68262 Federal Register /Vol. 63, No. 237 /Thursday, December 10, 1998 / J,,c() 

appropriate Department of Energy 

Authorization Official. 

· (5) The Department will develop and 

implement options necessary to sustain a 

technically competent Nuclear Explosive 

Safety Study Group talent pool. 

(6) The Department recognizes the need to 

pursue the safety management enhancement 

sought in Recommendation 98-2 consistent 

with the development of the Pantex 

Integrated Safety Management System as part 

of the Implementation Plan for 

Recommendation 95-2. 

The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Military 

Application and Stockpile Management, 

Defense Programs. is the Responsible 

Manager for the preparation of the 

Implementation Plan. He will work with you 

to develop an acceptable plan, meeting our 

mutual expectations. 

Yours sincerely. 

Bill Richardson. 

[FR Doc. 98-32902 Filed 12-9-98; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8450-01-P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

DOE Response to Recommendation 

98-1 of the Defense-Nuclear Facilities 

Safety Board, Integrated Safety 

Management and the Department of 

Energy (DOE) Facilities. 

AGENCY: Department of Energy 

ACTION: Notice 

SUMMARY: The Defense Nuclear 

Facilities Safety Board published 

Recommendation 98-1. concerning 

integrated safety management and the 

Department of Energy (DOE) facilities, 

on October 6, 1998 (63 FR 53646). 

Section 315(b) of the Atomic Energy Act 

of 1954, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 2286d(b) 

required the Department of Energy to 

transmit a response to the Defense 

Nuclear Facilities Safety Board by 

November 20. 1998. The Secretary's 

response follows. 

DATES: Comments, data, views, or 

arguments concerning the Secretary's 

response are due on or before January 

11. 1999. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments, data. 

views. or arguments concerning the 

Secretary's response to: Defense Nuclear 

Facilities Safety Board, 625 Indiana 

Avenue, N.W .. Suite 700, Washington. 

D.C., 20004. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Ellen Livingston-Behan, Senior Program 

Advisor to the Secretary of Energy, 

Department of Energy, 1000 

Independence Avenue, S.W .. 

·Washington. D.C .. 20585. 

Issued in Washington, DC on December 2, 

1998. . 

Theodore Wyka, 

Departmental Representative to the Defense 

Nuclear Facilities Safet}' Board. 

November 20, 1998. 

The Honorable John T. Conway. Chairman, 

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board 625 

Indiana Avenue, NW .. Suite 700, · 

Washington. D.C. 20004 

Dear Mr. Chairman: Defense Nuclear 

Facilities Safety Board (Board) 

Recommendation 98-1, issued on September 

28, 1998, recommends improvements to the 

Department's program for resolving the 

findings of its independent internal safety 

oversight organization. I agree that such 

improvements w:m enhance our ability to 

ensure safety. Thus, the Department accepts 

Board recommendation 98-1. 

The Department ls committed to having an 

effective internal, independent oversight 

function as part of an overall safety assurance 

approach that also includes line management 

self-assessments. The Department's policy on 

line environment, safety and health oversight 

clearly establishes our expectations that 

robust, rigorous and credible contractor selfassessments together with Department line 

management oversight provide the primary 

basis for ensuring safety. Concurrently, the 

Department's Office of Oversight is 

responsible for independent safety oversight. 

Its findings are communicated to line 

management through inspection reports 

(such as safety management evaluations), 

topical and issue reviews. special studies, 

and accident investigations. Adequate and 

timely resolution of safety findings is the 

responsibility of line management, which has 

overall responsibility for performing work 

safely, gathering and considering safety 

feedback, and making necessary 

improvements. By acting on the Board's 

recommendation, we expect to further clarify 

these roles .and responsibilities, and promote 

effective communication.between line 

management and the independent oversight 

organization. Both are essential to the 

effective resolution of identified oversight 

findings. 

The Department has completed a 

preliminary analysis of the issues raised in 

the Board's.recommendation, and has 

identified the following as the foundation 

and focus of our implementation plan. 

