Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 57 / Wednesday, March 25, 2015 / Proposed Rules 15699 

timber purchased through stewardship 

contracts. Specifically, SBA invites 

comments and supporting data in 

response to the following questions. 

Stewardship Contracting Questions 

1. How should the FS include the saw 

timber volume on stewardship contracts 

awarded to small business in the 

computation of small business market 

share? 

2. How might including stewardship 

saw timber volume impact future 

market share calculations for small 

business concerns that participate in 

stewardship contracts and/or 

conventional timber sales? 

3. What are the potential impacts 

(costs and benefits) if SBA regulations at 

13 CFR 121.506 were to include the saw 

timber volume from IRTCs and IRSCs in 

the calculation of small business market 

share? 

a. What is the anticipated impact of 

the inclusion of saw timber volume 

from stewardship contracts on stumpage 

prices? 

b. If inclusion of saw timber volume 

from stewardship contracts leads to 

lower stumpage prices, what is the 

impact to land management activities 

(paid for by stumpage prices) and 

retained receipts? 

c. What is the anticipated impact on 

sale values both from an agency 

perspective and a treasury perspective? 

4. What would be the most efficient 

and effective way to account for actual 

saw timber volume from stewardship 

contracts awarded to small business? 

5. Would an increase in the utilization 

of stewardship contracts in a market 

area result in a lower representation of 

small businesses successfully bidding 

for timber sales in that market area? 

Should this lead to lowering the market 

share for small business set-aside sales 

in that market area when the FS and 

SBA compute small business 

participation? 

6. Would including stewardship saw 

timber volume on contracts awarded to 

small business in the calculation result 

in more accurate representation of small 

business participation in the market 

area? 

Unrelated to stewardship contracting, 

SBA is also seeking public comments on 

potential amendments to its current 

regulations at 13 CFR 121.507(a)(4)(i), 

which provides that on a set-aside 

timber sale, the small business may not 

resell more than 30% of the saw timber 

volume to a large business concern. 

When the FS offers any timber sale, it 

appraises the sale for its potential 

market value and sets the minimum bid 

that it will accept based on that 

appraisal. One factor in the appraisal is 

the haul cost that the purchaser (small 

or large) will absorb to bring the timber 

to a manufacturing facility. Currently, 

all appraisals are made to the nearest 

mill. In timber sales set aside for small 

businesses, large mills are ineligible to 

bid. In the context of a set-aside, if the 

nearest mill is a large mill, the appraisal 

will not accurately capture the haul cost 

to eligible bidders. As such, SBA is 

seeking public comment on whether the 

appraisal for a small business set-aside 

sale should be made to the nearest, 

small mill. 

Set-aside Sale Appraisal Point 

Questions 

1. How can the actual haul costs to 

eligible small business timber set-aside 

purchasers be better reflected in the 

appraisal process? 

2. Should there be considerations for 

keeping the appraisal point to the 

nearest mill on a small business timber 

set-aside sale in those market areas that 

do not have mills that would qualify as 

‘‘small’’ under the SBA criteria? 

3. How should the prohibition against 

small businesses reselling more than 

30% of the saw timber volume to a large 

business concern be taken into account 

when making appraisals for small 

business timber set-aside sales? 

4. What is the financial impact to the 

Forest Service if the 30% rule is 

included in the appraisal point haul 

cost calculation of a small business 

timber set-aside sale? 

5. What is the anticipated impact on 

trust funds (e.g., Knutson-Vandenberg), 

if any, if appraisals are made to a small 

mill rather than the closest processer. 

6. SBA is also requesting data on mill 

size and location. 

The SBA welcomes comments and 

any available data to help substantiate 

recommendations made in response to 

the foregoing general questions, or other 

potential policy options—including 

status quo—that should be considered 

for the Small Business Timber Sales SetAside Program. 

Dated: March 16, 2015. 

