Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 195 / Friday, October 9, 2009 / Notices 52183 

and Scope,’’ ‘‘Smart Grid Vision,’’ and 

‘‘Conceptual Reference Model’’) and 

chapters 5–7 (‘‘Priority Action Plans,’’ 

‘‘Cyber Security Risk Management 

Framework and Strategy,’’ and ‘‘Next 

Steps’’) of the draft NIST Framework 

and Roadmap for Smart Grid 

Interoperability Standards, Release 1.0. 

2. Comments on the 15 additional 

‘‘Standards Identified for 

Implementation’’ (Chapter 4); comments 

on the NIST-proposed ‘‘Guidance for 

Identifying Standards for 

Implementation;’’ and recommendations 

for adding or removing specifications on 

the list of standards identified for 

implementation (Table 2), which should 

reference relevant guidance criteria. In 

addition, comments on the standards in 

Table 3—additional standards NIST has 

identified for further review—are 

requested, and comments should 

reference relevant guidance criteria. 

Comments should be submitted in 

accordance with instructions in the 

ADDRESSES section of this notice. 

NIST advises that it also is seeking 

public review and comment on a 

companion draft document, NIST 

Interagency Report (NISTIR) 7628 Smart 

Grid Cyber Security Strategy and 

Requirements. (More than 200 pages 

long, this document is summarized in 

Chapter 6 of draft NIST Framework and 

Roadmap for Smart Grid 

Interoperability Standards, Release 1.0.) 

The request for comments on draft 

NISTIR 7628 will be published 

separately in the Federal Register. 

Dated: October 5, 2009. 

Patrick Gallagher, 

Deputy Director. 

[FR Doc. E9–24429 Filed 10–8–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology 

[Docket No. 0909301329–91332–01] 

Draft NIST Interagency Report (NISTIR) 

7628, Smart Grid Cyber Security 

Strategy and Requirements; Request 

for Comments 

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards 

and Technology (NIST), Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The National Institute of 

Standards and Technology (NIST) seeks 

comments on draft NISTIR 7628, Smart 

Grid Cyber Security Strategy and 

Requirements. This initial draft of the 

document contains the overall security 

strategy for the Smart Grid. Contents 

include: Development of vulnerability 

classes, identification of wellunderstood security problems that need 

to be addressed, selection and 

development of security-relevant use 

cases, initial privacy impact assessment, 

identification and analysis of interfaces 

identified in six functional priority 

areas, advanced metering infrastructure 

(AMI) security requirements, and 

selection of a suite of security 

documents that will be used as the base 

for determining and tailoring security 

requirements. This is the first draft of 

NISTIR 7628; NIST plans to post a 

subsequent draft of this report for 

additional public comments. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before December 1, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be 

sent to: Annabelle Lee, National 

Institute of Standards and Technology, 

100 Bureau Dr., Stop 8930, 

Gaithersburg, MD 20899–8930. 

Electronic comments may be sent to: 

csctgdraftcomments@nist.gov. 

The report is available at: http:// 

csrc.nist.gov/publications/ 

PubsDrafts.html#NIST-IR-7628. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Annabelle Lee, National Institute of 

Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau 

Dr., Stop 8930, Gaithersburg, MD 

20899–8930, telephone (301) 975–8897. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 

1305 of the Energy Independence and 

Security Act (EISA) of 2007 (Pub. L. 

110–140) requires the Director of the 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology (NIST) ‘‘to coordinate the 

development of a framework that 

includes protocols and model standards 

for information management to achieve 

interoperability of smart grid devices 

and systems.’’ EISA also specifies that, 

‘‘It is the policy of the United States to 

support the modernization of the 

Nation’s electricity transmission and 

distribution system to maintain a 

reliable and secure electricity 

infrastructure that can meet future 

demand growth and to achieve each of 

the following, which together 

characterize a Smart Grid: * * * 

(1) Increased use of digital 

information and controls technology to 

improve reliability, security, and 

efficiency of the electric grid. 