• The plan will describe a consisJent, 

disciplined framework for developing and 

implementing corrective action plans in 

response to oversight findings, tracking and 

reporting status of corrective actions, 

verifying the completion of corrective 

actions, and resolving differences or issues 

that may arise relative to corrective actions. 

Department directives will be revised to 

implement the necessary framework. 

• The role of the Office of the Secretary in 

resolving differences or issues that may arise 

in response to independent oversight 

findings will be clarified through 

enhancements to existing Department 

directives. 

I have asked M's. Ellen Livingston-Behan, 

Senior Program Advisor to the Office of the 

Secretary. to serve as the responsible 

manager for this recommendation. As the 

principal point of contact with the Board for 

this recommendation, she will work with you 

and your staff to develop an acceptable 

implementation plan that meets our mutual 

expectations. If you have questions, please 

contact her at (202) 586-9500. 

Yours sincerely. 

Bill Richardson 

[FR Doc. 98-32903 Filed 12-9-98; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 645CHl1-P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Office of Science; Office of Science 

Financial Assistance Program Notice 

99-04: Human Genome ProgramTechnological Advances 

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy 

(DOE). 

ACTION: Correction. 

In notice document 98-31367 

beginning on page 64944, in the issue of 

Tuesday. November 24, 1998, make the 

following correction: 

On page 64945. in the third column, 

under the· heading "Program Funding", 

in the second line the dollar amount 

should read "$5.000,000''. 

Issued in Washington, DC. on December 3, 

1998. . 

John Rodney Clark, 

Associate Director of Science for Resource 

Management. 

[FR Doc. 98-32901 Filed 12-9-98; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450-01-P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy 

RIN 1904-AA67 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Submission for OMB 

Review; Comment Request 

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy. Department of 

Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of submission for review 

by the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

Public Law 104-13, the Office of Codes 

and Standards (OCS) in the Office of 

Energy Efficiency and Renewable 

Energy (EE) has submitted the following 

proposal(s) for the collection of 

information to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and approval. \ 
:·~l t' 

·Federal Register/Vol. 63, No. 237 /Thursday, December 10, 199.8/Notices 68263 

DATES: Consideration will be given to 

comments submitted by January 11, 

1999. . 

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be 

submitted to: Office of Management and 

Budget. Attn: OMB Energy Desk Officer, 

Room 10202, New Executive Office 

Building. Washington, DC 20503. A 

copy of the comments should also be 

submitted to: Department of Energy. 

Attn: Bryan Berringer, Office of Codes 

and Standards (EE-43), Room lJ-018/ 

FORS, 1000 Independence Ave., SW. 

Washington, DC 20585-0121. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Bryan Berringer, U.S. Department of 

Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy. Forrestal Building, 

Mail Station EE-431. 1000 

Independence Avenue, SW, . 

Washington, DC 20585-0121. (202) 586-

. 0371. E-mail: 

Bryan.Berringer@HQ.DOE.GOV; Eugene 

Margolis, Esq., U.S. Department of 

Energy, Office of General Counsel, 

Forrestal Building. Mail Station GC-72, 

1000 Independence Avenue, SW, 

Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-9507; 

or the OMB Energy Desk Officer, Office 

·of Management and Budget. Room 

10202,New Executive Office Building, 

Washington, DC 20503, (202) 395-3087. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Collection title: Proposed Clothes 

Washer Consumer Impact Analysis. 

Form(s) submitted: OMB 83-:-I. 

OMB Number: None. 

Expiration date of current OMB 

clearance: NI A 

Type of request: Approval of new 

collection. 

Respondents: Individuals or 

households. 

Estimated annual number of 

respondents: 600. 

Estimated burden hours per 

respondent: 2 hours. 

Frequency of response: One time. 

Total annual reporting hours: 1,200. 

Estimate cost burden to respondents: 

No monetary burden. 

