55774 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 208 / Tuesday, October 28, 1997 / Proposed Rules

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997

establishes a new Medicare+Choice

program under part C of title XVIII of

the Social Security Act (the Act). Under

this program, an eligible individual may

elect to receive Medicare benefits

through enrollment in a

Medicare+Choice plan that has a

contract with us, which may include a

health plan offered by a providersponsored organization. The BBA

establishes a definition of PSOs that will

be further clarified in forthcoming

regulations. Section 4001 of the BBA

mandates an expedited and modified

negotiated rulemaking process for

establishing solvency standards for

PSOs. The standards must be published

as an interim final rule, subject to

comment, by April 1, 1998.

Under the BBA, the Negotiated

Rulemaking Committee is required to

report to the Secretary by January 1,

1998, regarding its progress and whether

it is likely to achieve consensus. The

Committee is required to report its

proposed standards to the Secretary by

March 1, 1998. If, however, the

Committee reports on January 1st that it

has failed to make significant progress

or that consensus is unlikely within the

assigned time frame, the Committee will

be terminated and publication of a rule

will proceed using other rulemaking

procedures.

The Committee held its first meetings

on October 20, 21, and 22, 1997. At

these meetings, presentations were

made that related to health plan

solvency, and the Committee discussed

how to address the principal issues and

how to proceed in developing solvency

standards.

The announced future meetings are

open to the public without advance

registration. Public attendance at the

meetings may be limited to space

available. A summary of all proceedings

will be available for inspection in room

309–G of the Department’s offices at 200

Independence Avenue, SW,

Washington, DC, on Monday through

Friday of each week from 8:30 a.m. to

5 p.m. (Phone: (202) 690–7890), or can

be accessed through the HCFA Internet

site at http://www/hcfa.gov/medicare/

mgdcar1.htm. Additional information

related to the Committee will be

available on the web site.

(Section 1851 of the Social Security Act (42

U.S.C. 1395w–21 and section 10(a) of Public

Law 92–463 (5 U.S.C. App. 2, section 10(a));

45 C.F.R. Part 11)

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program No. 93.773, Medicare—Hospital

Insurance; and Program No. 93.774,

Medicare—Supplementary Medical

Insurance Program)

Dated: October 24, 1997.

Nancy-Ann Min DeParle,

Deputy Administrator, Health Care Financing

Administration.

[FR Doc. 97–28676 Filed 10–27–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018–AE00

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife

and Plants; Extension of Comment

Period on Proposed Rule and Draft

Environmental Impact Statement for

Grizzly Bear Recovery in the Bitterroot

Ecosystem

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of

comment period.

SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service

provides notice that the comment

period is being extended on the

proposed rule to establish a

nonessential experimental population of

grizzly bears in the Bitterroot

Ecosystem. All interested parties that

have not done so are invited to submit

comments on this proposal.

DATES: Comments will be accepted until

December 1, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and

materials should be addressed to Dr.

Christopher Servheen, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service Project Leader,

Bitterroot Grizzly Bear EIS, P.O. Box

5127, Missoula, Montana 59806.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dr. Christopher Servheen, Grizzly Bear

Recovery Coordinator (see ADDRESSES

above), at telephone (406) 243–4903.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

(Service) proposes to reintroduce the

grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), a

threatened species, into east-central

Idaho and a portion of western

Montana. On July 2, 1997, the Service

published a proposed rule (62 FR

35762) to establish a nonessential

experimental population pursuant to

section 10(j) of the Endangered Species

Act of 1973, as amended. Grizzly bear

populations have been extirpated from

most of the lower 48 United States.

They presently occur in populations in

the Cabinet/Yaak ecosystem in

northwestern Montana and north Idaho,

the Selkirk ecosystem in north Idaho

and northeastern Washington, the North

Cascades ecosystem in northwestern

Washington, the Northern Continental

Divide ecosystem in Montana, and the

Yellowstone ecosystem in Montana,

Wyoming, and Idaho. The purpose of

this reintroduction is to reestablish a

viable grizzly bear population in the

Bitterroot ecosystem in east-central

Idaho and adjacent areas of Montana,

one of six grizzly recovery areas

identified in the Grizzly Bear Recovery

Plan. Potential effects of this proposed

rule are evaluated in a draft

Environmental Impact Statement

released concurrently with the

publication of the proposed rule. This

grizzly bear reintroduction does not

conflict with existing or anticipated

Federal agency actions or traditional

public uses of wilderness areas or

surrounding lands.

Public Comments Solicited

The comment period on this proposal

is scheduled to close on November 1,

1997. To accommodate verbal requests

and because of the extensive interest in

the proposal, the Service extends the

comment period. Written comments

may now be submitted until December

1, 1997, to the Service office identified

in the ADDRESSES section above. All

comments must be received before the

close of the comment period to be

considered.

Author

The author of this notice is Olin Bray,

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box

25486, DFC, Denver, CO 80225–0486;

telephone (303) 236–7400, extension

249.

Authority

The authority for this action is the

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as

amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

Dated: October 22, 1997.

Ralph O. Morgenweck,

Regional Director, Denver, Colorado.

[FR Doc. 97–28481 Filed 10–27–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 600

[Docket No. 970829214–7214–01; I.D.

082097B]

RIN 0648–AJ76

Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions;

Observer Health and Safety

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 208 / Tuesday, October 28, 1997 / Proposed Rules 55775

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of

comment period.

SUMMARY: NMFS extends for 30 days the

comment period for the proposed rule

about guidelines to ensure observer

health and safety.

DATES: Comments must be received by

November 21, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Gary

Matlock, Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, NMFS, 1315 East-West

Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

William J. Bellows, 301–713–2341.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Magnuson-Stevens Act, as

amended (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), the

Marine Mammal Protection Act, as

amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and

the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act, as

amended (16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.)

authorize the Secretary of Commerce to

station observers aboard commercial

fishing vessels to collect required

scientific data for the purposes of

fishery and protected species

conservation and management,

monitoring incidental mortality and

serious injury to marine mammals and

to other species listed under the

Endangered Species Act, and

monitoring compliance with existing

Federal regulations. In addition,

pursuant to the South Pacific Tuna Act

of 1988 (16 U.S.C. 973 et seq.), observers

may be required in the South Pacific

Tuna Fishery.

A proposed rule was published on

September 22, 1997 (62 FR 49464), in

which guidelines were proposed for the

purpose of ensuring observer health and

safety while aboard a vessel and at the

time of boarding and disembarking. The

30-day comment period ended October

22, 1997. One comment was received; it

requested an extension of the comment

period.

NMFS is interested in receiving

comments and is extending the

comment period through November 21,

1997.

This notice’s comment-period

extension has been determined to be not

significant for purposes of E.O. 12866.

Dated: October 21, 1997.

Gary C. Matlock,

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–28440 Filed 10–27–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F