Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 204 / Friday, October 20, 2000 / Notices 63107

(6) Respondents: Business or other

for-profit.

(7) Estimated annual number of

respondents: 430.

(8) Total annual responses: 430.

(9) Total annual reporting hours: 144.

(10) Collection description: The

collection obtains information used by

the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) to

assist in determining whether a railroad

employee is disabled from his or her

regular occupation. It provides, under

certain circumstances, railroad

employers with the opportunity to

provide the information to the RRB

regarding the employee applicant’s job

duties.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR COMMENTS:

Copies of the forms and supporting

documents can be obtained from Chuck

Mierzwa, the agency clearance officer

(312–751–3363). Comments regarding

the information collection should be

addressed to Ronald J. Hodapp, Railroad

Retirement Board, 844 North Rush

Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60611–2092

and the OMB reviewer, Joe Lackey (202–

395–7316), Office of Management and

Budget, Room 10230, New Executive

Office Building, Washington, DC 20503.

Chuck Mierzwa,

Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 00–26999 Filed 10–19–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7905–01–M

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE

COMMISSION

[Realease No. 35–27249]

Filings Under the Public Utility Holding

Company Act of 1945, as Amended

(‘‘Act’’)

October 13, 2000.

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 undera the Act. 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 amendment(s) is/are available for

public inspection through the

Commission’s Branch of 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 7, 2000, to the Secretary,

Securities and Exchange Commission,

Washington, DC 20549–0609, and serve

a copy on the relevant application(s)

and/or at the address(es) specified

below. Proof of service (by affidavit or,

in the case of an attorney at law, by

certificate) should be filed with the

request. Any request for hearing should

identify specifically the issues of facts

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 November 7, 2000, the

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

filed or as amended, may be granted

and/or permitted to become effective.

GPU, Inc (70–8695)

GPU, Inc., 300 Madison Avenue,

Morristown, New Jersey 07960 (‘‘GPU’’),

a registered holding company, has filed

with the Commission a post-effective

amendment to its declaration under

sections 6(a) and 7 and rules 53 and 54

of the Act.

By prior Commission order in this

proceeding dated December 8, 1995

(HCAR No. 26426) (‘‘1995 Order’’), GPU,

formerly General Public Utilities

Corporation, was authorized to issue

and sell from time to time through

December 31, 2000 up to 250,000

authorized by unissued or previously

reacquired shares of GPU common

stock, $2.50 par value (‘‘Common

Stock’’), to certain GPU system

employees (‘‘Participants’’) under the

GPU, Inc. and Secondary System

Companies Employee Savings Plan for

Nonbargaining Employees and the

Employee Savings Plan for Bargaining

Unit Employees for each of GPU’s

electric utility subsidiaries, Jersey

Central Power & Light Company,

Metropolitan Edison Company and

Pennsylvania Electric Company

(collectively, ‘‘Savings Plans’’).

To date, GPU has not issued any

shares of Common Stock under the 1995

Order in connection with the Savings

Plans. GPU requests an extension to

December 31, 2005 of the time during

which it may issue and sell the 250,000

authorized by unissued or previously

reacquired shares of Common Stock

under the Savings Plans, in order to

maintain the flexibility the 1995 order

affords.

GPU currently has 350 million

authorized shares of Common Stock of

which 121,332,510 shares were

outstanding at September 30, 2000. At

October 11, 2000, the reported closing

price of GPU Common Stock on the

New York Stock Exchange was $32.38.

GPU will use the net proceeds from the

sale of additional stock to the Savings

Plans to make cash capital contributions

to its subsidiaries, for working capital,

to repay outstanding indebtedness and

for other corporate purposes.

GPU states the Savings Plans are

designed to encourage and assist savings

and investment by eligible employees

through voluntary contributions by

employees of a portion of their

compensation and by the matching of

certain of these contributions by the

Participant’s employer.

Amounts contributed to the Savings

Plans by or on behalf of each Participant

are held by a trustee. Separate plan

accounts and, as necessary, subaccounts are maintained for each

Participant. The trustee invests the

amounts held in plan accounts and subaccounts in the investment fund or

funds selected by the Participant. The

investment funds from which

Participants may choose currently

consist of eleven funds including the

‘‘GPU Stock Fund’’ which is designed to

provide employees with a convenient

way to invest in GPU common stock by

providing participants the opportunity

to direct that all or a portion of their

plan accounts be invested in the GPU

Stock Fund.

