980 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 4 / Tuesday, January 7, 1997 / Notices

or other forms of information

technology.

Comments submitted in response to

this notice will be summarized and/or

included in the request for OMB

approval of this information collection;

they also will become a matter of public

record.

Dated: January 2, 1997.

Linda Engelmeier,

Acting Departmental Forms Clearance

Officer, Office of Management and

Organization.

[FR Doc. 97–288 Filed 1–6–97; 8:45 a.m.]

BILLING CODE 3510–12–P

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

National Weather Service

Modernization and Associated

Restructuring

AGENCY: National Weather Service

(NWS), NOAA, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice and opportunity for

public comment.

SUMMARY: The NWS is publishing

proposed certifications for the closure of

the following Weather Service offices:

(1) Grand Island Weather Service

Office (WSO), with services being

provided by the future Hastings Weather

Forecast Office (WFO);

(2) Residual St. Louis WSO, with

services being provided by the future St.

Louis WFO;

(3) Cape Hatteras WSO, with services

being provided by the future Morehead

City and Wakefield WFOs;

(4) Harrisburg WSO, with services

being provided by the future Central

Pennsylvania WFO;

(5) Residual New York City WSO,

with services being provided by the

future New York City WFO;

(6) Reading WSO, with services being

provided by the future Philadelphia

WFO;

(7) Apalachicola WSO, with services

being provided by the future

Tallahassee WFO;

(8) Athens WSO, with services being

provided by the future Atlanta and

Greenville/Spartanburg WFOs;

(9) Austin WSO, with services being

provided by the future Austin/San

Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston/

Galveston and San Angelo WFOs;

(10) Bristol WSO, with services being

provided by the future Knoxville/TriCities, Roanoke, and Charleston WFOs;

(11) Columbus, Georgia WSO, with

services being provided by the future

Birmingham, Tallahassee, and Atlanta

WFOs;

(12) Del Rio WSO, with services being

provided by the future Austin/San

Antonio WFO;

(13) Fort Myers WSO, with services

being provided by the future Tampa Bay

Area WFO;

(14) Galveston WSO, with services

being provided by the future Houston/

Galveston WFO;

(15) Macon WSO, with services being

provided by the future Atlanta and

Tallahassee WFOs;

(16) Residual New Orleans WSO, with

services being provided by the future

New Orleans/Baton Rouge WFO;

(17) Orlando WSO, with services

being provided by the future Melbourne

WFO;

(18) Pensacola WSO, with services

being provided by the future Mobile and

Tallahassee WFOs;

(19) Port Arthur WSO, with services

being provided by the future Lake

Charles and Shreveport WFOs;

(20) Roswell WSO, with services

being provided by the future

Albuquerque and Midland/Odessa

WFOs;

(21) Waco WSO, with services being

provided by the future Dallas/Ft. Worth

and Houston/Galveston WFOs;

(22) Bakersfield WSO, with services

being provided by the future San

Joaquin Valley WFO;

(23) Residual Billings WSO, with

services being provided by the future

Billings WFO;

(24) Eugene WSO, with services being

provided by the future Portland and

Medford WFOs;

(25) Helena WSO, with services being

provided by the future Great Falls and

Missoula WFOs;

(26) Klamath Falls WSO, with

services being provided by the future

Medford WFO;

(27) Residual Los Angeles WSO, with

services being provided by the future

Los Angeles WFO;

(28) Olympia WSO, with services

being provided by the future Seattle/

Tacoma and Portland WFOs;

(29) Residual Phoenix WSO, with

services being provided by the future

Phoenix WFO;

(30) Residual Reno WSO, with

services being provided by the future

Reno WFO;

(31) Salem WSO, with services being

provided by the future Portland WFO;

(32) Winslow WSO, with services

being provided by the future Flagstaff

WFO;

In accordance with Public Law 102–

567, the public will have 60 days in

which to comment on these proposed

closure certifications.

DATES: Comments are requested by

March 10, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the

proposed closure packages should be

sent to Tom Beaver, Room 09356, 1325

East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD

20910, telephone 301–713–0300. All

comments should be sent to Tom Beaver

at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie

Scanlon at 301–713–1698 ext 151.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In

accordance with section 706 of Public

Law 102–567, the Secretary of

Commerce must certify that these

closures will not result in any

degradation of service to the affected

areas of responsibility and must publish

the proposed closure certifications in

the Federal Register. The

documentation supporting each

proposed certification includes the

following:

(1) A draft memorandum by the

meteorologist(s)-in-charge

recommending the certification, the

final of which will be endorsed by the

Regional Director and the Assistant

Administrator of the NWS if

appropriate, after consideration of

public comments and completion of

consultation with the Modernization

Transition Committee (the Committee);

(2) A description of local weather

characteristics and weather-related

concerns which affect the weather

services provided within the service

area;

(3) A comparison of the services

provided within the service area and the

services to be provided after such

action:

(4) A description of any recent or

expected modernization of NWS

operation which will enhance services

in the service area;

(5) An identification of any area

within the affected service area which

would not receive coverage (at an

elevation of 10,000 feet) by the next

generation weather radar network;

(6) Warning and forecast verification

statistics for pre-modernized and

modernized services which were

utilized in determining that services

have not been degraded;

(7) An Air Safety Appraisal, if

applicable, for offices which are located

on an airport; and

(8) A letter appointing the liaison

officer.

