Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 216 / Friday, November 7, 1997 / Notices 60287

located at the Penfield Library, State

University of New York, Oswego, New

York 13126.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 28th day

of October 1997.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Darl S. Hood,

Senior Project Manager, Project Directorate

I–1, Division of Reactor Projects—I/II, Office

of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.

[FR Doc. 97–29490 Filed 11–6–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

PENSION BENEFIT GUARANTY

CORPORATION

Submission of Information Collection

for OMB Review; Comment Request;

Termination of Single Employer Plans;

Missing Participants; PBGC Forms

500–501, 600–602

AGENCY: Pension Benefit Guaranty

Corporation.

ACTION: Notice of request for extension

of OMB approval.

SUMMARY: The Pension Benefit Guaranty

Corporation (‘‘PBGC’’) is requesting that

the Office of Management and Budget

(‘‘OMB’’) extend its approval, under the

Paperwork Reduction Act, of a

collection of information in its

regulations on Termination of Single

Employer Plans and Missing

Participants (29 CFR Parts 4041 and

4050) and implementing forms and

instructions (PBGC Forms 500–501 and

600–602). This notice informs the

public of the PBGC’s request and solicits

public comment on the collection of

information.

DATES: Comments should be submitted

by December 8, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be

mailed to the Office of Information and

Regulatory Affairs of the Office of

Management and Budget, Attention:

Desk Officer for Pension Benefit

Guaranty Corporation, Washington, DC

20503. The request for extension will be

available for public inspection at the

Communications and Public Affairs

Department of the Pension Benefit

Guaranty Corporation, suite 240, 1200 K

Street, NW., Washington, DC, 20005–

4026, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on

business days.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Harold J. Ashner, Assistant General

Counsel, or Catherine B. Klion,

Attorney, Office of the General Counsel,

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation,

1200 K Street, NW., Washington, DC

20005–4026, 202–326–4024. (For TTY

and TDD, call 800–877–8339 and

request connection to 202–326–4024).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PBGC

administers the pension plan

termination insurance programs under

Title IV of the Employee Retirement

Income Security Act of 1974, as

amended (‘‘ERISA’’). Under section

4041 of ERISA, a single-employer

pension plan may terminate voluntarily

only if it satisfies the requirements for

either a standard or a distress

termination. Pursuant to ERISA section

4041(b), for standard terminations, and

section 4041(c), for distress

terminations, and the PBGC’s

termination regulation (29 CFR part

4041), a plan administrator wishing to

terminate a plan is required to submit

specified information to the PBGC in

support of the proposed termination and

to provide specified information

regarding the proposed termination to

third parties (participants, beneficiaries,

alternate payees, and employee

organizations). In the case of a plan with

participants or beneficiaries who cannot

be located when their benefits are to be

distributed, the plan administrator is

subject to the requirements of ERISA

section 4050 and the PBGC’s missing

participants regulation (29 CFR part

4050).

Elsewhere in today’s Federal Register,

the PBGC published a final rule that

extends standard termination deadlines

and otherwise simplifies the standard

termination process, requires that plan

administrators provide participants with

information on state guaranty

association coverage of annuities, and

makes conforming changes to the

distress termination process. The final

rule also makes conforming and

simplifying changes to the missing

participants regulation. In addition, the

PBGC made clarifying and other

changes (related to the final rule) to its

implementing forms and instructions

under the termination and missing

participants regulations.

Terminations initiated before the

effective date of the final rule generally

will be subject to the existing collection

of information requirements. (The PBGC

specified in the final rule certain

portions of the final rule that plan

administrators may apply to

terminations in process at the time the

final rule becomes effective.) Thus, even

after the effective date of the final rule,

there will be a period of time during

which the existing collection of

information requirements will apply for

some terminations.

The PBGC is asking OMB to (1)

approve for three years the revised

collection of information requirements

contained in the new final termination

and missing participants regulations

and implementing forms and

instructions; and (2) extend its approval

for three years of the collection of

information requirements in the existing

termination and missing participants

regulations and implementing forms

and instructions. To facilitate OMB’s

consideration of these requests, the

PBGC is combining the final rule and

rollover submissions.

Much of the work associated with

terminating a plan is performed for

purposes other than meeting the

collection of information requirements

in the PBGC’s termination and missing

participants regulations. The PBGC

estimates that 3,750 plan administrators

will be subject to the collection of

information requirements each year, and

that the total annual burden of

complying with these requirements is

5,231 hours and $2,761,672.

Issued in Washington, DC, this 3rd day of

November, 1997.

David M. Strauss,

Executive Director, Pension Benefit Guaranty

Corporation.

[FR Doc. 97–29499 Filed 11–6–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7708–01–P

RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD

Proposed Collection; Comment

Request

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

which provides opportunity for public

comment on new or revised data

collections, the Railroad Retirement

Board (RRB) will publish periodic

summaries of proposed data collections.

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether

the proposed information collection is

necessary for the proper performance of

the functions of the agency, including

whether the information has practical

utility; (b) the accuracy of the RRB’s

estimate of the burden of the collection

of the information; (c) ways to enhance

the quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected; and (d)

ways to minimize the burden related to

the collection of information on

respondents, including the use of

automated collection techniques or

other forms of information technology.

Title and purpose of information

collection: Application for Employee

Annuity Under the Railroad Retirement

Act; OMB 3220–0002.

Section 2 of the Railroad Retirement

Act (RRA), provides for payment of age

and service, disability and supplemental

annuities to qualified employees. The

basic requirements for a regular

employee annuity retirement annuity

under the RRA is 120 months (10 years)
60288 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 216 / Friday, November 7, 1997 / Notices

1The three series of Alabama NYSE Preferred

Stock consist of a 6.80% series, of which 1.52

million shares are outstanding (‘‘6.80% Series’’); a

6.40% series, of which two million shares are

outstanding (‘‘6.40% Series’’); and an adjustable

rate series, of which two million shares are

outstanding (‘‘AR Series’’).

2The six series of Alabama $100 Preferred Stock

consist of a 4.20% series, of which 364,000 shares

are outstanding (‘‘4.20% Series’’); a 4.52% series, of

which 50,000 shares are outstanding (‘‘4.52%

Series’’); a 4.60% series, of which 100,000 shares

are outstanding (‘‘4.60% Series’’); a 4.64% series, of

which 60,000 shares are outstanding (‘‘4.64%

Series’’); a 4.72% series, of which 50,000 shares are

outstanding (‘‘4.72% Series’’); and a 4.92% series,

of which 80,000 shares are outstanding (‘‘4.92%

Series’’).

of creditable railroad service. Benefits

then become payable after the employee

meets certain other requirements, which

depend, in turn, on the type of annuity

payable.

The requirements relating to the

annuities are prescribed in 20 CFR 216,

and 220.

The forms used by the RRB to collect

information needed for determining

entitlement to and the amount of an

employee retirement annuity follow:

Form AA–1, Application for Employee

Annuity Under the Railroad Retirement

Act is completed by an applicant for

either an age and service or disability

annuity. It obtains information about the

applicants marital history, work history,

military service, benefits from other

governmental agencies and railroad

pensions. Form AA–1d, Application for

Determination of Employee Disability, is

completed by an employee who is filing

for a disability annuity under the RRA,

or a disability freeze under the Social

Security Act for early Medicare based

on a disability. Form G–204,

Verification of Workers Compensation/

Public Disability Benefit Information, is

used to obtain and verify information

concerning worker’s compensation or

public disability benefits that are or will

be paid by a public agency to a disabled

railroad employee. Completion of the

forms is required to obtain a benefit.

One response is requested of each

respondent.

The RRB proposes to revise Form

AA–1 to add items that secure

information pertaining to the direct

deposit of benefits and Medicare

processing and delete items no longer

required. Forms AA–1, AA–1d and G–

204 will be revised to add language

required by the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995. Minor non-burden

impacting cosmetic and editorial

changes will also be made to all three

forms. The RRB estimates that 13,400

Form AA–1’s, 5,650 AA–1d’s and 175

G–204’s are completed annually. The

completion time for Form AA–1 is

estimated to 37 to 62 minutes per

response. The completion time for AA–

1d is estimated at 35 to 60 minutes per

response. The completion time for Form

G–204 is estimated at 5 minutes per

response.

Additional Information or Comments:

To request more information or to

obtain a copy of the information

collection justification, forms, and/or

supporting material, please call the RRB

Clearance Officer at (312) 751–3363.