Collection description: OCS is 

collecting consumer data to determine 

the value consumers' place on clothes 

washer attributes, such as rinse and 

wash cycle temperature, annual 

electricity and water bill savings, price 

of clothes washer. top or front loading, 

etc. Legislation requires that "the 

Secretary consider, among other factors, 

* * * if any lessening of the utility or 

performance of the products is likely to 

result from the imposition of the 

standard" (42 U.S.C. Sec. 6295(0)(2) 

(B) (I) (3)). OSC will analY'le the data to 

determine if the new efficiency standard 

negatively impacts any of the attributes . 

highly valued by consumers._ 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Copies of the 

form and supporting documents can be 

· obtained from: Bryan Berringer, Office 

of Codes and Standards {EE-43). Room 

l]-018/FORS, 1000 Independence Ave., 

SW, Washington. DC 20585-0121. 

Issued in Washington, DC. on December 7, 

1998. 

Dan W. Reicher, 

Assistant Secretary. Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy. 

[FR Doc;. 98-32864 Filed 12-9-98; 8:45 am) 

BILLING CODE 6450--01-P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Energy Information Administration 

Agency Information Collection Under 

Review by the Office of Management 

and Budget 

AGENCY: Energy Information 

Administration, Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Submission for OMB review; 

comment request. 

SUMMARY: The Energy Information 

Administration (EIA) has submitted the 

energy information collection(s) listed at 

the end of this notice to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review under provisions of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. 

L. 104-13). The listing does not include 

collections of information contained in 

new or revised regulations which are to 

be submitted under section 

3507(d)(l)(A) of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act. nor management and 

procurement assistance requirements 

collected by the Department of Energy 

(DOE). 

Each entry contains the following 

iri.formation: (1) Collection number and 

title; (2) summary of the collection of 

information (includes sponsor (the DOE 

component)). current OMB document 

number (ifapplicable). type of r,equest 

(new, revision, extension, or 

reinstatement); response obligation 

(mandatory, voluntary, or required to 

obtain or retain benefits); (3) a 

description of the need and proposed 

use of the information; (4) description of 

the likely respondents; and (5) estimate 

of total annual reporting burden 

(average hours per response x proposed 

frequency of response per year x 

estimated number of likely 

respondents.) 

DATES: Comments must be filed by 

January 11. 1999. If you anticipate that 

you will be submitting comments but 

find it difficult to do so within the time 

allowed by this notice, you should 

advise the OMB DOE Desk Officer listed 

below of your intention to do so as soon 

as possible. The Desk Officer may be 

telephoned at (202) 395-3084. (Also, 

please notify the EIA contact listed 

below.) 

ADDRESSES: Address comments to the 

Department of Energy Desk Officer, 

Office of Information and Regulatory 

Affairs, Office of Management and 

Budget, 726 Jackson Place NW, 

Washington, D.C. 20503. (Comments 

should also be addressed to the 

Statistics and Methods Group at the 

address below.) 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information 

should be directed to Herbert Miller, 

Statistics and Methods Group, (EI-70). 

Forrestal Building, U.S. Department of 

Energy. Washington. D.C. 20585. Mr. 

Miller may be telephoned at (202) 426-

1103, FAX (202) 426-1081. or e-mail at 

hmiller@eia.doe.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

energy information collection submitted 

to OMB for review was: 

L EIA-846(A). (B). and (C). 

"Manufacturing Energy Consumption 

Survey" (MECS). 

2. Energy Information Administration; 

OMB No. 1905-0169; Reinstatement. 

with change, of a previously approved 

collection for which approval has 

expired; Mandatory. 

3. EIA-846(A). (B), and (C) will be 

used to collect data on energy 

consumption and related subjects for 

the manufacturing sector of the U.S. 

economy. In addition to being used for 

the National Energy Modeling System, 

the MECS is used to augment a data 

base on the manufacturing sector. 

Respondents are manufacturing 

establishments. 

4. Business or other for-profit. 

5. 49,447 hours (18,000 respondents x 

1 response per year x 8.24 hours per 

response) (The 148,340 J:iour burden is 

being prorated over a three-year period 

since the survey will be conducted only 

one time during this period.) 

Statutory Authority: Section 3506(c) (2) (A) 

of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(Pub. L. No. 104-13). 

· Issued in Washington, D.C .. December 4. 

1998. 

Jay H. Casselberry, 

Agency Clearance Offlcer, Statistics and 

Methods Group, Energy Information 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. 98-32905 Filed 12-9-98: 8:45 am) 

BILLING CODE 6450--01-P