These proposed certifications do not

include any report of the Committee

which could be submitted in accordance

with sections 706(b)(6) and 707(c) of

Public Law 102–567. In December 1995

the Committee decided that, in general,

they would forego the optional

consultation on proposed certifications.

Instead, the Committee would just
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 4 / Tuesday, January 7, 1997 / Notices 981

review certifications after the public

comment period had closed so their

consultation would be with the benefit

of public comments that had been

submitted.

This notice does not include the

complete certification packages because

they are too voluminous to publish.

Copies of the certification packages and

supporting documentation can be

obtained through the contact listed

above.

Once all public comments have been

received and considered, the NWS will

complete consultation with the

Committee and determine whether to

proceed with the final certification. If a

decision to certify is made, the Secretary

of Commerce must publish the final

certification in the Federal Register and

transmit the certification to the

appropriate Congressional committees

prior to closing these offices.

Dated: December 31, 1996.

Elbert W. Friday, Jr.,

Assistant Administrator for Weather Services.

[FR Doc. 97–223 Filed 1–6–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–12–M

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

National Weather Service

Modernization and Associated

Restructuring

AGENCY: National Weather Service

(NWS), NOAA, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice and opportunity for

public comment.

SUMMARY: The NWS is publishing

proposed certifications for the

automation and closure of the following

Weather Service offices at the indicated

FAA Weather Observation Service

Level:

(1) Chicago-O’Hare (AV) Weather

Service Office (WSO) which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level A and with services being

provided by the future Chicago Weather

Forecast Office (WFO);

(2) Columbia WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level C and with services being

provided by the future St. Louis, Kansas

City/Pleasant Hill and Springfield

WFOs’;

(3) Detroit WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level A and with services being

provided by the future Detroit WFO;

(4) Flint WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level B and with services being

provided by the future Detroit WFO;

(5) Residual Moline WSO which will

be automated at FAA Weather

Observation Service Level B and with

services being provided by the future

Quad Cities WFO;

(6) Sioux City WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level C and with services being

provided by the future Sioux Falls and

Omaha WFOs;

(7) Akron WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level A and with services being

provided by the future Cleveland,

Pittsburgh, and Charleston, WV WFOs;

(8) Allentown WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level C and with services being

provided by the future Philadelphia,

Binghamton and Central Pennsylvania

WFOs;

(9) Atlantic City WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level C and with services being

provided by the future Philadelphia

WFO;

(10) Baltimore WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level A and with services being

provided by the future Baltimore, MD/

Washington D.C., Philadelphia and

Wakefield WFOs. As the only field

office in Maryland, an evaluation of

services to in-state users, included in

the meteorologist-in-charge’s

memorandum recommending

certification, has concluded that users

in Maryland are receiving equal or

better services from the future

Baltimore, MD/Washington D.C.,

Philadelphia and Wakefield WFOs.

(11) Residual Boston WSO which will

be automated at FAA Weather

Observation Service Level A and with

services being provided by the future

Boston WFO;

(12) Bridgeport WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level C and with services being

provided by the future New York City

WFO;

(13) Residual Charleston, West

Virginia WSO which will be automated

at FAA Weather Observation Service

Level B and with services being

provided by the future Charleston WFO;

(14) Columbus, Ohio WSO which will

be automated at FAA Weather

Observation Service Level A and with

services being provided by the future

Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and

Charleston, WV WFOs;

(15) Dayton WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level A and with services being

provided by the future Cincinnati WFO;

(16) Hartford WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level A and with services being

provided by the future Boston, New

York City and Albany WFOs;

(17) Lynchburg WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level C and with services being

provided by the future Roanoke WFO;

(18) Mansfield WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level C and with services being

provided by the future Cleveland WFO;

(19) Norfolk WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level B and with services being

provided by the future Wakefield WFO;

(20) Residual Portland, Maine WSO

which will be automated at FAA

Weather Observation Service Level C

and with services being provided by the

future Portland, WFO;

(21) Providence WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level A and with services being

provided by the future Boston WFO. As

the only field office in Rhode Island, an

evaluation of services to in-state users,

included in the meteorologist-incharge’s memorandum recommending

certification, has concluded that users

in Rhode Island are receiving equal or

better services from the future Boston

WFO.

(22) Residual Raleigh WSO which

will be automated at FAA Weather

Observation Service Level A and with

services being provided by the future

Raleigh/Durham WFO;

(23) Richmond WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level A and with services being

provided by the future Wakefield,

Baltimore, MD/Washington D.C. and

Roanoke WFOs;

(24) Roanoke WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level C and with services being

provided by the future Roanoke WFO;

(25) Toledo WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level C and with services being

provided by the future Cleveland and

Cincinnati WFOs;

(26) Wilkes-Barre WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level C and with services being

provided by the future Binghamton and

Central Pennsylvania WFOs;

(27) Williamsport WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level C and with services being

provided by the future Central

Pennsylvania and Binghamton WFOs;

(28) Wilmington WSO which will be

automated at FAA Weather Observation

Service Level C and with services being

provided by the future Philadelphia

WFO. As the only field office in

Delaware, an evaluation of services to

in-state users, included in the

meteorologist-in-charge’s memorandum