The Savings Plans currently provide

that GPU Common Stock acquired for

the GPU Stock Fund by the trustee be

purchased in open market transactions

through brokers. In order to provide

additional equity capital, GPU proposes

that shares of its Common Stock

acquired by Participants through the

GPU Stock Fund may be either

purchased by the trustee, directly from

GPU or in open market transactions, as

is now the case.

The purchase price per share paid by

Participants would be the New York

Stock Exchange closing price for GPU

Common Stock for the date on which

the purchase of the share is executed.

The Southern Company, et al. (70–

9727)

The Southern Company (‘‘Southern’’),

270 Peachtree Street, N.W., Atlanta,

Georgia 30303, a registered holding

company, and its subsidiaries, Southern

Energy, Inc. (‘‘Southern Energy,’’

formerly SEI Holdings, Inc.) and

Southern Energy Resources, Inc.

(‘‘SERI,’’ formerly Southern Electric

International, Inc.), both of 900

Ashwood Parkway, Suite 500, Atlanta,

Georgia 30338 (collectively,

‘‘Applicants’’), have filed an

application-declaration under sections

6(a), 7, 9(a), 10, 12, 13, 32 and 33 and

rules 43, 44, 45, 53, 54, 90 and 91 of the

Act.

Applicants request authority in order:

(1) To extend and renew the

organizational and operational authority

previously conferred by the

Commission, (described below as

‘‘Existing Organizational and

63108 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 204 / Friday, October 20, 2000 / Notices

1The 1996 Order authorizes Southern to issue

performance guarantees to Southern Energy through

December 31, 2003.

2Applicants expect the divestiture to occur in the

first half of 2001.

3The 1996 Order pre-dates the enactment of rule

58, however, the 1996 Order defined EnergyRelated Companies in anticipation of the adoption

of rule 58 and subject to the definition expressed

in rule 58.

4By order dated December 30, 1994 (HCAR No.

26212), Southern Electric International, Inc. (now

SERI) was authorized to engage in preliminary

project development activities and the sale of

operating construction, project management,

administrative and other services to associates and

nonassociates.

5HCAR No. 26468 (February 2, 1996).

6The order required that either the buyer or

seller, or both, be located within the area covered

by the Southeastern Electric Reliability Council

(‘‘SERC’’). SERC includes all or part of the states in

which the Public Utilities provide retail electric

service (i.e., Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and

Florida) and all or part of North Carollina, South

Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. See

also HCAR No. 27020 (May 13, 1999).

7Holding Co. Act Release No. 26581.

8The authority of the Marketing Subsidiaries is

co-extensive with the energy marketing authority

subsequently conferred by rule 58.

9Holding Co. Act Release No. 27020.

10File No. 70–8733, Amendment No. 3, HCAR

No. 26468 (February 2, 1996). See also HCAR No.

26212 (December 30, 1994).

11HCAR No. 26212.

12Authorized Development Activities also

included rendering project development,

engineering, design, construction and construction

management, operating, fuel management,

maintenance and power plant overhaul and other

similar kinds of managerial and technical services

(including intellectual property other than that

created for or on behalf of the public utility

company subsidiaries of Southern) to both affiliated

Project entities and to non-affiliated developers,

operators and owners of independent power

projects and foreign and domestic utility systems

and industrial concerns. SERI was authorized to

render these services utilizing its own work force,

independent contractors, and personnel and other

resources of associates obtained at cost under

existing service agreements. HCAR No. 26212

(December 30, 1994), HCAR No. 26468 (February 2,

Operational Authority’’) in The

Southern Company, HCAR No. 26468

(February 2, 1996) (‘‘1996 Order’’)

beyond the current expiration date of

December 31, 2000 1 in order to

facilitate the divestiture by Southern of

Southern Energy during calendar year

2001; 2 (2) to obtain required

authorizations pertaining to the

implementation of the plan for the

distribution during calendar year 2001

of the voting securities of Southern

Energy by Southern to the common

stock stockholders of Southern

(‘‘Distribution’’); and (3) for Southern to

retain the Existing Organizational and

Operational Authority through June 30,

2005, subject to compliance with the

other applicable rules, regulations and

orders of the Commission.