Maria Contreras-Sweet, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2015–06557 Filed 3–24–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8025–01–P 

COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING 

COMMISSION 

17 CFR Parts 1, 15, 17, 19, 32, 37, 38, 

140, and 150 

RIN 3038–AD99; 3038–AD82 

Position Limits for Derivatives and 

Aggregation of Positions; Correction 

AGENCY: Commodity Futures Trading 

Commission. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking; 

provision of Table 11a; and reopening of 

comment periods; correction. 

SUMMARY: This is a correction to the 

preamble of a document published by 

the Commodity Futures Trading 

Commission (‘‘Commission’’) in the 

Federal Register of February 25, 2015, 

regarding the reopening of the comment 

periods for proposed rulemakings to 

establish speculative position limits for 

28 exempt and agricultural commodity 

futures and options contracts and the 

physical commodity swaps that are 

economically equivalent to such 

contracts (the ‘‘Position Limits 

Proposal’’) and to amend existing 

regulations setting out the Commission’s 

policy for aggregation under its position 

limits regime (the ‘‘Aggregation 

Proposal’’). This correction clarifies the 

closing date for the reopened comment 

periods, which was inadvertently set to 

fall on a non-business day. 

DATES: The comment periods for the 

Aggregation Proposal published 

November 15, 2013, at 78 FR 68946, and 

for the Position Limits Proposal 

published December 12, 2013, at 78 FR 

75680, which reopened on February 26, 

2015, will close on March 30, 2015. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Stephen Sherrod, Senior Economist, 

Division of Market Oversight, (202) 418– 

5452, ssherrod@cftc.gov; or Riva Spear 

Adriance, Senior Special Counsel, 

Division of Market Oversight, (202) 418– 

5494, radriance@cftc.gov; Commodity 

Futures Trading Commission, Three 

Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street NW., 

Washington, DC 20581. 

Correction 

In the Federal Register of February 

25, 2015, in proposed rule FR Doc. 

2015–03834, on page 10023, in the first 

column, correct the DATES caption to 

read: 

DATES: The comment periods for the 

Aggregation Proposal published 

November 15, 2013, at 78 FR 68946, and 

for the Position Limits Proposal 

published December 12, 2013, at 78 FR 

75680, will reopen on February 26, 

2015, and will close on March 30, 2015. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS

15700 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 57 / Wednesday, March 25, 2015 / Proposed Rules 

1 18 CFR 385.508. 

2 44 U.S.C. 3504. 

3Electronic Filing of Documents, Order No. 619, 

65 FR 57088 (Sept. 21, 2000), FERC Stats. & Regs. 

¶31,107 (2000). 4 44 U.S.C. 3504. 

5 18 CFR 385.2001(a). 

6See Electronic Registration, Order No. 891, 67 

FR 52,406 (Aug. 12, 2002), FERC Stats. & Regs. 

¶ 31,132 (2002); Electronic Filing of FERC Form 1, 

and Elimination of Certain Designated Schedules in 

Form Nos. 1 and 1F, Order No. 626, 67 FR 36,093 

(May 23, 2002), FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,130 (2002); 

Electronic Service of Documents, 66 FR 50,591 (Oct. 

4, 2001), FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 35,539 (2001); 

Revised Public Utility Filing Requirements, Order 

No. 2001, 67 FR 31,043 (May 8, 2002), FERC Stats. 

& Regs. ¶ 31,127 (2002); Filing Via the Internet, 

Order No. 703, 72 FR 65,659 (Nov. 23, 2007), FERC 

Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,259 (2007). 

7Electronic Tariff Filings, Order No. 714, FERC 

Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,276 (2008). 

Dated: March 19, 2015. 

Christopher J. Kirkpatrick, 

Secretary of the Commission. 

[FR Doc. 2015–06688 Filed 3–19–15; 04:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 6351–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

18 CFR Part 385 

[Docket No. RM15–5–000] 

Revised Exhibit Submission 

Requirements for Commission 

Hearings 

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission, DOE. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking. 