Comments regarding the information

collection should be addressed to

Ronald J. Hodapp, Railroad Retirement

Board, 844 N. Rush Street, Chicago,

Illinois 60611–2092. Written comments

should be received within 60 days of

this notice.

Chuck Mierzwa,

Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 97–29476 Filed 11–6–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7905–01–M

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE

COMMISSION

[Release No. 35–26769]

Filings Under the Public Utility Holding

Company Act of 1935, as Amended

(‘‘Act’’)

October 31, 1997.

Notice is hereby given that the

following filing(s) has/have been made

with the Commission pursuant to

provisions of the Act and rules

promulgated thereunder. All interested

persons are referred to the application(s)

and/or declaration(s) for complete

statements of the proposed

transaction(s) summarized below. The

application(s) and/or declaration(s) and

any amendments thereto is/are available

for public inspection through the

Commission’s Office or Public

Reference.

Interested persons wishing to

comment or request a hearing on the

application(s) and/or declaration(s)

should submit their views in writing by

November 24, 1997, to the Secretary,

Securities and Exchange Commission,

Washington, D.C. 20549, and serve a

copy on the relevant applicant(s) and/or

declarant(s) at the address(es) specified

below. Proof of service (by affidavit or,

in case of an attorney at law, by

certificate) should be filed with the

request. Any request for hearing shall

identify specifically the issues of fact or

law that are disputed. A person who so

requests will be notified of any hearing,

if ordered, and will receive a copy of

any notice or order issued in the matter.

After said date, the application(s)

and/or declaration(s), as filed or as

amended, may be granted and/or

permitted to become effective.

The Southern Company, et al. (70–

9137); Notice of Proposal To Amend

Articles of Incorporation and Authorize

Registered Holding Company To

Acquire Preferred Stock of Utility

Subsidiaries; Order Authorizing

Solicitation of Proxies

The Southern Company (‘‘Southern’’),

270 Peachtree Street, N.W., Atlanta,

Georgia 30303, a registered holding

company, and certain of its publicutility subsidiaries, Alabama Power

Company (‘‘Alabama’’), 600 North 18th

Street, Birmingham, Alabama 35291,

Georgia Power Company (‘‘Georgia’’),

333 Piedmont Avenue, N.E., Atlanta,

Georgia 30308, Gulf Power Company

(‘‘Gulf’’), 500 Bayfront Parkway,

Pensacola, Florida 32501, and

Mississippi Power Company

(‘‘Mississippi’’), 2992 West Beach,

Gulfport, Mississippi 39501 (Alabama,

Georgia, Gulf and Mississippi

collectively, ‘‘Subsidiaries’’), have filed

an application-declaration under

sections 6(a), 7, 9(a), 10, 12(c), 12(d) and

12(e) of the Act, and rules 43, 44, 51, 54,

62 and 65 thereunder.

Alabama

Alabama has outstanding 5,608,955

shares of common stock, par value $40

per share (‘‘Alabama Common Stock’’),

all of which are held by Southern.

Alabama’s outstanding preferred stock

consists of: (1) 5.52 million shares of

Class A cumulative preferred stock,

stated capital $25 per share, issued in

three series,1 which are traded on the

New York Stock Exchange (‘‘Alabama

NYSE Preferred Stock’’); (2) 704,000

shares of cumulative preferred stock,

par value $100 per share, issued in six

series,2 which are traded over-thecounter (‘‘Alabama $100 Preferred

Stock’’); (3) 200 shares of Class A

cumulative preferred stock, stated

capital $100,000 per share, which are

traded over-the-counter (‘‘Alabama 1993

Auction Preferred Stock’’); and (4)

500,000 shares of Class A cumulative

preferred stock, stated capital $100,

which are traded over-the-counter

(‘‘Alabama 1988 Auction Preferred

Stock’’ and, together with the Alabama

NYSE Preferred Stock, Alabama $100

Preferred Stock and Alabama 1993

Auction Preferred Stock, ‘‘Alabama

Preferred Stock’’). Alabama has

outstanding no other class of equity

securities.

Paragraph A.2.f.(2) of Article IX of

Alabama’s Charter (‘‘Alabama Charter’’)

currently provides that, so long as any

shares of Alabama’s Preferred Stock are

outstanding, without the affirmative

vote of the holders of at least a majority