I. Existing Organizational and

Operational Authority

Through its 1996 Order, the

Commission authorized the Applicants

to carry out the restructuring and

consolidation of Southern’s interests in

exempt wholesale generator (‘‘EWGs’’),

foreign utility companies (‘‘FUCOs’’)

and Qualifying Facilities (‘‘QFs’’)

(collectively, ‘‘Exempt Projects’’) and

certain other non-utility activities under

Southern Energy.

The 1996 Order also authorized

Applicants ‘‘to organize one or more

intermediate subsidiaries to make

investments in Exempt Projects, other

power projects, and Energy-Related

Companies,3 and to provide project

development and management services

to projects and companies held by them

(‘Intermediate Subsidiaries’), and to

organize one or more special purpose

subsidiaries to engage in any of the

activities in which [SERI] is currently

authorized 4 to engage (‘Special Purpose

Subsidiaries’) * * *.’’ 5

The 1996 Order also authorized

Southern Energy to acquire directly or

indirectly, Energy Related Companies

engaged in energy marketing

(‘‘Marketing Subsidiaries’’).6 By order

dated September 26, 1996 (‘‘September

1996 Order’’),7 the Commission

authorized Southern Energy, to broker

or market electric power and other

energy commodities throughout the

United States, using one or more

Marketing Subsidiaries.8 The

Commission reserved jurisdiction in the

September 1996 Order over the

expansion of these activities outside the

United States. On May 13, 1999, the

Commission also authorized the

acquisition of Marketing Subsidiaries

that engaged in energy marketing in

Canada, through December 21, 2003.9

The 1996 Order also authorized

Special Purpose Subsidiaries to provide

services or sell goods to any associate

engaged in the development or

operation of EWGs, FUCOs or QFs,

either directly or indirectly through its

related Intermediate Subsidiary, at fair

market prices. The 1996 Order, under

section 13(b) of the Act, exempted

certain transactions from the

requirements of rules 90 and 91 in

which any of the following

circumstances apply:

1. The Exempt Project derives no part

of its income, directly or indirectly,

from the generation, transmission or

distribution of electric energy for sale

within the United States;

2. The Exempt Project company is an

EWG that sells electricity at marketbased rates which have been approved

by the Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission (‘‘FERC’’), provided that

the purchaser is not an associate public

utility company of the Special Purpose

Subsidiary within the Southern

system; 10

3. The Exempt Project company is a

QF that sells electricity exclusively: (a)

At rates negotiated at arms’-length to

one or more industrial or commercial

customers purchasing the electricity for

their own use and not for resale; and/

or (b) to an electric utility company of

the Special Purpose Subsidiary within

the Southern system, at the purchaser’s

‘‘avoided cost’’ as determined in

accordance with the regulations under

the Public Utility Regulatory Policies

Act of 1978; or

4. The Exempt Project company is an

EWG or QF that sells electricity at rates

based upon its cost of service, as

approved by FERC or any state public

utility commission having jurisdiction,

provided that the purchaser thereof is

not an associate public utility company

of such Special Purpose Subsidiary

within the Southern system.

By order dated December 30, 1994,11

the Commission authorized Special

Purpose Subsidiaries to engage in

development activities (‘‘Development

Activities’’) pertaining to the potential

acquisition and ownership of QFs and

facilities to be owned or operated by

EWGs and FUCOs, and other power

production facilities which, when

placed in operation, would be a part of

Southern’s ‘‘integrated public-utility

system,’’ within the meaning of section

2(a)(29)(A) of the Act, together with

ancillary facilities and equipment, such

as may be used for fuel production,

conversion, handling and/or storage;

electrical transmission; and energy

management, recovery and efficiency.

The development activities of SERI and

Special Purpose Subsidiaries include

and are limited to project due diligence

and design review; market studies; site

inspection; preparation of bid proposals,

including, posting of bid bonds, cash

deposits or the like; application for

required permits and/or regulatory

approvals; acquisition of site options

and options on other necessary rights;

negotiation and execution of contractual

commitments with owners of existing

facilities, equipment vendors,

construction firms, power purchasers,

thermal host users, fuel suppliers and

other project contractors; negotiation of

financing commitments with lenders

and equity co-investors; and such other

preliminary development activities as

may be required in preparation for the

acquisition or financing. SERI was

authorized to expend up to $300 million

in Development Activities,12 Applicants

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 204 / Friday, October 20, 2000 / Notices 63109

1996). The 1996 Order extended this authority

through December 31, 2000.

13The initial offering to the public of Southern

Energy common stock closed on October 2, 2000.