(2) Dynamic optimization of grid 

operations and resources, with full 

cyber-security.’’ 

With the transition to the Smart 

Grid—the ongoing transformation of the 

nation’s electric system to a two-way 

flow of electricity and information—the 

information technology (IT) and 

telecommunications infrastructures 

have become critical to the energy sector 

infrastructure. 

NIST recently issued the NIST 

Framework and Roadmap for Smart 

Grid Interoperability Standards, Release 

1.0 (draft for public review and 

comment). The report is an output of 

NIST’s approach to expediting 

development of key standards and 

requirements necessary for Smart Grid 

interoperability and cyber security. 

The report includes a high-level 

summary (Chapter 6) of draft NISTIR 

7628, Smart Grid Cyber Security 

Strategy and Requirements. The report 

on the interoperability framework and 

standards roadmap, as well as the 

Federal Register notice soliciting public 

comments on the report, advised that 

NIST also was submitting this 

companion draft document on cyber 

security for public review and comment. 

NIST has established a Smart Grid 

Cyber Security Coordination Task 

Group (CSCTG) which includes 

members from the public and private 

sectors, academia, regulatory 

organizations, and federal agencies. The 

CSCTG is identifying a comprehensive 

set of cyber security requirements. 

These requirements are being identified 

using a high-level risk assessment 

process that is defined in the cyber 

security strategy for the Smart Grid. 

The DRAFT NIST Interagency Report 

(NISTIR) 7628, Smart Grid Cyber 

Security Strategy and Requirements 

includes the initial risk assessment 

documents (vulnerability classes and 

bottom-up analysis); security-relevant 

use cases; a base set of security 

requirements with cross-referenced 

security standards; diagrams of a set of 

functional priority areas and interfaces, 

including interface categories with 

constraints and issues and impacts; 

initial privacy impact assessment; and 

AMI security requirements. 

Request for Comments: NIST seeks 

public comments on the report. The 

document will be revised on the basis 

of comments received, and a second 

draft will be published for public 

comment. In addition, the second draft 

will include the overall Smart Grid 

security architecture and the security 

requirements. 

The final version of NISTIR 7628 will 

address all comments received to date. 

The document will have the final set of 

security controls and the final security 

architecture. 

Comments on draft NISTIR 7628, 

Smart Grid Cyber Security Strategy and 

Requirements should be submitted in 

accordance with the DATES and 

ADDRESSES sections of this notice. 

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52184 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 195 / Friday, October 9, 2009 / Notices 

Dated: October 6, 2009. 

Patrick Gallagher, 

Deputy Director. 

[FR Doc. E9–24430 Filed 10–8–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

United States Patent and Trademark 

Office 

[Docket No. PTO–P–2009–0037] 

Additional Period for Comments on 

Interim Examination Instructions for 

Evaluating Patent Subject Matter 

Eligibility 

AGENCY: United States Patent and 

Trademark Office, Commerce. 

ACTION: Request for comments; 

additional comment period. 

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and 

Trademark Office (USPTO) has prepared 

interim examination instructions for 

evaluating patent subject matter 

eligibility under 35 U.S.C. 101 (Interim 

Patent Subject Matter Eligibility 

Examination Instructions) pending a 

decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in 

Bilski v. Kappos, and invited the public 

to submit written comments on the 

Interim Patent Subject Matter Eligibility 

Examination Instructions. The USPTO 

is extending the comment period to 

ensure that members of the public have 

sufficient opportunity to submit 

comments on the Interim Patent Subject 

Matter Eligibility Examination 

Instructions. The USPTO will revise the 

instructions as appropriate based on 

comments received. 

Comment Deadline Date: Written 

comments must be received on or before 

November 9, 2009. No public hearing 

will be held. 

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent 

by electronic mail message over the 

Internet addressed to 

AB98.Comments@uspto.gov. Comments 

may also be submitted by facsimile to 

(571) 273–0125, marked to the attention 

of Caroline D. Dennison. Although 

comments may be submitted by mail or 

facsimile, the USPTO prefers to receive 

comments via the Internet. 

