Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 110 / Wednesday, June 7, 2000 / Notices 36215

appropriate steps to provide

opportunities for participation in such

programs to human rights and

democracy leaders of such countries.’’

Proposals should reflect advancement of

this goal in their program contents, to

the full extent deemed feasible.

Year 2000 Compliance Requirement

(Y2K Requirement)

The Year 2000 (Y2K) issue is a broad

operational and accounting problem

that could potentially prohibit

organizations from processing

information in accordance with Federal

management and program specific

requirements including data exchange

with the Bureau. The inability to

process information in accordance with

Federal requirements could result in

grantees being required to return funds

that have not been accounted for

properly.

The Bureau therefore requires all

organizations use Y2K compliant

systems including hardware, software,

and firmware. Systems must accurately

process data and dates (calculating,

comparing and sequencing) both before

and after the beginning of the year 2000

and correctly adjust for leap years.

Additional information addressing the

Y2K issue may be found at the General

Services Administration’s Office of

Information Technology website at

http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov.

Review Process

The Bureau will acknowledge receipt

of all proposals and will review them

for technical eligibility. Proposals will

be deemed ineligible if they do not fully

adhere to the guidelines stated herein

and in the Solicitation Package. All

eligible proposals will be reviewed by

the program office, as well as the Public

Diplomacy section overseas, where

appropriate. Eligible proposals will be

forwarded to panels of Bureau officers

for advisory review. Proposals may also

be reviewed by the Office of the Legal

Adviser or by other Department

elements. Final funding decisions are at

the discretion of the Department of

State’s Under Secretary for Public

Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Final

technical authority for assistance

awards (grants or cooperative

agreements) resides with the Bureau’s

Grants Officer.

Authority

Overall grant making authority for

this program is contained in the Mutual

Educational and Cultural Exchange Act

of 1961, Public Law 87–256, as

amended, also known as the FulbrightHays Act. The purpose of the Act is ‘‘to

enable the Government of the United

States to increase mutual understanding

between the people of the United States

and the people of other

countries * * * ; to strengthen the ties

which unite us with other nations by

demonstrating the educational and

cultural interests, developments, and

achievements of the people of the

United States and other

nations*** and thus to assist in the

development of friendly, sympathetic

and peaceful relations between the

United States and the other countries of

the world.’’ The funding authority for

the program above is provided through

legislation.

Notice

The terms and conditions published

in this RFP are binding and may not be

modified by any Bureau representative.

Explanatory information provided by

the Bureau that contradicts published

language will not be binding. Issuance

of the RFP does not constitute an award

commitment on the part of the

Government. The Bureau reserves the

right to reduce, revise, or increase

proposal budgets in accordance with the

needs of the program and the

availability of funds. Awards made will

be subject to periodic reporting and

evaluation requirements.

Notification

Final awards cannot be made until

funds have been appropriated by

Congress, allocated and committed

through internal Bureau procedures.

Dated: May 30, 2000.

Evelyn S. Lieberman,

Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and

Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State.

[FR Doc. 00–14361 Filed 6–6–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710–11–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

[USCG–2000–7465]

Recreational Boating Safety Projects,

Programs and Activities Funded Under

Provisions of the Transportation

Equity Act for the 21st Century;

Accounting of

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: Subsection (c) of section 7405

of the Transportation Equity Act for the

21st Century makes $5,000,000 available

each of five fiscal years to the Secretary

of Transportation for personnel and

activities directly related to

coordinating and carrying out the

national recreational boating safety

program. The Act also requires that the

Secretary publish annually in the

Federal Register a detailed accounting

of the projects, programs, and activities

under this subsection. This is the first

report.

ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of

this notice by calling the U. S. Coast

Guard Infoline at 1–800–368–5647. This

notice is available on the Internet at

http://dms.dot.gov or at the Web Site for

the Office of Boating Safety at URL

address www.uscgboating.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Captain Michael F. Holmes, USCG,

Chief, Office of Boating Safety,

telephone 202–267–1077, fax 202–267–

4285, or Mr. Albert J. Marmo, Chief,

Program Management Division,

telephone 202–267–0950, fax 202–267–

4285.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Transportation Equity Act for the 21st

Century became law on June 9, 1998.

The Act requires that of the $5 million

made available to carry out the national

recreational boating safety program,

$2,000,000 shall be available only to

ensure compliance with chapter 43 of

title 46, U.S. Code—Recreational

Vessels. This responsibility is delegated

to the Commandant of the United States

Coast Guard. The statute directs that no

funds available to the Secretary under

this subsection may be used to replace

funding traditionally provided through

general appropriations, nor for any

purposes except those purposes

authorized by this section. Amounts

made available each fiscal year, 1999–

2003, shall remain available until

expended. Upon passage of the Act the

U.S. Coast Guard Office of Boating

Safety began the process of developing

basic spending plans for this new source

of revenue. For accounting purposes,

funding was divided into two program

elements: Boat Safety Compliance and

National Recreational Boating Safety

Program. Use of these funds entails

compliance with standard Federal

contracting rules with associated lead

and processing times resulting in a lag

time between available funds and

spending. An accounting of the use of

the funds to date follows, including a

narrative summary and a table that

reflects commitment, obligation, or

expenditure of fiscal years 1999 and

2000 funds.

Boat Safety Compliance

Factory Visit Program

A contract was awarded to establish a

national recreational boat factory visit

program using contractor personnel.

The contract includes the development

36216 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 110 / Wednesday, June 7, 2000 / Notices

of a plan of action and a pilot program

to validate the elements of the plan and

the concept of the program. The plan

was completed at a cost of $133,912.55

using fiscal year 1999 funding. The pilot

program will commence in the summer

of 2000. The factory visit program will

allow contractor personnel, acting on

behalf of the Coast Guard, to visit

approximately 2,000 recreational boat

manufacturers each year to

communicate with the manufacturers as

to why they need to comply with the

Federal regulations, educate them, as

necessary, on how to comply with the

Federal regulations, and inspect for

compliance with the Federal

regulations.

Associated Equipment Compliance

Testing

Currently, the Office of Boating Safety

conducts compliance testing by

purchasing recreational boats in the

open market and testing them for

compliance with the Federal flotation

standards. As a new initiative, the

Office of Boating Safety is planning to

buy recreational boat ‘‘associated

equipment,’’ e.g., starters, alternators,

fuel pumps, bilge pumps, etc., and test

this equipment for compliance with

Federal safety regulations. The

anticipated annual cost of this multiyear effort is estimated at $100,000. To

date $44,000 of fiscal year 1999 funds

have been expended, and $83,000 of

fiscal year 2000 funds has been

committed for this testing.

Articulated Mannequins/Computer

Simulation Model

The objective of this multi-year

program is to improve the safety of

recreational boaters by encouraging the

design of new/unique personal flotation

devices (PFDs) through the development

of a computer simulation program to

evaluate the effectiveness of new/

unique PFD designs. The computer

simulation program will be validated

through the use of a family of

anthropomorphic articulated

mannequins. Fiscal year 1999 funding

for this effort is $300,000.

Compliance Associated Travel

Travel is being performed to carry out

additional compliance actions and to

gather background and planning

information for proposed compliance

initiatives or to research possible new

compliance initiatives. Fiscal year 1999

funding for this travel has amounted to

$13,332.44.

New Boat Manufacturer Outreach

Package

A fiscal year 1999 contract for

$357,582.34 was awarded to design and

develop a comprehensive and user

friendly outreach package for

distribution to new recreational boat

manufacturers. Included will be a

brochure and video that will outline the

many facets of the recreational boat

manufacturing business, including,

Federal regulations, voluntary

standards, self-certification, financial

aspects, insurance concerns, liability

issues, points of contact and the steps

necessary to become a new recreational

boat manufacturer. The package will

also include plain language guidelines

that help clarify Federal requirements.

The new outreach package is expected

to increase the level of compliance with

the Federal regulations among new

recreational boat manufacturers.

Risk Analysis Study

This effort will develop a risk-based

compliance approval process for

Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) using

a Life Saving Index methodology. Fiscal

year 1999 funding for this project

amounted to $229,465.64. The results of

this effort will provide a formal

structure and consistency to the process

for accepting new approaches to

designing devices for drowning

prevention. The risk-based process

identifies critical factors for evaluating

PFD lifesaving potential and defines the

minimum level of performance

necessary for approval.