14These components consist of Energy-Related

activities authorized by rule 58 and certain FUCO

activities. Applicants assert that most, if not all, of

the steps taken prior to the Distribution fall within

the authority conferred under the 1996 Order; rules

45, 52, 57, 58, 87; and sections 32(g) and 33(c) of

the Act. Applicants note that affiliate transactions

are subject to the general supervision of the

Commission under Section 12(f) of the Act. To the

extent these activities require approval under any

sections of the Act Applicants request this

approval.

15Solutions is a direct subsidiary of Southern

conducting Energy-Related operations under rule

58.

16Holdco will be an Intermediate Subsidiary as

defined and authorized by the 1996 Order and the

Existing Organizational and Operational Authority

described above.

17The final percentages of ownership are to be

determined based upon the relative value of the

respective contributions to Holdco.

18As of March 31, 2000, Southern Energy’s

investment in Capital Funding was $52.7 million

(including retained earnings of $2.3 million).

Capital Funding has no subsidiaries.

19Applicants note the Holdco group operations

do not include high growth businesses and are

dominated by traditional public utility assets,

including several natural gas distribution systems

in the Netherlands that qualify as FUCOs.

20Each of these Energy-Related Companies

participates in alternative fuel commercialization

projects.

21Applicants state they could achieve the same

structure under the 1996 Order through Southern

Energy selling its interests in Exempt Projects,

retaining only those interests to be retained by the

Holdco group and combining Solutions with the

Holdco group, as authorized under the 1996 Order

and rule 58. In the Exercise of its business

judgment, Southern has determined that greater

value can be achieved through a tax-free

distribution of Southern Energy to its stockholders

than through a sale of portions or all of its business.

22S.E.C. File No. 70–9701.

23The Master Agreement provided for separation

of the Southern and Southern Energy businesses on

September 1, 2000, which was shortly before the

sale of common stock by Southern Energy to the

public (the ‘‘Separation Date’’). Section 5.8 of the

Master Agreement obligates the parties to

implement the Master Agreement and the Ancillary

Agreements to the fullest extent permitted by their

existing authority and to cooperate to the end of

achieving any further necessary authority. Section

5.11 of the Master Agreement provides for the

distribution of Holdco. Section 5.12 of the Master

Agreement provides that Southern will not cancel

any outstanding guarantees, all of which are

authorized under Southern’s existing authority, and

that Southern will extend credit support to

Southern Company Energy Marketing through the

Distribution, provided that the aggregate amount of

credit support arrangements shall not exceed $425

million and may be canceled within six months

following the Distribution. The credit support

provided for is within the existing performance

guarantee authority of Southern pertaining to

Southern Energy and its subsidiaries. The 1996

Order authorizes Southern to issue performance

guarantees up to $800 million through December

31, 2003.

24The Employee Matters Agreement assures that

affected employees will be covered by benefit plans,

but avoids redundant benefit programs.

25Applicants state the Tax Indemnification

Agreement will be separately filed under rule 45(c)

of the Act.

26The Confidential Disclosure Agreement

protects certain proprietary information.

seek to renew this authority until the

date of the Distribution, which is

expected to occur in 2001.

Southern requests that Southern

Energy retain the Existing

Organizational and Operational

Authority through completion of the

Distribution which is expected to occur

in calendar year 2001.

II. Authority Sought With Respect to the

Distribution and Post Distribution

Authority for Southern

Southern requests that Southern

Energy retain the Existing

Organizational and Operational

Authority through completion of the

Distribution in calendar year 2001 and

that Southern be authorized to exercise

the Existing Organizational and

Operational Authority after the

Distribution, through June 30, 2005,

through one or more subsidiaries subject

to the conditions and reporting

requirements set forth in this file. In

addition, Applicants request authority

to expend $300 million on Development

Activities, through June 30, 2005.

III. Formation and Transfer of Holdco

Until the Distribution, Southern will

own at least 80 percent of the common

stock of Southern Energy. Southern

intends to distribute all of its voting

securities of Southern Energy to

Southern’s stockholders within twelve

months of the initial offering of

Southern Energy common stock.13

Pending the Distribution, Southern

and Southern Energy intend to

reorganize Southern and Southern

Energy’s activities so that, after the

Distribution, Southern will retain

certain components of the lines of

business it now owns through Southern

Energy.14 To accomplish this, Southern

Energy and Southern Company Energy

Solutions, Inc. (‘‘Solutions’’) 15 will set

up a new subsidiary (‘‘Holdco’’).