The comments will be available for 

public inspection at the Office of the 

Commissioner for Patents, located in 

Madison East, Tenth Floor, 600 Dulany 

Street, Alexandria, Virginia, and will be 

available via the Office Internet Web site 

(address: http://www.uspto.gov). 

Because comments will be made 

available for public inspection, 

information that is not desired to be 

made public, such as an address or 

phone number, should not be included 

in the comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Caroline D. Dennison, Office of the 

Deputy Commissioner for Patent 

Examination Policy, by telephone at 

571–272–7729, or by facsimile 

transmission to 571–273–0125, marked 

to the attention of Caroline D. Dennison. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

USPTO posted the Interim Patent 

Subject Matter Eligibility Examination 

Instructions on its Internet Web site 

(address: http://www.uspto.gov) on 

August 27, 2009. The notice published 

on the USPTO’s Internet Web site 

invited public comment on the Interim 

Patent Subject Matter Eligibility 

Examination Instructions and indicated 

that comments must be received on or 

before September 28, 2009, to be 

ensured of consideration. The USPTO 

subsequently published a notice in the 

Federal Register confirming that the 

USPTO was inviting public comment on 

the Interim Patent Subject Matter 

Eligibility Examination Instructions and 

that comments must be received on or 

before September 28, 2009, to be 

ensured of consideration. See Request 

for Comments on Interim Examination 

Instructions for Evaluating Patent 

Subject Matter Eligibility, 74 FR 47780 

(September 17, 2009) (notice). The 

USPTO is extending the comment 

period because the USPTO desires the 

benefit of public comment on the 

instructions and wants to ensure that 

members of the public have sufficient 

opportunity to submit comments on the 

Interim Patent Subject Matter Eligibility 

Examination Instructions. Comments 

that have already been received are 

under consideration and the USPTO 

will revise the instructions as 

appropriate based on comments 

received. 

Dated: October 5, 2009. 

David J. Kappos, 

Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual 

Property and Director of the United States 

Patent and Trademark Office. 

[FR Doc. E9–24395 Filed 10–8–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XS13 

Marine Mammals; File No. 87–1743 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit 

amendment. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

Daniel P. Costa, Ph.D., Long Marine 

Laboratory, University of California at 

Santa Cruz, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa 

Cruz, California 95060, has been issued 

a minor amendment to Scientific 

Research Permit No. 87–1743. 

ADDRESSES: The amendment and related 

documents are available for review 

upon written request or by appointment 

in the following office(s): 

Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 

13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone 

(301)713–2289; fax (301)713–0376; and 

Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West 

Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, 

CA 90802–4213; phone (562)980–4001; 

fax (562)980–4018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Amy Sloan or Tammy Adams, 

(301)713–2289. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

requested amendment has been granted 

under the authority of the Marine 

Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as 

amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) and 

the regulations governing the taking and 

importing of marine mammals (50 CFR 

part 216). 

The original permit (No. 87–1743–00), 

issued on September 17, 2004 (69 FR 

56999), authorized long-term 

behavioral, physiological, and life 

history research studies on northern 

elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) 

through September 30, 2009. This 

permit was subsequently amended on 

four occasions through minor 

amendments. 

This minor amendment (Permit No. 

87–1743–05) extends the duration of the 

permit through September 30, 2010 with 

no increase in the number of animals 

that may be taken. Permit No. 87–1743– 

05 also authorizes a minor change to 

permitted methods for a physiological 

study to allow researchers to substitute 

one instrument, a thermister, for another 

instrument, a Doppler flow sensor, but 

does not change any other terms or 

conditions of the permit. 

In compliance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a supplemental 

environmental assessment (SEA) was 

prepared to analyze the effects of 

issuing the amendment. Based on the 

analysis, NMFS determined that 

issuance of the permit amendment 

would not significantly impact the 

quality of the human environment and 

that preparation of an environmental 

impact statement was not required. That 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES