60746 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 218 / Wednesday, November 12, 1997 / Notices

2. Give a detailed conceptual

presentation of the proposed

recommendations, prior to proceeding

with the work stated in item 3 below.

3. Draft an appropriate report.

4. Provide a status report at each

meeting of ARAC held to consider air

carrier operations issues.

Participation in the Working Group

The Airplane Performance

Harmonization Working Group is

composed of experts having an interest

in the assigned task. A working group

member need not be a representative of

a member of the full committee..

An individual who has expertise in

the subject matter and wishes to become

a member of the working group should

write to the person listed under the

caption FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT expressing that desire,

describing his or her interest in the

tasks, and stating the expertise he or she

would bring to the working group. The

request will be reviewed by the assistant

chair, and the individual will be

advised whether or not the request can

be accommodated. Requests to

participate on the Airplane Performance

Harmonization Working Group should

be submitted no later than January 2,

1998. To the extent possible, the

composition of the working group will

be balanced among the aviation interests

selected to participate.

The Secretary of Transportation has

determined that the formation and use

of ARAC are necessary and in the public

interest in connection with the

performance of duties imposed on the

FAA by law.

Meeting of ARAC will be open to the

public. Meetings of the Airplane

Performance Harmonization Working

Group will not be open to the public,

except to the extent that individuals

with an interest and expertise are

selected to participate. No public

announcement of working group

meetings will be made.

Issued in Washington, DC, on November 5,

1997.

Quentin J. Smith,

Assistant Executive Director, for Air Carrier

Operations Issues, Aviation Rulemaking

Advisory Committee.

[FR Doc. 97–29729 Filed 11–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

RTCA, Inc.; Joint RTCA Special

Committee 180 and Eurocae Working

Group 46 Meeting; Design Assurance

Guidance for Airborne Electronic

Hardware

Pursunt to section 10(a)(2) of the

Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub.

L. 92–463), 5 U.S.C., Appendix 2),

notice is hereby given for a joint RTCA

Special Committee 180 and EUROCAE

Working Group 46 meeting to be held

December 3–5, 1997, starting at 8:30

a.m. on December 3. The meeting will

be held at RTCA, Inc., 1140 Connecticut

Avenue, NW., Suite 1020, Washington,

DC, 20036.

The agenda will be as follows: (1)

Chairman’s Introductory Remarks; (2)

Review and Approval of Meeting

Agenda; (3) Review and Approval of

Minutes of Previous Joint Meeting; (4)

Leadership Team Meeting Report; (5)

Review Action Items; (6) FAR part 21

Revision Activity Report; (7) Review

Issue Logs; (8) Issue Team Status; (9)

Break into Teams; (10) Issue Team

Reports; (11) New Items for Consensus;

(12) Special Committee 190 Committee

Activity Report; (13) Other Business;

(14) Establish Agenda for Next Meeting;

(15) Date and Place of Next Meeting.

Attendance is open to the interested

public but limited to space availability.

With the approval of the chairman,

members of the public may present oral

statements at the meeting. Persons

wishing to present statements or obtain

information should contact the RTCA

Secretariat, 1140 Connecticut Avenue,

NW., Suite 1020, Washington, DC

20036; (202) 933–9339 (phone); (202)

933–9434 (fax); or http://www.rtca.org

(web site). Members of the public may

present a written statement to the

committee at any time.

Issued in Washington, DC, on November 3,

1997.

Janice L. Peters,

Designated Official.

[FR Doc. 97–29725 Filed 11–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Special Programs

Administration

[Notice 97–13]

Safety Advisory: Unauthorized Cans

Used to Package and Transport HC–

12a, a Liquefied Petroleum Gas

AGENCY: Research and Special Programs

Administration (RSPA), DOT.

ACTION: Safety advisory notice.

SUMMARY: This is to notify the public

that cans labeled as DOT–2Q containing

HC–12a, a liquefied petroleum gas,

packaged and distributed by OZ

Technology, Inc. (OZ), Rathdrum, Idaho

are unauthorized for the packaging and

transportation of HC–12a, and that

tests on these cans show that they may

fail at ambient temperatures normally

encountered in transportation. Failure

of cans containing a liquefied petroleum

gas could result in serious personal

injury, death, and property damage.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Raymond L. LaMagdelaine, Chief,

Special Investigations, telephone (202)

366–4700, Office of Hazardous Materials

Enforcement, Research and Special

Programs Administration, U.S.

Department of Transportation, 400

Seventh Street S.W., Washington, D.C.

20590–0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR)

(49 CFR Parts 171–180) authorize

certain specification containers for

liquefied petroleum gas. A specification

DOT–2Q container may be used if

quantity and pressure limits are met.

Specification DOT–2Q cans, when not

equipped with a pressure relief device,

are authorized to transport liquefied

petroleum gas with a vapor pressure not

exceeding 35 p.s.i.g. at 70° F. and 100

p.s.i.g. at 130° F. (49 CFR

173.304(d)(3)(ii)). The cans used by OZ

to package HC–12 have no pressure

relief device. According to the OZ

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), the

vapor pressure of HC–12a is 72 p.s.i.g.

at 70° F. Therefore, a DOT–2Q can is not

authorized for shipment of HC–12a.