Southern Energy and Solutions each

plan to contribute energy-management

business lines to Holdco.16 In exchange

for its contribution to Holdco, Solutions

will receive up to 20% of the voting

stock of Holdco. In exchange for at least

80% of the voting stock of Holdco, 17

Southern Energy would contribute the

securities of two of its current

Intermediate Subsidiaries, SE Finance

Capital Corporation (‘‘SE Finance’’) and

Southern Company Capital Funding,

Inc.18 (‘‘Capital Funding’’), to Holdco.19

Each of these subsidiaries is an

Intermediate Subsidiary of Southern

Energy authorized under the 1996

Order.

SE Finance includes an EnergyRelated Company component and a

FUCO subsidiary component. The

Energy-Related Company component

includes three Energy-Related

subsidiaries, Southern Energy

Carbontronics, L.L.C. and two held by

Southern Energy Clairton, L.L.C.20 SE

Finance also owns the securities of four

FUCOs: EPZ Lease, Inc., Dutch Gas

Lease, Inc., SEI Gamog Lease, Inc. and

Nuon Lease, Inc.

Southern Energy intends to distribute

its securities of Holdco to Southern in

redemption of a Special Class of

Southern Energy Preferred Stock that

was issued by Southern Energy to

Southern. The Holdco group to be

retained by Southern includes EngeryRelated activities that the Commission

has previously determined to be

reasonably incidental and economically

necessary to the operation of an

integrated electric utility system and

FUCO operations predominantly

consisting of traditional public utility

assets. 21

Southern anticipates that its

wholesale power requirements will be

satisfied in the future by a sixth

operating company authorized by the

FERC. An application to form this

company is pending before this

Commission.22 Accordingly, Southern

further requests authority, to the extent

required, to contribute the voting

securities of Holdco to the sixth

operating company. Southern’s

investment in one or more projects

through subsidiary companies will be

subject to the conditions imposed by

rules 53 and 58 of the Act and subject

to compliance with the reporting

requirements established by the 1996

Order on a Southern consolidated basis.

IV. Master Agreement and Ancillary

Agreements

Southern Energy and Southern have

entered into a Master Separation and

Distribution Agreement (‘‘Master

Agreement’’) 23 and the associated

ancillary agreements (‘‘Ancillary

Agreements’’), subject to their existing

authority and rules, regulations and

orders of the Commission.

The Ancillary Agreements appended

to the Master Agreement include an

Employee Matters Agreement,24 a Tax

Indemnification Agreement,25 a

Transitional Services Agreement, a

Confidential Disclosure Agreement,26 a

Technology and Intellectual Property

63110 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 204 / Friday, October 20, 2000 / Notices

27The Technology and Intellectual Property

Ownership and License Agreement documents the

intellectual property that Southern and Southern

Energy are each authorized to use and does not

require any future transfers of intellectual property

following the Separation Date.

28Applicants assert that a claims indemnification

agreement of this nature incidental to a genuine

transaction does not involve an upstream or any

extension of credit and is not an ‘‘indemnity’’

within the meaning of section 12 of the Act. See

Mississippi Valley Generating Company, HCAR No.

12794 (February 9, 1955) and The Southern

Company, HCAR No. 27134 (February 9, 2000)

(both construing and applying Section 12(a) of the

Act in accordance with Section 1(c) of the Act and

the legislative history showing an intent to protect

public utility subsidiaries).

29Southern’s subsidiaries are authorized under

rule 87 of the Act to provide goods and services at

cost to Southern Energy and its subsidiaries in

accordance with the limitations imposed by rule 87.

Southern Company Services, Inc. (‘‘Southern

Services’’) is further authorized under the 1996

Order and HCAR No. 26212 (December 30, 1994) to

provide services at cost to SERI. Southern Energy

represents less than 3% of the total service billings

of Southern Services. Southern anticipates a

substantial reduction in the services rendered to

Southern Energy following the Separation Date and

a further reduction following the Distribution.

30Section 12(f) of the Act confers plenary

jurisdiction upon the Commission over affiliate

transactions.

