Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 241 / Tuesday, December 16, 1997 / Proposed Rules 65777

aggregate assessable gross revenues of

all gaming operations. The information

will be used to set and adjust fee rates

and to verify the computations of fees

paid by each gaming operation.

Response is mandatory.

[FR Doc. 97–32662 Filed 12–15–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7565–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Mine Safety and Health Administration

30 CFR Parts 56, 57, 62, 70, and 71

RIN–AA53

Health Standards for Occupational

Noise Exposure in Coal, Metal and

Nonmetal Mines

AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health

Administration (MSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Proposed rule; Availability of

report.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the

availability of a report from the National

Institute for Occupational Safety and

Health (NIOSH) entitled ‘‘Prevalence of

Hearing Loss For Noise-Exposed Metal/

Nonmetal Miners.’’ The report, which

MSHA received on October 15, 1997, is

cumulative evidence concerning the risk

to metal and nonmetal miners of noise

induced hearing loss (NIHL). The report

is relevant to the magnitude of the risk

of NIHL among miners. The Agency,

therefore, will supplement the

rulemaking record with this report and

make it available to interested parties

upon request.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the report are

available from the Office of Standards,

Regulations, and Variances, 703–235–

1910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patricia W. Silvey, Director, MSHA,

Office of Standards, Regulations, and

Variances, 703–235–1910.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

December 17, 1996, MSHA published a

proposed rule in the Federal Register

(61 FR 66348) revising its health

standards for occupational noise

exposure in coal and metal and

nonmetal mines. In this proposal,

MSHA stated that current scientific

evidence demonstrates that NIHL

constitutes a serious hazard, that

evidence exists of continuing harm to

miners, and that MSHA standards no

longer reflect experience and expert

advice. The Agency concluded that

regulatory action was necessary to

address the continued excess risk of

NIHL resulting from mining

employment.

MSHA evaluated evidence related to

the risk to miners from exposure to

harmful levels of noise, and evidence on

the level of that risk. MSHA determined

that with respect to mine safety and

health, any definition of material

impairment of hearing should relate to

a permanent, measurable loss of hearing

which, unchecked, will limit the ability

to understand speech, as it is spoken in

everyday social (noisy) conditions. This

is because speech comprehension is

essential for mine safety.

The Agency reviewed the major

studies on the level of risk at different

noise exposures. The studies

consistently indicated that the risk of

developing a material impairment

became significant over a working

lifetime when workplace exposure

exceeded average sound levels of 85

dBA. The data further indicated that

while lowering exposure from an eighthour time-weighted average (TWA8) of

90 dBA to one of 85 dBA did not

eliminate the risk, it did reduce the risk

by approximately half. MSHA also

reviewed a large body of data on the

effects of varying industrial sound levels

on worker hearing. These studies were

supportive of the same conclusion. The

Agency also focused on the harm that

can occur at lower sound levels by

reviewing studies of workers in other

countries.

To confirm the magnitude of the risks

of NIHL among miners, MSHA

examined evidence of reported hearing

loss among miners from a variety of

sources audiometric data bases tracking

hearing acuity among coal miners,

individual commenter data, hearing loss

data reported to MSHA, and workers’

compensation data. MSHA also asked

NIOSH to examine a body of

audiometric data which tracked hearing

acuity among coal miners and one

which tracked hearing acuity among

metal and nonmetal miners. NIOSH

completed its analysis of the

audiometric data on coal miners and

issued a report to MSHA entitled

‘‘Analysis of Audiograms for a Large

Cohort of Noise-Exposed Miners,’’

(Franks, 1996) which is a part of the

existing rulemaking record.

NIOSH has now issued its report to

MSHA which analyzes audiometric data

on metal and nonmetal miners. This

report is entitled ‘‘Prevalence of Hearing

Loss For Noise-Exposed Metal/

Nonmetal Miners.’’ The NIOSH analysis

supports the conclusion from earlier

scientific studies that miners are losing

their hearing sensitivity faster than the

general population. It indicates that

49% of the male population of metal

and nonmetal miners have a hearing

impairment by age 50 as compared with

only 9% of the general population.

The report is available to interested

members of the public and may be

obtained upon request by electronic

mail, fax, phone, or mail as follows: (1)

Electronic mail: psilvey@msha.gov, (2)

Fax: MSHA, Office of Standards,

Regulations, and Variances, 703–235–

5551, (3) Phone: Patricia W. Silvey,

703–235–1910, and (4) Mail: Mine

Safety and Health Administration,

Office of Standards, Regulations, and

Variances, 4015 Wilson Boulevard,

Room 631, Arlington, VA 22203–1984.

Dated: December 9, 1997.

J. Davitt McAteer,

Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and

Health.

[FR Doc. 97–32709 Filed 12–15–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–43–P

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Copyright Office

37 CFR Part 253

[Docket No. 96–6 CARP NCBRA]

Noncommercial Educational

Broadcasting Compulsory License

AGENCY: Copyright Office, Library of

Congress.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking;

correction.

SUMMARY: This document clarifies the

dates for filing comments and Notices of

Intent to Participate published in the

Federal Register notice of December 1,

1997, announcing the proposed

rulemaking for adjusting the royalty

rates for the noncommercial educational

broadcasting compulsory license.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Tanya M. Sandros, Attorney Advisor,

Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel

(CARP), P.O. Box 70977, Southwest

Station, Washington, D.C. 20024.

Telephone (202) 707–8380. Telefax:

(202) 707–8366.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The notice

of proposed rulemaking concerning the

adjustment of royalty rates for

compulsory license governing the use of

certain copyrighted works in connection

with noncommercial broadcasting

contains two dates for filing comments

and Notices of Intent to Participate. The

correct date, December 29, 1997, is

announced in the date caption. The

second date, December 31, 1997, stated

in the section entitled, Comments and

Notices of Intent to Participate, page

63504, second column, first paragraph,