Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 106 / Thursday, June 1, 2000 / Notices 35155

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry

L. Golden, Manager Production

Technology, at (423) 751–6779.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Under section 14 of the TVA Act, 16

U.S.C. 831m, TVA is directed to collect

data and report on practices, methods,

facilities, and equipment and the

economic integration of plants and

systems ‘‘best suited to promote the

public interest, efficiency, and the wider

and more economical use of electric

energy.’’ In accordance with this

directive and authority, TVA reported

on its generating unit maintenance

practices and experiences in a report

entitled, TVA’s Power Plant

Maintenance Program, Philosophy and

Experience, T. H. Gladney and H. S. Fox

(April 1972). Today, TVA is announcing

the availability of an updated report on

utility maintenance practices, Routine

Maintenance of Electric Generating

Stations, Jerry L. Golden (February

2000).

Congress has tasked TVA with the

development and conservation of the

resources of the Tennessee Valley region

in order to foster the region’s economic

and social well-being. One component

of TVA’s regional resource development

program is the generation, transmission,

and sale of electric power. TVA’s

electric power system now serves

approximately 8 million people in parts

of seven southeastern states.

TVA has more than 65 years of

experience in maintaining various kinds

of power-generating technologies. These

technologies include hydro-electric

units, nuclear units, combustion

turbines, a pumped storage facility, and

11 coal-fired power plants. TVA’s coalfired power plants consist of 59 units

with a diverse mix of burner types and

configurations. The size of units

currently being operated ranges from

125 megawatts to 1,300 megawatts

(nameplate capacities). These boiler

types and sizes are typical for more than

90 percent of the coal-fired boiler fleet

in the United States. TVA’s February

2000 technical report describes common

utility maintenance practices and

philosophies and provides case studies

of a number of maintenance projects on

the TVA system and elsewhere.

Other Information and Report

Summary

A steam-electricity generating unit is

a complicated machine consisting of

thousands of separate parts and

components that must be operated

together in an integrated fashion to

produce electricity. Like any complex

mechanical system, a electricitygenerating unit may suffer impaired

performance caused by defects in design

or manufacture, extreme operating

conditions, normal wear of components,

or catastrophic failure. This impaired

mechanical performance affects the

economic performance of the unit and

employee safety. To ensure reliable

integration of the thousands of different

parts and continued reliable

performance, TVA and other electric

power systems must have an active

generating unit maintenance program.

Maintaining integrated operation of

all components is difficult because of

the large number of components and the

varying stresses on components. Failure

of a component can affect unit operating

efficiencies and can even prevent the

unit from operating at all. This is true

regardless of the size of the component.

A critical electric relay, sensing device,

or valve can shut a unit down as easily

as the failure of a unit component such

as an economizer or a reheater.

The maintenance, repair, and

replacement of unit components are

necessary to achieve reliable and safe

operation of a generating unit

throughout its useful life. To do this,

TVA and other electric utilities

routinely conduct maintenance

activities that are proactive, reactive,

and predictive. Proactive maintenance

practices try to forestall component

failure and degradation. This includes

such things as lubricating equipment,

replacement of fluids, and the regular

replacement of gaskets. Reactive

maintenance practices correct a

component failure or degradation when

it occurs. Such reactive maintenance

can be limited to specific component

elements, include surrounding or

adjacent elements that may have

suffered the same stress, or involve the

replacement of an entire component.

Predictive maintenance takes advantage

of the most recent advancements in

assessment and measurement

technologies. Through predictive

maintenance practices, TVA and other

utilities try to predict when a

component element or entire

component may fail or suffer

unacceptable degradation. Utilities then

replace elements and components in

advance of actual failure so that damage

to other components is reduced and

generating units are not suddenly lost.

It has been routine practice within

TVA and the utility industry for decades

to replace components and systems with

state-of-the-art equipment and materials

to ensure that the most reliable and

efficient equipment is used rather than

original equipment or components that

may not only be obsolete but no longer

even available on the market. TVA’s

1972 maintenance report described the

routine use of improved materials and

designs, and this practice continues

throughout the industry today.