When a DOT–2Q can is authorized,

the HMR require that ‘‘[e]ach completed

container filled for shipment must have

been heated until contents reached a

minimum temperature of 130° F.,

without evidence of leakage, distortion,

or

defect.’’ (49 CFR 173.304(d)(3)(ii)

Note 1). RSPA had 18 cans of HC–12a

tested by an independent test

laboratory. Of the 18 cans tested, six

cans burst (i.e., the valve assembly

separated from the can), three leaked,
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 218 / Wednesday, November 12, 1997 / Notices 60747

and seven distorted. All 18 cans tested

were over-pressurized at 70° F. and

those cans that did not leak or burst

prior to 130° F were also overpressurized.

A person who possesses a can of HC–

12a described in this safety notice

should ensure that the can is not offered

for transportation or transported and

that it is stored in a cool or refrigerated

location. If you have further questions,

please contact Mr. LaMagdelaine.

Issued in Washington, D.C. on November 5,

1997.

Alan I. Roberts,

Associate Administrator for Hazardous

Materials Safety.

[FR Doc. 97–29720 Filed 11–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–60–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Special Programs

Administration

Potential Failure of Check Valves

Following Remanufacturing

AGENCY: Research and Special Programs

Administration (RSPA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice; issuance of advisory

bulletin.

SUMMARY: RSPA is issuing an advisory

bulletin to owners and operators of

Hazardous Liquid and Natural Gas

Pipelines. The bulletin advises the

industry about potential failure of check

valves following remanufacture.

ADDRESSES: This document can be

viewed on the Office of Pipeline Safety

(OPS) home page at: http://ops.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Linda Daugherty, (202) 366–4577.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

In a recent accident, a hazardous

liquid pipeline cleaning pig was late

arriving at a pump station. The pig was

thought to be lodged in the check valve

due to the noise level at the valve. The

valve was equipped with a lock open

device and the wrench was locked in

the open position by a bolt intended for

that function. An attempt was made to

remove the bolt from the operating

handle on the check valve in order to

exercise the valve and dislodge the

cleaning pig. The wrench locking bolt

was moved about one-half of a turn and

the shaft unexpectedly blew out of the

valve releasing liquefied petroleum gas

into the environment. The on-site valve

inspection indicated that the valve stem

was held in place only by the locking

bolt. The clapper and hinge were

detached and the set screws were

missing.

II. Advisory Bulletin (ADB–97–05)

To: Owners and Operators of

Hazardous Liquid and Natural Gas

Pipelines.

Subject: Potential Failure of Check

Valves Following Remanufacturing.

Purpose: Inform system owners and

operators of the need to inspect/test

remanufactured check valves.

Advisory: Recent information

discovered during the course of an

Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) accident

investigation indicates certain older

check valves were not remanufactured

within specified tolerances. Significant

differences were found in several of the

same type of remanufactured check

valves. All of the shafts were different

and none of the valves appear to match

the description given in the check valve

remanufacture procedure. Additionally,

the valves were assembled differently.

Evaluation of other remanufactured

check valves also shows evidence of

improper reassembly.

Remanufactured check valves should

undergo a thorough quality assessment

to assure tolerances are within design

parameters, particularly valves where

the shaft is retained inside the valve by

set screws. Operators should consider

including testing or inspection as part of

the quality assessment. Remanufactured

check valves currently in service are

included in this advisory because

damage to a pipeline and release of

pressurized product may occur as a

result of improper remanufacturing of

check valves.

OPS recommends operators also be

aware of an October 20, 1997,

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

and Occupational Safety and Health

Administration Joint Safety Alert (Alert)

concerning a similar but unrelated

problem with certain types of check and

butterfly valves. According to the Alert,

certain types of check and butterfly

valves can undergo shaft-disk separation

and fail catastrophically or ‘‘blow-out’’.

For more information on the Alert, visit

the EPA CEPPO home page at http://

www.epa.gov/swercepp/ or contact the

Emergency Planning and Community

Right-to-Know Hotline at 1–800–424–

9346 or 703–412–9810.

(49 U.S.C. Chapter 601; 49 CFR 1.53)

Issued in Washington, D.C. on November 5,

1997.

Stacey L. Gerard,

Acting Director for Program Development.

[FR Doc. 97–29721 Filed 11–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4010–60–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

Release of Waybill Data

The Surface Transportation Board has

received a request from Covington &

Burling on behalf of Union Pacific

Corporation (WB468–4—10/28/97), for

permission to use certain data from the

Board’s Carload Waybill Samples. A

copy of the request may be obtained

from the Office of Economics,

Environmental Analysis, and

Administration.

The waybill sample contains

confidential railroad and shipper data;

therefore, if any parties object to these

requests, they should file their

objections with the Director of the

Board’s Office of Economics,

Environmental Analysis, and

Administration within 14 calendar days

of the date of this notice. The rules for

release of waybill data are codified at 49

CFR 1244.8.

Contact: James A. Nash, (202) 565–1542.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–29767 Filed 11–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Customs Service

Quarterly IRS Interest Rates Used in

Calculating Interest on Overdue

Accounts and Refunds on Customs

Duties

AGENCY: Customs Service, Treasury.

ACTION: General notice.

SUMMARY: This notice advises the public

of the quarterly Internal Revenue

Service interest rates used to calculate

interest on overdue accounts and

refunds of Customs duties. For the

quarter beginning October 1, 1997, the

rates will remain at 8 percent for

overpayments and 9 percent for

underpayments. This notice is

published for the convenience of the

importing public and Customs

personnel.

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ronald Wyman, Accounting Services

Division, Accounts Receivable Group,

6026 Lakeside Boulevard, Indianapolis,

Indiana 46278, (317) 298–1200,

extension 1349.