8462 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 37 / Tuesday, February 25, 1997 / Notices

receiving this Commission meeting

schedule electronically, please send an

electronic message to wmh@nrc.gov or

dkw@nrc.gov.

* * * * *

Dated: February 21, 1997.

William M. Hill, Jr.,

SECY Tracking Officer, Office of the

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–4789 Filed 2–21–97; 2:33 pm]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–M

[Docket No. 50–271]

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power

Corporation; Vermont Yankee Nuclear

Power Station; Receipt of Petition for

Director’s Decision Under 10 CFR

2.206

Notice is hereby given that on

December 6, 1996, the Citizens

Awareness Network, Inc. (CAN or

Petitioner) filed a Petition pursuant to

10 CFR 2.206 with the Secretary of the

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

(NRC) requesting evaluation of certain

documents relating to the Vermont

Yankee Nuclear Power Station operated

by the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power

Corporation (Licensee) to determine

whether enforcement action was

warranted.

The first document included in the

Petition is a CAN memorandum dated

December 5, 1996, that reviews

information presented by the Licensee

at an enforcement conference held on

July 23, 1996, involving the Vermont

Yankee residual heat removal system

minimum flow valves. CAN raises a

concern that the corrective action taken

by the Licensee in opening these valves

may have introduced an unreviewed

safety question with regard to

containment isolation.

The second document included in the

Petition is a CAN memorandum dated

December 6, 1996, that reviews certain

licensee event reports (LERs) submitted

by the Licensee in the latter part of

1996. A variety of issues are discussed

including fire protection, tornado

protection, thermal protection for piping

lines, equipment operability, and

equipment testing. On the basis of its

analysis of the LERs, CAN reaches

certain conclusions regarding the

performance of the Licensee and actions

that should be taken.

On the basis of these documents, CAN

requests that the NRC determine

whether enforcement action is

warranted pursuant to 10 CFR 2.206.

The issues in the Petition are being

treated pursuant to 10 CFR 2.206 of the

Commission’s regulations. As provided

by 10 CFR 2.206, appropriate action

with regard to these issues will be taken

within a reasonable time. By letter dated

February 12, 1997, the Acting Director

acknowledged receipt of the Petition.

A copy of the Petition is available for

inspection at the Commission’s Public

Document Room at 2120 L Street, N.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20555–0001, and at

the local public document room located

at Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main

Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 12th day

of February 1997.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Frank J. Miraglia,

Acting Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation.

[FR Doc. 97–4572 Filed 2–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

Operator Licensing Examination

Standards Interim Revision; Notice of

Availability

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (NRC).

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory

Commission has issued interim

Revision 8 of NUREG–1021, ‘‘Operator

Licensing Examination Standards for

Power Reactors,’’ (formerly ‘‘Operator

Licensing Examiner Standards’’). The

Commission uses this document to

provide policy and guidance for the

development, administration, and

grading of written examinations and

operating tests used to determine the

qualifications of individuals who apply

for operator and senior operator licenses

at nuclear power plants pursuant to Part

55 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal

Regulations (10 CFR Part 55). The

NUREG provides similar guidance for

verifying the continued qualifications of

licensed operators when the staff

determines that NRC requalification

examinations are necessary.

NUREG–1021 has been revised to

incorporate the examination

development process described in

Generic Letter 95–06, ‘‘Changes in the

Operator Licensing Program,’’ dated

August 15, 1995, and permits power

reactor facility licensees to continue

preparing their initial operator licensing

examinations on a voluntary basis

pending an amendment to 10 CFR Part

55 that will require facility

participation. Interim Revision 8

incorporates lessons learned during a

pilot examination program conducted

from October 1995 to April 1996 and

industry recommendations submitted in

response to the NRC’s request for public

comments published in the Federal

Register on February 22, 1996 (61 FR

6869). The guidance that was previously

contained in NUREG/BR–0122,

‘‘Examiners’ Handbook for Developing

Operator Licensing Written

Examinations,’’ has been appended to

NUREG–1021, and a number of minor

improvements and clarifications that

were recommended by industry groups,

licensed operators, and NRC examiners

and managers have also been adopted.

The entire NUREG has been reformatted

to more clearly identify the various

organizational responsibilities and is

being reissued in its entirety. The NRC

intends to solicit comments on this

interim revision during the rulemaking

process and to issue the final version of

Revision 8 in conjunction with the final

rule.

For examinations prepared by the

NRC, interim Revision 8 will become

effective 60 days after the date of this

notice. The corporate notification letters

issued after the effective date will give

facility licensees at least 120 days of

advance notice that the examinations

will be administered in accordance with

the revised procedures. Facility

licensees that volunteered to prepare

their examinations before the date of

this notice are expected to prepare the

examinations based on the guidance in

interim Revision 8 or the pilot

examination guidance in Generic Letter

95–06, as arranged with their NRC

Regional Office. Facility licensees that

volunteer after the date of this notice are

expected to prepare the examinations

based on the guidance in interim

Revision 8. Facility licensees may

propose deviations from the specific

guidance in NUREG–1021, and the NRC

will review and approve the deviations,

as appropriate. However, the NRC will

not approve any deviation that would

compromise its statutory responsibility

of prescribing uniform conditions for

the licensing of nuclear power plant

operators.

Copies of NUREG–1021, interim

Revision 8, are being mailed to the plant

or site manager at each nuclear power

facility regulated by the NRC. A copy is

available for inspection and/or copying

for a fee in the NRC Public Document

Room, 2120 L Street, NW (Lower Level),

Washington, DC. NUREG–1021 is also

electronically available for downloading

from the Internet at ‘‘http://

www.nrc.gov’’.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 3rd day

of February 1997.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 37 / Tuesday, February 25, 1997 / Notices 8463

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Stuart A. Richards,

Chief, Operator Licensing Branch, Division

of Reactor Controls and Human Factors,

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.

[FR Doc. 97–4571 Filed 2–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND

BUDGET

Issuance of Transmittal Memorandum

No. 17, Amending OMB Circular No. A–

76, ‘‘Performance of Commercial

Activities’’

AGENCY: Office of Management and

Budget.

SUMMARY: This notice contains

Transmittal Memorandum No. 17, to

OMB Circular No. A–76, ‘‘Performance

of Commercial Activities.’’

This Transmittal Memorandum

updates the Federal pay raise

assumptions and inflation factors used

for computing the Government’s inhouse personnel and non-pay costs for

Fiscal Years 1997 through 2003. The

Federal pay raise assumptions and the

non-pay category rates are, generally,

contained in the President’s Budget for

Fiscal Year 1998. The factors contained

in OMB Circular No. A–76, Transmittal

Memorandum No. 16 are outdated. It

should not be assumed that these

civilian pay raises will be those that will

be in effect for preparation of the FY

1999 Budget. Guidance on pay raise

assumptions to use for the FY 1999

Budget will be issued to agencies prior

to the Budget submission date.

The revision does not require any

agency to (1) create or maintain a

duplicate control/monitoring/reporting

system or (2) adopt any additional

controls, not presently in compliance

with Federal Acquisition Regulations

(FAR).

Agencies are reminded that OMB

Circular No. A–76, Transmittal

Memoranda 1 through 14 are canceled.

Transmittal Memorandum No. 15

provided the Revised Supplemental

Handbook, dated March 1996 (Federal

Register, April 1, 1996, pages 14338–

14346).

DATES: As with previous OMB Circular

A–76 Transmittals, the provisions of

Transmittal Memorandum No. 17 are

effective immediately and shall apply to

all cost comparisons in progress that

have not yet undergone bid opening or

where the in-house bid has not yet

otherwise been revealed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

David Childs, Budget Analysis and

Systems Division, NEOB Room 6002,

Office of Management and Budget, 725

17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.

20503, Telephone Number: (202) 395–

6104, FAX Number (202) 395–7230.

Franklin D. Raines,

Director.

Executive Office of the President

Office of Management and Budget

Washington, D.C. 20503

February 13, 1997.

Circular No. A–76 (Revised)

Transmittal Memorandum No. 17

To the Heads of Executive Departments and

Agencies

Subject: Performance of Commercial

Activities

This Transmittal Memorandum updates

the Federal pay raise assumptions and

inflation factors used for the computing the

Government’s in-house personnel and nonpay costs, as generally provided in the

President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 1998.

However, because the 1998 Budget did not

specify 1999–2003 pay raises for civilian

employees, for purposes of A–76 cost

comparison determinations only, the civilian

pay raise percentages for 1999–2003 shall be

assumed to be the same as the military pay

raise assumptions for the corresponding

years as shown below. It should not be

assumed that these civilian pay raises will be

those that will be in effect for preparation of

the FY 1999 Budget. Guidance on pay raise

assumptions to use for the FY 1999 Budget

will be issued to agencies prior to the Budget

submission date.

Similarly, the non-pay inflation factors are

for purposes of A–76 cost comparison

determinations only. They reflect the generic

non-pay inflation assumptions used to

develop the FY 1998 Budget baseline

estimates required by law. The law requires

that a specific inflation factor (GNP fixedweight FY/FY index) be used for this

purpose. These inflation factors should not

be viewed as estimates of expected inflation

rates for major long-term procurement items

or as an estimate of inflation for any

particular agency’s non-pay purchases mix.

The following factors should be applied

per paragraph B, pages 19–21 of the OMB

Circular A–76 Revised Supplemental

Handbook (March 1996).

Federal pay raise assumptions

effective date

Military/

civilian

January 1998 .............................. 2.8

January 1999 .............................. 3.0

January 2000 .............................. 3.0

January 2001 .............................. 3.0

January 2002 .............................. 3.0

January 2003 .............................. 3.0

Non-Pay Categories (Supplies and

Equipment, etc.)

FY 1996 .....................................................2.2

FY 1997 .....................................................2.5

FY 1998 .....................................................2.6

FY 1999 .....................................................2.6

FY 2000 .....................................................2.6

FY 2001 .....................................................2.6

FY 2002 .....................................................2.6

FY 2003 .....................................................2.6

Geographic pay differentials received in

1997 shall be included for the development

of in-house personnel costs. The above pay

raise factors shall be applied after

consideration is given to the geographic pay

differentials. The pay raise factors provided

for 1998 and beyond shall be applied to all

employees, with no assumption being made

as to how they will be distributed between

possible locality and ECI-based increases.

These updates are effective as follows: all

changes in the Transmittal Memorandum are

effective immediately and shall apply to all

cost comparisons in process where the

Government’s in-house cost estimate has not

been publicly revealed before this date.

Agencies are reminded that OMB Circular

No. A–76, Transmittal Memorandum 1

through Transmittal Memorandum 14 are

canceled. Transmittal Memorandum No. 15

provided the Revised Supplemental

Handbook, and is dated March 27, 1997

(Federal Register, April 1, 1996, pages

14338–14346). Transmittal Memorandum No.

16, which provided last year’s OMB Circular

A–76 Federal pay raise and inflation factor

assumptions is also hereby canceled.

Sincerely,

Franklin D. Raines,

Director.

[FR Doc. 97–4511 Filed 2–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3110–01–P

POSTAL SERVICE BOARD OF

GOVERNORS

Sunshine Act Meeting

TIMES AND DATES: 10:30 a.m., Monday,

March 3, 1997; 8:30 a.m., Tuesday,

March 4, 1997; and 8:00 a.m.

Wednesday, March 5, 1997.

PLACE: Washington, D.C., U.S. Postal

Service Headquarters, 475 L’Enfant

Plaza, S.W., in the Benjamin Franklin

Room.

STATUS: March 3 (Closed); March 4

(Open); March 5 (Closed).

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED:

Monday, March 3 – 10:30 a.m. (Closed)

1. Inspector General Functions.

2. Postal Rate Commission Docket No.

C96–1, Pack & Send.

3. Postal Rate Commission Opinion

and Recommended Decision on Special

Services.

4. Exercising the Board’s Reserved

Approval Authority with Respect to

Performance of a Prototype for the Tray

Management System.

5. Contingency Planning.

6. Compensation Issues.

Tuesday, March 4 – 8:30 a.m. (Open)

1. Minutes of the Previous Meeting,

February 3–4, 1997.

2. Remarks of the Postmaster General/

Chief Executive Officer.