Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 165 / Tuesday, August 26, 1997 / Proposed Rules 45177

related to the category, an index of

drawings in the section and several

similar construction drawings of

assemblies which are designed to

perform a similar function. The

proposed bulletin also contains an

overall index and general construction

specifications. Also added to the

proposed bulletin are additional new

tables displaying maximum line angles

and soil classifications.

The drawing numbers on all the

proposed modified drawings have been

slightly changed. The drawing number

on each new and modified drawing is in

a new, uniform format based on the

original RUS numbering scheme and

format in which each character in the

number has a functional meaning

related to the contents of the drawings.

Approximately 63 construction

drawings in previous bulletin 50–5 have

been deleted in the proposed bulletin.

Each drawing was eliminated for one or

more of the following reasons:

(a) There is a conflict in the

permissible line angles between the

primary conductor supports and the

neutral conductor supports;

(b) The assembly contains material no

longer listed in Information Publication

202–1, ‘‘List of Materials Acceptable for

Use on Systems of RUS Electrification

Borrowers’’;

(c) The assembly or assemblies have

been renumbered and reorganized and

included in the proposed bulletin as a

new drawing;

(d) The assembly design is no longer

acceptable as a RUS construction

standard for mechanical strength or

clearance reasons;

(e) The drawing is redundant of

another similar drawing and thus not

needed or useful;

(f) The assembly design is no longer

preferred or commonly used; or,

(g) The drawing contains construction

instructions or details which are no

longer applicable to RUS construction

standards.

Corrections or modifications are being

proposed to approximately 89 drawings

of the bulletin. Each revised drawing

contains one or more of the following

changes:

(a) Each drawing was given a new,

shorter, simpler and more uniform

drawing title or name;

(b) The primary system voltage of

‘‘24.9/14.4 kV’’ and the number of

primary phases were drawn in a

uniform place in the title block on each

drawing where this information is

relevant;

(c) The number (quantity) of locknuts

is shown in the material list of all the

drawings that have these items;

(d) The revised drawings specify that

crossarms be generally installed one

foot, six inches from the top of the pole

to utilize the new predrilled hole

arrangement in the new RUS standard

pole drilling guide;

(e) The new drawings depict the use

of three, more modern, 41⁄4 inch primary

suspension insulators for primary

conductors instead of 2–6 inch

insulators as shown on the previous

drawings;

(f) New technical information, defined

as ‘‘design parameters’’ would be added

to the title blocks on most of the

drawings. These design parameters

include maximum line angels

(referenced to the new tables),

maximum longitudinal, transverse or

unbalanced loads, maximum working

load or maximum holding power. This

new technical information defines and

usually limits the physical applications

of the assembly units shown on the

drawings; and,

(g) Several of the revised drawings

contain new advisory notes, technical

information and references to other

drawings.

Approximately 87 new drawings are

being proposed. Many of these proposed

new drawings are of construction

assemblies from the previous bulletin

that have been modified as appropriate,

renumbered and reorganized. Other new

drawings were added to exhibit one or

more of the following:

(a) The application of post-type

insulators;

(b) Construction guides and design

details;

(c) New equipment and new design;

and

(d) Details of subassembly units.

A few new drawings would be added

to replace, with modifications as

required, needed drawings or

assemblies which were deleted from the

previous bulletin for the reasons

previously given.

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 1728

Electric power, Incorporation by

reference, Loan programs—energy,

Rural areas.

For reasons set out in the preamble,

RUS proposes to amend 7 CFR part 1728

as follows:

PART 1728—ELECTRIC STANDARDS

AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR

MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION

1. The authority citation for part 1728

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.; 7 U.S.C.

1921 et seq.; Pub L. 103–354, 108 Stat. 3178

(7 U.S.C. 6941 et seq.).

2. Section 1728.97(b) is amended by

removing the entry for Bulletin 50–5

and adding to the list of bulletins, in

numerical order, the entry for Bulletin

1728F–803, to read as follows:

§ 1728.97 Incorporation by reference of

electric standards and specifications.

* * * * *

(b) List of Bulletins.

* * * * *

Bulletin 1728F–803, Specifications

and Drawings for 24.9/14.4 kV Line

Construction ([Month and year of

effective date of final rule])

* * * * *

Dated: August 18, 1997.

Jill Long Thompson,

Under Secretary, Rural Development.

[FR Doc. 97–22523 Filed 8–25–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P

FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM

12 CFR Part 250

[Miscellaneous Interpretations; Docket R–

0977]

Applicability of Sections 23A and 23B

of the Federal Reserve Act to

Transactions Between a Member Bank

and its Subsidiaries

AGENCY: Board of Governors of the

Federal Reserve System.

ACTION: Proposed rule; Extension of

comment period.

SUMMARY: On July 3, 1997 (62 FR 37744,

July 15, 1997), the Board requested

comment on a proposal to apply

sections 23A and 23B to transactions

between a member bank and any

subsidiary that engages in activities that

are impermissible for the bank itself and

that Congress has not previously

exempted from coverage by section 23A.

In response to requests for an extension

of the comment period, the Secretary of

the Board, acting pursuant to delegated

authority, has extended the comment

period from September 3, 1997 to

October 3, 1997.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before October 3, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments, which refer to

Docket No. R–0977, may be mailed to

Mr. William W. Wiles, Secretary, Board

of Governors of the Federal Reserve

System, 20th Street and Constitution

Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20551.

Comments address to Mr. Wiles also

may be delivered to the Board’s mail

room between 8:45 a.m. and 5:15 p.m.

and to the security control room outside

of those hours. Both the mail room and

the security control room are accessible
45178 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 165 / Tuesday, August 26, 1997 / Proposed Rules

from the courtyard entrance on 20th

Street between Constitution Avenue,

and C Street, N.W. Comments may be

inspected in Room MP–500 between

9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. weekdays,

except as provided in § 261.8 of the

Board’s Rules Regarding Availability of

Information, 12 CFR 261.8.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Gregory Baer, Managing Senior Counsel

(202/452–3236), Pamela G. Nardolilli,

Senior Attorney (202/452–3289), or

Deborah M. Awai, Senior Attorney (202/

452–3594), Legal Division or Roger T.

Cole, Deputy Associate Director (202/

452–2618), Banking Supervision and

Regulation or Molly S. Wassom,

Assistant Director, Banking Supervision

and Regulation (202/452–2305), Board

of Governors of the Federal Reserve. For

the hearing impaired only,

Telecommunications Device of the Deaf

(TDD), Diane Jenkins (202/452–3254).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Board

is extending the comment period on the

proposed rule regarding the

applicability of sections 23A and 23B to

certain subsidiaries published on July

15, 1997 at 62 FR 37744 to give the

public additional time to comment on

the proposal.

By order of the Secretary of the Board,

acting pursuant to delegated authority

for the Board of Governors of the

Federal Reserve System, August 20,

1997.

William W. Wiles,

Secretary of the Board.

[FR Doc. 97–22680 Filed 8–25–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6210–01–P

FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM

12 CFR Part 271

[Docket No. R–0983]

Federal Open Market Committee; Rules

Regarding Availability of Information

AGENCY: Federal Open Market

Committee, Federal Reserve System.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: The Federal Open Market

Committee (Committee) hereby

proposes to amend its Rules Regarding

Availability of Information (Rules) to

reflect recent changes in the Freedom of

Information Act (FOIA) as a result of the

Electronic Freedom of Information Act

Amendments (EFOIA).

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before September 25, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments, which should

refer to Docket No. R–0983, may be

mailed to Mr. Donald Kohn, Secretary,

Federal Open Market Committee, Mail

Stop 55, 20th Street and Constitution

Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20551.

Comments addressed to Mr. Kohn also

may be delivered to the mail room of the

Board of Governors of the Federal

Reserve System (Board) between 8:45

a.m. and 5:15 p.m. and to the Board’s

security control room outside of those

hours. The mail room and the security

control room are accessible from the

courtyard entrance on 20th Street

between Constitution Avenue and C

Street, N.W. Comments may be

inspected in Room MP–500 between

9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Elaine M. Boutilier, Senior Counsel,

(202/452–2418), or Stephen L. Siciliano,

Special Assistant to the General Counsel

for Administrative Law, (202/452–

3920), Legal Division, Board of

Governors of the Federal Reserve

System. For the hearing impaired only,

contact Diane Jenkins,

Telecommunications Device for the Deaf

(TDD) (202/452–3544), Board of

Governors of the Federal Reserve

System, 20th and Constitution, N.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20551.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Last year,

Congress passed the Electronic Freedom

of Information Act Amendments of

1996, Pub. L. 104–231, which amends

the Freedom of Information Act, 5

U.S.C. 552. Among other things, EFOIA

requires agencies to promulgate

regulations that provide for expedited

processing of requests for records. In

addition to amendments intended to

implement EFOIA, the Committee

proposes to update the fee schedule and

make other changes intended to

streamline and clarify the Rules. The

following is a section-by-section

discussion of the proposed changes.

Section 271.1—Authority and Purpose

This section has been revised simply

to state the statutory authority for

promulgation of the Rules and the

purpose of the Rules.

Section 271.2—Definitions

The definitions have been

alphabetized and now include the

definitions relating to the fee schedule

that were previously in § 271.8.

Section 271.3—Published Information

No substantive changes are proposed

for this section.

Section 271.4—Records Available for

Public Inspection and Copying

This is a new section that describes

the types of Committee records that are

available in the reading room of the

Board’s Freedom of Information (FOI)

Office. Pursuant to EFOIA, it also

describes the Committee records

available on the Board’s website.

Section 271.5—Records Available to the

Public on Request

This is a revision of existing § 271.4,

which describes the types of records

available upon request, and the

procedures for making such a request.

Section 271.6—Processing Request

This is a new section that describes

the Committee’s procedures in

processing requests for information and

appeals of denials of such requests.

Some of the procedures described in

this proposed section were previously

set forth in existing § 271.4. This section

also contains the proposed procedures

for expedited processing of requests,

pursuant to EFOIA.

Section 271.7—Exemptions From

Disclosure

This section combines the rules

currently found in §§ 271.5 and 271.6,

regarding deferred release of

information and information that is

exempt from release under FOIA.

Section 271.8—Subpoenas

There are no substantive changes to

this section, except that it is

renumbered from § 271.7 to § 271.8.

Section 271.9—Fee schedules; Waiver of

Fees

This section is renumbered from

§ 271.8 to § 271.9. The Committee

proposes to move the definitions that

are currently included here to § 271.2,

which contains the other definitions for

this part. The fee schedule provisions

have been revised to clarify that the

processing time of a FOIA request does

not begin in cases where advance

payment is required until payment is

received; or, where a person has

requested a waiver of the fees, until the

person agrees to pay the fees if the

waiver request is denied. Additionally,

the standards under which the Secretary

may grant a request for waiver of fees

have been modified to reflect the

development of case law in this area.

The rule provides for administrative

appeal of a denial of a waiver request.

Regulatory Flexibility Act Analysis

Pursuant to section 605(b) of the

Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601

et seq.), the Committee certifies that the

proposed amendments will not have a

significant economic impact on a

substantial number of small entities.

These amendments simplify some of the

procedures regarding release of

information and require disclosure of

information in certain instances in