45614 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 167 / Thursday, August 28, 1997 / Proposed Rules

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

49 CFR Part 393

[FHWA Docket No. MC–96–41; USDOT

Docket No. FHWA–97–2289]

RIN 2125–AE05

Public Meeting To Discuss the

Development of the North American

Standard for Protection Against

Shifting or Falling Cargo

AGENCY: Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The FHWA is announcing a

public meeting concerning the

development of the North American

Standard for Protection Against Shifting

or Falling Cargo. The meeting will be

held on September 27, 1997, at the

Renaissance Denver Hotel in Denver,

Colorado. The meeting will begin at 9:00

a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m. The meeting

will include a review of the most recent

version of the North American Standard

for Protection Against Shifting or

Falling Cargo and a review of cargo

securement research recently conducted

by certain industry groups.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Larry W. Minor, Office of Motor Carrier

Research and Standards, HCS–10, (202)

366–4009; or Mr. Charles E. Medalen,

Office of the Chief Counsel, HCC–20,

(202) 366–1354, Federal Highway

Administration, 400 Seventh Street,

SW., Washington, D.C. 20590. Office

hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.,

e.t., Monday through Friday, except

Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On October, 17, 1996, the FHWA

published an advance notice of

proposed rulemaking (ANPRM)

concerning the development of the

North American Standard for Protection

Against Shifting or Falling Cargo (61 FR

54142). The ANPRM indicated that the

FHWA is considering proposing

amendments to its regulations

concerning cargo securement

requirements for commercial motor

vehicles engaged in interstate

commerce. Specifically, the agency is

considering adopting new cargo

securement guidelines that will be

based upon the results of a multi-year

comprehensive research program to

evaluate current regulations and

industry practices. The FHWA

requested comments on the process to

be used in developing the cargo

securement guidelines.

Standard Development Process

The preliminary efforts at developing

the North American Standard for

Protection Against Shifting or Falling

Cargo are currently being managed by a

drafting group. The drafting group is

developing a model set of cargo

securement guidelines based upon the

results from the multi-year research

program. Membership in the drafting

group includes representatives from the

FHWA, Transport Canada, the Canadian

Council of Motor Transport

Administrators (CCMTA), the Ontario

Ministry of Transportation, the Quebec

Ministry of Transportation—Ontario

and Quebec are conducting most of the

research—and the Commercial Vehicle

Safety Alliance (CVSA).

The meeting on September 27 is a

follow-up to the May 3, 1997, public

meeting and is intended to serve as part

of a process for further developing the

guidelines. A notice announcing the

May 3, 1997, meeting was published in

the Federal Register on April 21, 1997

(62 FR 19252). The September 27

meeting will involve a review of the

work completed to date by the drafting

group and the results of research

recently completed by certain industry

groups. The meeting is open to all

interested parties. This process is

intended to ensure that all interested

parties have an opportunity to

participate in the development of the

guidelines, and to identify and consider

the concerns of the Federal, State, and

Provincial governments, carriers,

shippers, industry groups, and

associations as well as safety advocacy

groups and the general public.

For individuals and groups unable to

attend the meeting, the FHWA will

publish the draft standard in the

Federal Register. Further, the CCMTA

has posted information on the

INTERNET. The website is: http://

www.ab.org/ccmta/ccmta.html.

With regard to future rulemaking

notices, the FHWA will publish a

separate notice concerning its review of

the docket comments sent in response to

the ANPRM. That notice will

summarize the comments and identify

any issues that warrant reconsideration

of the standard development process.

Meeting Information

The meeting will be held on

September 27, 1997, at the Renaissance

Denver Hotel, 3801 Quebec Street,

Denver, Colorado. The meeting is

scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

and is part of the Commercial Vehicle

Safety Alliance’s 1997 Annual

Conference. Attendance for the cargo

securement meeting is free of charge

and open to all interested parties.

However, anyone interested in attending

any other session or committee meeting

of the CVSA’s 1997 Annual Conference

must register with the CVSA and pay

the appropriate registration fee. For

further information about registration

for other sessions or meetings of the

CVSA’s 1997 Annual Conference please

contact the CVSA at (301) 564–1623.

The FHWA notes that since the

CVSA’s 1997 Annual Conference is

being held at the Renaissance Denver

Hotel, the availability of guest rooms at

the hotel is very unlikely. Therefore,

those needing hotel accommodations

should attempt to make reservations at

other hotels in the vicinity.

List of Subjects in 49 CFR Part 393

Highway safety, Motor carriers, Motor

vehicle safety.

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 31136, 31502; 49 CFR

1.48.

Issued on: August 22, 1997.

John F. Grimm,

Acting Associate Administrator for Motor

Carriers.

[FR Doc. 97–22859 Filed 8–27–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Parts 285, 630, 644 and 678

[I.D. 080597G]

Atlantic Tuna; Atlantic Swordfish;

Atlantic Billfish; Atlantic Shark

Fisheries

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare two

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

documents, Fishery Management Plan

(FMP) and FMP amendment documents;

notice of receipt of petitions for

rulemaking; and request for written

comments.

SUMMARY: NMFS announces its intent to

prepare two EIS documents to assess the

impacts of potential future management

options on the natural and human

environment for the Atlantic tuna,

Atlantic swordfish, and Atlantic shark

fisheries and the Atlantic billfish

fishery. NMFS also intends to prepare

FMP and/or FMP amendment

documents for Atlantic tunas,

swordfish, sharks, and billfish to