Virtual Reality Personal Watercraft

(PWC)

A contract was awarded to develop a

virtual reality personal watercraft. If this

application of virtual reality technology

proves to be effective it will provide a

platform to gather valuable data in many

areas that would otherwise be

unobtainable or would require more

costly methods and sources. The data

from this effort will give greater insight

into the human/machine interface

related to PWC and will assist in the

effort to attempt to reduce PWC

accidents. The contract award amount

using fiscal year 2000 funds was

$133,620.

National Recreational Boating Safety

Program

Boating Accident Report Database

(BARD)

The BARD system is aimed at

effectively providing the capability to

all States and the Coast Guard for the

successful exchange of recreational

boating accident data and information

using BARD software. New fiscal year

1999 funding of $392,234 allows

software module development, software

module rework and unit testing, module

integration testing and system testing

associated with this innovative program,

and for providing the software to the 50

States, five territories, and the District of

Columbia.

Transfer of Funds to the Seventeenth

Coast Guard District

A non-recurring transfer of $25,000

fiscal year 1999 funds was made to the

Seventeenth Coast Guard District in

support of a Coast Guard Boating Safety

Detachment to assist in the transition of

State of Alaska assumption of

Recreational Boating Safety Program

responsibilities.

National Boating Registration System

As a service for States/Territories that

currently have inadequate (or no)

computer software program to maintain

their vessel numbering system

information, $24,000 has been

transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard

Operations Systems Center (OSC) to

develop a National Boating Registration

System software program. OSC will

modify an existing program currently

used by the Coast Guard in Alaska (the

only State that does not have a Coast

Guard-approved vessel numbering

system) to develop a generic version

that can easily be adapted by any State/

Territory for their own use. The

software, which will be provided to

interested States/Territories at no cost,

will include a function to automatically

generate the annual report on numbered

vessels that must be submitted to the

Coast Guard each year, which currently

can be a very time-consuming process

for States whose systems are not

automated. The current schedule calls

for delivery of the beta version system

in July 2000.

Federal Requirements Publication

A customer friendly ‘‘Federal

Requirements and Safety Tips for

Recreational Boaters’’ publication is

being developed based on easy to read

high visibility graphics, focusing on

provision of subject specific safety tips

with retention factors built in. Support

for this effort using fiscal year 1999

funds is $73,000. The Coast Guard

anticipates expanding this development

effort and intends to evaluate

recreational boater retention factors for

Federal regulations in August 2000. The

end result will be publication of both

hard copy and electronic interactive

versions for public use.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 110 / Wednesday, June 7, 2000 / Notices 36217

Coast Guard Infoline/Office of Boating

Safety Website

This effort provides both technology

and educational enhancements to the

Coast Guard Infoline, a toll free 800

telephone number (including a

dedicated line for the hearing impaired)

accessible to callers anywhere in the

United States. The Infoline provides

information about safety, regulations,

communications, Coast Guard policy,

and available material related to boating

safety issues. Additionally, this effort

provides a complete interactive

recreational boating safety website that

offers the public and boating safety

agencies and organizations with up-tothe-minute information on every aspect

of recreational boating safety. One of the

goals of this program is to create a ‘‘onestop’’ customer service center for all

users. Fiscal year 1999 funding

amounted to $186,435.

Marine Dealer Display Kiosks

An expenditure of $23,950 of fiscal

year 1999 funds supports the Hunters

and Anglers Outreach Program and

supplies marine dealers with U.S. Coast

Guard and U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary

literature display racks, including

associated boating safety information

pertaining to the hazards associated

with Boating Under the Influence (BUI)

as well as discipline specific

information to this target group.

Additional target group research and

testing will be conducted during

calendar year 2000 validating outreach

components. This research will result in

the release of a national ‘‘point-ofpurchase’’ kiosk system, serving as an

extension to the Office of Boating

Safety’s ‘‘one-stop’’ information system.

There are three new projects that are

in final stages for commitment of funds.

The Vessel Safety Check Program

Fiscal year 2000 funding, estimated at

less than $50,000 will be used to

support the efforts of the U.S. Coast

Guard Auxiliary, U.S. Power Squadrons

and the National Association of State

Boating Law Administrators in

providing free safety inspections of

recreational boats. The ‘‘safety check’’

provides a complete review of a

recreational vessel ensuring that the

vessel is in compliance with all Federal

and State specific carriage requirements.

Ultimately the end result will lead to

fewer recreational boating accidents,

injuries and fatalities.

Knowledge Management System and

SEAFIT (State Electronic

Administrative, Financial and

Information Technology System)

This effort will enable the Coast

Guard to reduce the amount of paper

transactions required and obtained by

its external customers. The States are

one of the Coast Guard’s largest external

customer groups. The Knowledge

Management and SEAFIT systems will

provide for quicker more effective and

efficient program oversight while

providing each customer with the

ability to electronically do business

with the Coast Guard. This system will

assist in the electronic monitoring,

storage and daily use of all multidisciplined information and materials

within the Office of Boating Safety. We

plan to convert current business

processes that support activity in grant

administration, program oversight,

financial payments and requested

program information to an electronic

format and be web-based compatible.

National Boating Survey

The contracting process is being

initiated for a comprehensive major

national recreational boating survey.

The survey will provide information on

boats, boaters and their activities. In

order to avoid taking the large amount

of money required for a large-scale

survey from available funds for a single

fiscal year, we will escrow funds each

year. We placed $900,000 of fiscal year

1999 funds and $400,000 of fiscal year

2000 funds in escrow.

The following table reflects

commitment, obligation, or expenditure

to date of fiscal years 1999 and 2000

funds.

RECREATIONAL BOATING SAFETY PROGRAMS ACCOUNTING

FY 1999 FY 2000

Boat Safety Compliance

Factory visit program ................................................................................................................................... $133,912.55

Associated equipment compliance testing .................................................................................................. 44,000.00 $83,000.00

Articulated mannequins/computer simulation model ................................................................................... 300,000.00

Compliance associated travel ...................................................................................................................... 13,332.44

New boat manufacturer outreach package ................................................................................................. 357,582.34

Risk analysis study ...................................................................................................................................... 229,465.64

Virtual reality personal watercraft ................................................................................................................ 133,620.00

Total boat safety compliance ............................................................................................................... 1,078,292.97 216,620.00

National Recreational Boating Safety Program

Boating accident report database (BARD) .................................................................................................. 392,234.00

17th CG District boating safety detachment ............................................................................................... 25,000.00

National boating registration system ........................................................................................................... 24,000.00

Federal requirements publication ................................................................................................................ 73,000.00

CG Infoline/Office of boating safety website ............................................................................................... 186,435.00

Marine dealer display kiosks ....................................................................................................................... 23,950.00

Total recreational boating safety .......................................................................................................... 724,619.00

National boating survey escrow .................................................................................................................. 900,000.00 400,000.00

Grand total ............................................................................................................................................ 2,702,911.97 616,620.00

Note: This Chart Shows FY 1999 and FY 2000 Dedicated Funds Committed, Obligated, or Expended for the Individual Projects Listed.

36218 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 110 / Wednesday, June 7, 2000 / Notices

Dated: June 2, 2000.

Kenneth T. Venuto,

Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Director of

Operations Policy.

[FR Doc. 00–14362 Filed 6–6–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–15–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

[USCG–2000–443]

Chemical Transportation Advisory

Committee

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Subcommittee of the

Chemical Transportation Advisory

Committee (CTAC) on the revalidation

of recommendations for 46 CFR part 151

will meet to discuss the previous

recommendations of CTAC.

DATES: The Subcommittee will meet on

Wednesday, June 21, 2000, from 8:30

a.m. to 4 p.m. The meeting may close

early if all business is finished. Written

material and requests to make oral

presentations should reach the Coast

Guard on or before June 20, 2000.

Requests to have a copy of your material

distributed to each member of the

committee or subcommittee should

reach the Coast Guard on or before June

19, 2000.

ADDRESSES: The Subcommittee will

meet in room 6103, U.S. Coast Guard

Headquarters, 2100 Second Street SW,

Washington, DC. Send written material

and requests to make oral presentations

to Commander Robert F. Corbin,

Commandant (G–MSO–3), U.S. Coast

Guard Headquarters, 2100 Second Street

SW, Washington, DC 20593–0001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Thomas J. Felleisen, Coast Guard

Technical Representative to the

Subcommittee, or Lieutenant Gregory F.

Herold, Deputy Assistant to the

Executive Director of CTAC, telephone

202–267–1217, fax 202–267–4570.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice of

this meeting is given under the Federal

Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App.

2.

Agenda of Meeting

The agenda of the Subcommittee of

the Chemical Transportation Advisory

Committee (CTAC) on the revalidation

of recommendations for 46 CFR part 151

includes the following:

(1) Introduction of the Subcommittee

members.

(2) Review and discussion of CTAC’s

previous recommendations.

(3) Evaluation of the validity of the

CTAC’s previous recommendations.

(4) Discussions of the comments

submitted on the ANPRM.

Procedural

The meeting is open to the public.

Please note that the meeting may close

early if all business is finished. All

attendees at the meeting are encouraged

to fully review CTAC’s previous

recommendations prior to the meeting;

additional copies of CTAC’s previous

recommendations are available from the

Deputy Assistant to CTAC. At the

discretion of the Subcommittee Chair,

members of the public may make oral

presentations during the meeting. If you

would like to make an oral presentation

at the meeting, please notify the Coast

Guard Technical Representative to the

Subcommittee on or before June 20,

2000. If you would like a copy of your

material distributed to each member of

the committee or subcommittee in

advance of a meeting, please submit 25

copies to the Coast Guard Technical

Representative to the Subcommittee no

later than June 19, 2000.

Information on Services for Individuals

With Disabilities

For information on facilities or

services for individuals with disabilities

or to request special assistance at the

meeting, contact the Deputy Assistant to

the Executive Director of CTAC as soon

as possible.

Dated: May 31, 2000.

Joseph J. Angelo,

Director of Standards, Marine Safety and

Environmental Protection.

[FR Doc. 00–14276 Filed 6–6–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–15–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket MARAD–2000–7470]

Farrell Lines Incorporated; Notice of

Application for approvals to the

proposed transfer of Maritime Security

Program Operating Agreements MA/

MSP–18 through 20

By applications dated June 1, 2000,

Farrell Lines Incorporated (Farrell) and

counsel for FLI Ships, Inc. (FLI Ships)

have notified the Maritime

Administration (MARAD) of the

proposed transfer of three Maritime

Security Program (MSP) Operating

Agreements (MA/MSP–18 through 20)

from Farrell to FLI Ships, a wholly

owned subsidiary of Farrell, pursuant to

section 652(j) of Subtitle B, Title VI,

Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended

(1936 Act). The vessels currently

covered by those contracts are presently

owned by FLI Ships, and will continue

to be covered by those contracts after

transfer.

The transfer of MSP Operating

Agreements MA/MSP–18 through 20 is

part of a series of overall transactions

whereby Farrell will merge with P & O

Nedlloyd Acquisition Corporation, a

wholly owned subsidiary of P & O

Nedlloyd Limited. After merger, Farrell

will be the surviving entity

(reconstituted Farrell).

With respect to the transfer of MSP

Operating Agreements, section 652(j) of

the 1936 Act provides that ‘‘A

Contractor under an operating

agreement may transfer the agreement

(including all rights and obligations

under the agreement) to any person

eligible to enter into that Operating

Agreement under this subtitle after

notification of the Secretary [of

Transportation] in accordance with

regulations prescribed by the Secretary,

unless the transfer is disapproved by the

Secretary within 90 days after the date

of Notification. A person to whom an

Operating Agreement is transferred may

receive payments from the Secretary

under the agreement only if each vessel

to be covered by the agreement after the

transfer is an eligible vessel under

section 651(b).’’

In implementing the proposed

transaction, FLI Ships is to be spun off

by sale of all its stock to FLI Ships

Holdings, Inc. (Holdings), a U.S. citizen

corporation within the meaning of

section 2 of the Shipping Act, 1916, as

amended. Holdings will be

independently capitalized and

operationally independent of P & O

Nedlloyd Limited and any of its

affiliates. The MSP vessels will be time

chartered from FLI Ships to either

P&ONL FAME, Inc. (FAME), a U.S.

documentation citizen owned by P & O

Nedlloyd B.V., a Dutch corporation, or

to a reconstituted Farrell for operation.

In the event that Farrell becomes the

time charterer, it will also become a

documentation citizen. The time

charters of two other MSP vessels

owned by First American Bulk Carrier

Corp. (FABC) and chartered to Farrell,

will be novated to either FAME, or

remain with the reconstituted Farrell for

operation. FLI Ships will manage and

operate the former Farrell vessels

utilizing former Farrell personnel. The

FABC vessels will continue to operate

under their existing charters. One

additional vessel operated by Farrell

under bareboat charter from MARAD

may be turned back to MARAD subject

to settlement under that charter.

Another vessel bareboat chartered by