TVA’s 2000 maintenance report

provides case studies of four typical

utility maintenance practices:

replacement of cyclones, reheaters,

economizers and forced draft fan

systems. Based on a review of data from

the TVA and other coal-fired utility

systems, TVA found that replacement of

cyclones occurred as early as 10 years

after initial operation of a unit to as late

as 37 years after initial operation.

Reheaters were replaced from 5 to 44

years after initial operation.

Economizers were replaced from 6 to 55

years after initial operation. The

conversion of forced draft fan systems to

balanced draft systems has occurred at

units from 4 to 36 years after initial

operation.

TVA concludes that components are

routinely replaced throughout the lives

of units and can occur very early after

initial operation of a unit. The many

factors that influence equipment or

component replacement include design

or fabrication errors, unanticipated

operating conditions, operational errors,

and technology advancements.

Dated: May 19, 2000.

Joseph R. Bynum,

Executive Vice President, Fossil Power Group.

[FR Doc. 00–13680 Filed 5–31–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8120–08–U

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

Major Investment Study/Scoping

Process and Environmental Impact

Statement: Butler, Hamilton, Miami,

Montgomery, and Warren Counties,

Ohio and Kenton County, KY

AGENCY: Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA), DOT in

conjunction with Federal Transit

Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this

notice to advise the public that the I–75

Corridor Major Investment Study (MIS)

will serve as the formal scoping process

for the preparation of one or more

environmental documents—

environmental assessment(s) (EA) and/

or environmental impact statement(s)

(EIS)—which may be prepared for

proposed transportation improvements

in one or more of the listed counties in

Ohio and Kentucky as detailed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mark L. Vonder Embse, Urban Programs

35156 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 106 / Thursday, June 1, 2000 / Notices

Engineer, Federal Highway

Administration, 200 North High Street,

Room 328, Columbus, Ohio 43215,

Telephone: (614) 280–6854.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

FHWA, in cooperation with the Ohio

Department of Transportation (ODOT),

the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

(KYTC), the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana

Regional Council of Governments (OKI),

and the Miami Valley Regional Planning

Commission (MVRPC), are conducting

an MIS. The study will focus on the

primary north/south transportation

corridor through the Cincinnati and

Dayton urban areas, bounded by Boone

County south of the Ohio River to the

City of Piqua 85 miles north of the Ohio

River. The outcome of the I–75 Corridor

MIS will be to identify various regional

transportation strategies for improving

the safety and efficiency of the existing

transportation system operating mainly

along I–75 and adjacent roadways from

south of Cincinnati to north of Dayton,

Ohio. The I–75 Corridor MIS will

analyze a wide range of potential

transportation improvements including:

(1) Take no action; (2) Transportation

System Management (TSM)/

Transportation Demand Management

(TDM) strategies to improve the existing

system and minimize existing/future

travel demand with minimal new

construction; (3) construct various

highway improvements (e.g., additional

capacity (lanes), new ramps or

interchanges on new or existing

alignment(s)); (4) freight rail

improvements; and (5) transit

improvements.

Letters describing the MIS process

and soliciting comments and

participation in the study will be sent to

appropriate Federal, State, regional and

local agencies, and to private

organizations and citizens who have

previously expressed or are known to

have interest in this project. A wide

range of public involvement activities,

including a series of public meetings

and forums, will be held in the study

and beginning with a formal public

scoping meeting.

To ensure that the full range of issues

related to this proposed action(s) are

addressed and all significant issues

identified, comments and suggests are

invited from all interested parties.

Comments or questions concerning this

MIS, the scoping process or the range of

proposed future action(s), including the

preparation of any environmental

document(s) should be directed to the

FHWA at the address provided above.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Number 20.205, Highway Planning

and Construction. The regulations

implementing Executive Order 12372

regarding intergovernmental consultation on

Federal programs and activities apply to this

program)

Issued on: May 23, 2000.

Mark L. Vonder Embse,

Urban Programs Engineer, Federal Highway

Administration, Columbus, Ohio.

[FR Doc. 00–13679 Filed 5–31–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

Intelligent Transportation Society of

America; Public Meeting

AGENCY: Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA), US DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: The Intelligent Transportation

Society of America (ITS AMERICA) will

hold a meeting of its Coordinating

Council meeting on Sunday, July 16,

2000. The following designations are

made for each item: (A) is an ‘‘action’’

item; (I) is an ‘‘information item;’’ and

(D) is a ‘‘discussion’’ item. The agenda

includes the following: (1) Call to Order

and Introductions (I); (2) Statements of

Introductions (I); (3) Antitrust Statement

(I); (4) Approval of Previous Minutes

(A); (5) Federal Report (I/D); (6)

President’s Report (I); (7) Federal

Communications Commission Advice

on Dedicated Short Range

Communication at 5.9GHz (A); (8) New

Regional Institutions—What is the ITS

America Role? (I/D); (9) Workshop

Orientation (I/D); (10) Committee

Reports (I); (11) Future Coordinating

Council Meeting Dates (I/D); (12)

Adjournment.

DATES: The Coordinating Council of ITS

AMERICA will meet on Sunday, July 16,

2000, from 2 p.m.–5 p.m. (Eastern

Standard time).

ADDRESSES: Radisson Hotel—Berkley

Marina, 200 Marina Boulevard, Berkley,

CA 94710 Phone: (510) 548–7920; Fax:

(510) 548–7944.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Materials associated with this meeting

may be examined at the offices of ITS

AMERICA, 400 Virginia Avenue, SW.,

Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20024.

Persons needing further information or

to request to speak at this meeting

should contact Larry Schulman at ITS

AMERICA by telephone at (202) 484–

4847, or by Fax at (202) 484–3483.

The DOT contact is Kristy Frizzell,

FHWA, HOIT, Washington, D.C. 20590,

(202) 366–9536. Office hours are from

8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., e.t., Monday through

Friday, except for legal holidays.

(23 U.S.C. 315; 49 CFR 1.48)

Issued on: Wednesday, May 24, 2000.

Jeffrey Paniati,

Deputy Director, ITS Joint Program Office.

[FR Doc. 00–13698 Filed 5–31–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

May 22, 2000.

The Department of Treasury has

submitted the following public

information collection requirement(s) to

OMB for review and clearance under the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

Public Law 104–13. Copies of the

submission(s) may be obtained by

calling the Treasury Bureau Clearance

Officer listed. Comments regarding this

information collection should be

addressed to the OMB reviewer listed

and to the Treasury Department

Clearance Officer, Department of the

Treasury, Room 2110, 1425 New York

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20220.

DATES: Written comments should be

received on or before July 3, 2000, to be

assured of consideration.

Financial Management Service (FMS)

OMB Number: 1510–0033.

Form Number: POD Form 1672.

Type of Review: Extension.

Title: Application of Undertaker for

Payment of Funeral Expenses From

Funds to the Credit of a Deceased

Depositor.

Description: This form is used by the

undertaker to apply for payment of a

postal savings account of a deceased

depositor to apply for funeral expenses.

This form is supported by a certificate

from a relative (POD 1690) and an

itemized funeral bill. Payment is made

to the funeral home.

Respondents: Individual or

households.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

15.

Estimated Burden Hours Per

Respondent: 30 minutes.

Frequency of Response: On occasion.

Estimated Total Reporting Burden: 8

hours.

Clearance Officer: Juanita Holder,

Financial Management Service, 3700

East West Highway, Room 144, PGP II,

Hyattsville, MD 20782.

OMB Reviewer: Alexander T. Hunt,

(202) 395–7860, Office of Management

and Budget, Room 10202, New