31Following the Distribution, Southern will

principally provide engineering and technical

services to Southern Energy through Solutions or

any other rule 58 subsidiary authorized to provide

energy-related engineering and technical services to

third parties. The costs associated with Southern

Services providing support services (other than

energy-related engineering and technical services)

are estimated to be less than 1% of the annual

billings of Southern Service.

Ownership and License Agreement 27

and an Indemnification and Insurance

Matters Agreement. The

Indemnification and Insurance Matters

Agreement provides for a separation of

insurance coverage and for mutual

indemnification for claims based upon

fault.28

The Transitional Services Agreement

provides for the continuation on an

incidental basis of certain services

currently provided to Southern Energy,

including financial, human resources

administration and payroll, accounting

and treasury, engineering and technical

consulting, information technology,

procurement, government relations and

legal services, for a term not to exceed

two years from September 1, 2000. As

a result of the incidental nature of the

services, neither Southern nor its

subsidiaries will incur unreimbursed

costs. After the Separation Date, the

subsidiaries of Southern intend to

restrict the services rendered to the

Southern Energy group to the services

enumerated in the Transitional Services

Agreement, which are a subset of the

currently authorized services.29

Southern further requests that the

Commission take action, if deemed

appropriate and consistent with the Act

under section 12(f) of the Act 30 with

respect to the Master Agreement and the

Ancillary Agreements, taking into

account that Southern Energy will in all

probability cease to be an associate

company of Southern in 2001. Southern

proposes that the authority to provide

the ancillary services shall expire in

accordance with the terms of the Master

Agreement on or before September 1,

2002.31 Southern proposes to provide

ancillary services on a wholly incidental

basis and only as required to permit an

orderly separation of the businesses

without extraordinary losses or

transition costs.

V. Reporting Requirements

The Applicants propose that a single

consolidated quarterly report be filed by

Southern and in accordance with rule

24 with respect to all activities of

Southern and its subsidiaries authorized

in this file. This report would replace

the combined report currently being

filed pursuant to the 1996 Order.

For the Commission, by the Division of

Investment Management, under delegated

authority.

Jonathan G. Katz,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–27010 Filed 10–19–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8010–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3452]

Office of Overseas Schools;

Information Collection Request

AGENCY: Department of State.

ACTION: 30-Day Notice of Information

Collection; Overseas Schools—Grant

Status Reports.

SUMMARY: The Department of State has

submitted the following information

collection request to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) for

approval in accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

Comments should be submitted to OMB

within 30 days of the publication of this

notice.

The following summarizes the

information collection proposal

submitted to OMB:

Type of Request: Renewal.

Originating Office: A/OPR/OS.

Title of Information Collection:

Overseas Schools—Grant Status

Reports.

Frequency: Annual.

Form Number: OMB No. 1405–0033.

Respondents: Recipients of grants.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

190.

Average Hours Per Response: .25.

Total Estimated Burden: 47.5 hours.

Public comments are being solicited

to permit the agency to:

• Evaluate whether the proposed

collection of information is necessary

for the proper performance of the

functions of the agency, including

whether the information will have

practical utility.

• Evaluate the accuracy of the

agency’s estimate of the burden of the

collection, including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used.

• Enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected.

• Minimize the reporting burden on

those who are to respond, including

through the use of automated collection

techniques or other forms of technology.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Copies of the proposed information

collection and supporting documents

may be obtained from Office of Overseas

Schools, U.S. Department of State,

Washington, DC 20520 (202) 261–8200.

Public comments and questions should

be directed to the State Department

Desk Officer, Office of Information and

Regulatory Affairs, Office of

Management and Budget (OMB),

Washington, DC 20530, (202) 395–5871.

Dated: October 16, 2000.

Robert B. Dickson,

Executive Director, Bureau of Administration,

Department of State.

[FR Doc. 00–27073 Filed 10–19–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710–24–U

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Bureau of Oceans, Environment and

Science

[Public Notice No. 3451]

Public Meeting on An International

Agreement on Prior Informed Consent

for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and

Pesticides

SUMMARY: This public meeting will

provide an overview of ongoing efforts

to implement a binding agreement on

the application of a prior informed

consent (PIC) procedure for certain

hazardous chemicals and pesticides. A

total of 73 countries have signed the

binding PIC agreement, with 11

countries completing ratification. The

purpose of the public meeting is to

discuss preparations for the seventh

session of the PIC intergovernmental

negotiating committee (INC–7) which

will take place from October 30 to

November 3, 2000. The INC–7 meeting

will address a number of timely issues