SUMMARY: The Commission proposes to 

amend Rule 508 of the Commission’s 

Rules of Practice and Procedure to 

eliminate the requirement that 

participants in Commission trial-type 

evidentiary hearings must provide paper 

copies of all exhibits introduced as 

evidence. The Proposed Rule will 

facilitate a shift toward electronic 

hearing procedures which should 

improve the efficiency and 

administrative convenience of the 

Commission hearing process, reduce the 

burden and expense associated with 

paper exhibits, and facilitate the 

compilation and transmittal of the 

hearing record to the Commission in 

electronic format. 

DATES: Comments are due May 26, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: Comments, identified by 

docket number, may be filed in the 

following ways: 

• Electronic Filing through http://

www.ferc.gov. Documents created 

electronically using word processing 

software should be filed in native 

applications or print-to-PDF format and 

not in a scanned format. 

• Mail/Hand Delivery: Those unable 

to file electronically may mail or handdeliver comments to: Federal Energy 

Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the 

Commission, 888 First Street NE., 

Washington, DC 20426. 

Instructions: For detailed instructions 

on submitting comments and additional 

information on the rulemaking process, 

see the Comment Procedures Section of 

this document. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Karin Herzfeld, Office of the General 

Counsel, Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission, 888 First Street NE., 

Washington, DC 20426, Telephone: 

(202) 502–8459. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

Paragraph 

numbers 

I. Background .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 2. 

II. Discussion .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 4. 

III. Information Collection Statement .................................................................................................................................................... 7. 

IV. Environmental Analysis ................................................................................................................................................................... 8. 

V. Regulatory Flexibility Act ................................................................................................................................................................. 9. 

VI. Comment Procedures ....................................................................................................................................................................... 11. 

VII. Document Availability .................................................................................................................................................................... 15. 

1. The Commission is proposing to 

amend Rule 508 of the Commission’s 

Rules of Practice and Procedure 1 to 

eliminate the requirement that 

participants in Commission trial-type 

evidentiary hearings must provide paper 

copies of all exhibits introduced as 

evidence. The Commission proposes to 

amend section 385.508 of the 

Commission’s regulations by removing 

paragraph (a)(2) and redesignating 

paragraph (a)(3) as paragraph (a)(2). 

While still retaining the option to 

provide exhibits in paper form, the 

proposed rule will facilitate a shift 

toward electronic hearing procedures 

which should improve the efficiency 

and administrative convenience of the 

Commission hearing process, reduce the 

burden and expense associated with 

paper exhibits, and facilitate the 

compilation and transmittal of the 

hearing record to the Commission in 

electronic format. 

I. Background 

2. The Federal government has set a 

goal to substitute electronic means of 

communication and information storage 

for paper. For example, the Government 

Paperwork Elimination Act directed 

agencies to provide for the optional use 

and acceptance of electronic documents 

and signatures, and electronic recordkeeping, where practical.2 Similarly, the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) Circular A–130 required agencies 

to use electronic information collection 

techniques, where such means will 

reduce the burden on the public, 

increase efficiency, reduce costs, and 

help provide better service. 

3. On September 21, 2000, the 

Commission issued Order No. 619, 

which implemented the use of the 

Internet for submission of certain 

documents to the Commission for 

filing.3 The eFiling system plays an 

important role in the Commission’s 

efforts to comply with the Government 

Paperwork Elimination Act’s 

requirement that agencies provide the 

option to submit information 

electronically, when practicable, as a 

substitute for paper.4 Filing via the 

Internet is optional for eligible 

documents.5 Since issuing Order No. 

619, the Commission has greatly 

expanded its ability to accept 

electronically filed material, including 

interventions, protests, rehearings, 

complaints, and applications for 

certificates and licenses.6 In 2008, the 

Commission further implemented a 

system for electronic tariff filing.7

Consistent with these prior efforts to 

provide electronic filing options, the 

Commission is proposing to eliminate 

the requirement that all exhibits 

introduced at Commission hearings 

must be provided in paper form. 

II. Discussion 

4. Section 385.508 of the 

Commission’s regulations currently 

requires that ‘‘[a]ny participant who 

seeks to have an exhibit admitted into 

evidence must provide one copy of the 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS