the nearest thousand of $12,697,798,000.

The inflation adjustment under AEA, subsection 170t., applies only to a nuclear incident within the United States. There is no corresponding inflation adjustment for a nuclear incident outside the United States. Accordingly, the indemnification amount for a nuclear incident outside the United States continues to be $500 million.

The next inflation adjustment will be based on the incremental change in the CPI between July 1, 2013 and the date of the adjustment, which will be no later than July 1, 2018.

This notice of indemnification inflation adjustment is a ‘‘rule’’ as defined in the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 551(4)). However, the APA (5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B)) does not require an agency to use the public notice and comment process ‘‘when the agency for good cause finds (and incorporates the finding and a brief statement of reasons therefore in the rules issued) that notice and public procedure thereon are impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest.’’ In this instance, DOE has concluded that solicitation of public comment is unnecessary. Congress has required DOE to adjust the amount of indemnification provided under an agreement of indemnification pursuant to section 170d. to reflect inflation in the initial and each subsequent 5-year period following July 1, 2003. The statute provides no discretion regarding the substance of the adjustment. DOE is required only to perform a ministerial computation to determine the relevant amount. On the same basis, DOE finds good cause, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to waive the requirement for a 30-day delay in the effective date for this rule. As such, this rule is effective September 16, 2013.

DOE has determined that this notice of indemnification inflation adjustment is the type of action that does not individually or cumulatively have a significant impact on the human environment as set forth in DOE’s regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq. ). Specifically, the rule is covered under the categorical exclusion in paragraph A6 of Appendix A to subpart D, 10 CFR part 1021, which applies to rulemakings that are strictly procedural. Accordingly, neither an environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement is required.

Issued in Washington, DC, on September 6,

2013. Ernest J. Moniz, Secretary of Energy.

[FR Doc. 2013–22494 Filed 9–13–13; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 6450–01–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY**

**Nuclear Infrastructure Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement**  **Supplement Analysis Determination for Plutonium-238 Production for**  **Radioisotope Power Systems**

**AGENCY :**  Department of Energy.

**ACTION :**  Notice of availability of supplement analysis and determination.

**SUMMARY :**  The Department of Energy (DOE) has completed the Supplement Analysis (SA) of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Accomplishing Expanded Civilian Nuclear Energy Research and Development and Isotope Production Missions in the United States, Including the Role of the Fast Flux Test Facility (Nuclear Infrastructure or NI PEIS) (DOE/EIS–0310) published in December 2000. In accordance with DOE’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Implementing Procedures at 10 CFR 1021.314, DOE has determined that the SA has not identified substantial changes to the original proposal for production of Pu-238 analyzed in the NI PEIS or significant new circumstances or information relevant to environmental concerns which would warrant preparation of a supplement to the NI PEIS or a new EIS and that the NI PEIS Record of Decision (ROD) published on January 26, 2001 (66 FR 7877) may be implemented without any additional NEPA review.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  For further information on the Pu-238 Production Program, please contact: Ms. Rebecca Onuschak, Pu-238 Production Program Manager, Office of Space and Defense Power Systems (NE–75), Office of Nuclear Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20585, Phone 301–903–
0023, Rebecca.onuschak@ nuclear.energy.gov.