64934 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 211 / Tuesday, October 31, 2000 / Notices

opportunity to comment on information

collection requests. OMB may amend or

waive the requirement for public

consultation to the extent that public

participation in the approval process

would defeat the purpose of the

information collection, violate State or

Federal law, or substantially interfere

with any agency’s ability to perform its

statutory obligations. The Leader,

Regulatory Information Management

Group, Office of the Chief Information

Officer, publishes that notice containing

proposed information collection

requests prior to submission of these

requests to OMB. Each proposed

information collection, grouped by

office, contains the following: (1) Type

of review requested, e.g. new, revision,

extension, existing or reinstatement; (2)

Title; (3) Summary of the collection; (4)

Description of the need for, and

proposed use of, the information; (5)

Respondents and frequency of

collection; and (6) Reporting and/or

Recordkeeping burden. OMB invites

public comment.

Dated: October 26, 2000.

John Tressler,

Leader Regulatory Information Management,

Office of the Chief Information Officer.

Office of Educational Research and

Improvement

Type of Review: Reinstatement.

Title: Public Libraries Survey.

Frequency: Annually.

Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal

Gov’t, SEAs or LEAs; Federal

Government.

Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour

Burden:

Responses: 56.

Burden Hours: 1,680.

Abstract: The Public Libraries Survey

is an annual survey of public libraries

in the 50 States, D.C. and the Outlying

Areas. Data for local public libraries are

aggregated at the State and national

levels. Federal, state, and local officials

use the data for planning, evaluation,

monitoring, budgeting, administration,

and policy. Other users include

librarians, educators, and researchers.

The respondents are the 50 States, D.C.

and the Outlying Areas.

Requests for copies of the proposed

information collection request may be

accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov, or

should be addressed to Vivian Reese,

Department of Education, 400 Maryland

Avenue, SW, Room 4050, Regional

Office Building 3, Washington, DC

20202–4651. Requests may also be

electronically mailed to the internet

address OCIOlIMGlIssues@ed.gov or

faxed to 202–708–9346. Please specify

the complete title of the information

collection when making your request.

Comments regarding burden and/or the

collection activity requirements should

be directed to Kathy Axt at her internet

address KathylAxt@ed.gov.

Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the Federal Information

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–

8339.

[FR Doc. 00–27876 Filed 10–30–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Draft Long-Term Stewardship Study

AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of availability,

opportunity to comment and public

hearing.

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy

(DOE) announces the release of the Draft

Long-Term Stewardship Study (Draft

Study) for public review, comment and

public hearing. This Draft Study has

been prepared in accordance with the

terms of a 1998 Settlement Agreement

that resolved a lawsuit brought against

DOE by the Natural Resources Defense

Council (NRDC) and other plaintiffs.

The Draft Study examines the

institutional and programmatic issues

facing DOE as it completes the

environmental cleanup program at its

sites. In keeping with the requirement

that the Draft Study meet certain DOE

requirements for public review in 10

CFR 1021.313, made applicable under

the terms of the Settlement Agreement,

DOE invites the general public, other

Federal agencies, Native American

Tribes, state and local governments, and

all other interested parties to comment

on the Draft Study. The purpose of the

public hearing is to receive oral and

written comments on the Draft Study.

DATES: The public comment period will

extend to December 15, 2000.

Comments received after that date will

be considered to the extent practicable.

The public hearing will be held

Thursday, November 30, 2000, from 9

am to 1 pm. Submit written notices of

participation by November 20, 2000.

ADDRESSES: The public hearing will be

held at the U.S. Department of Energy,

Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence

Ave SW, Washington, D.C., Room

1E245.

Submit written notices of

participation in the public hearing,

requests for information about the Draft

Study and written comments on the

Draft Study to Steven Livingstone,

Project Manager, Office of Long-Term

Stewardship (EM–51), Office of

Environmental Management, U.S.

Department of Energy, P.O. Box 45079,

Washington, D.C. 20026–5079, phone:

202–586–9280; or submitted

electronically to:

Steven.Livingstone@em.doe.gov; or

submitted by fax to: 202–863–7036.

Copies of the Draft Study can be

requested by telephone at 1–800–736–

3282 (‘‘1–800–7EM–DATA’’). The Draft

Study and its supporting technical

documents also are available for review

at www.em.doe.gov/lts and at the DOE

Reading Room addresses referenced in

the ‘‘Availability of the Draft Study and

Related Information’’ section of this

notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

DOE has prepared the Draft Study on

the possible consequences of long-term

stewardship according to the terms of a

1998 settlement agreement that resolved

a lawsuit brought against DOE by the

Natural Resources Defense Council and

38 other plaintiffs [Natural Resources

Defense Council, et al. v. Richardson, et

al., Civ. No. 97–936 (SS) (D.D.C. Dec.

12, 1998)]. The Draft Study incorporates

input received during a public scoping

process and examines the institutional

and programmatic issues currently

facing DOE as it completes the

environmental cleanup program at its

sites. Long-term stewardship, under the

agreement, refers to:

The physical controls, institutions,

information and other mechanisms needed to

ensure protection of people and the

environment at sites where DOE has

completed or plans to complete ‘‘cleanup’’

(e.g., landfill closures, remedial actions,

removal actions, and facility stabilization).

This concept of long-term stewardship

includes, inter alia, land-use controls,

monitoring, maintenance, and information

management.

Study Goal and Approach

The goal of the Draft Study is to

inform decision-makers and the public

about the long-term stewardship issues

and challenges facing DOE and potential

options for addressing such issues.

The Draft Study does:

• Describe DOE’s long-term

stewardship responsibilities, the status

of current and ongoing stewardship

obligations, activities and initiatives,

and the plans for future activities;

• Analyze the national issues that

DOE needs to address in planning for

and conducting long-term stewardship

activities; and

• Promote information exchange on

long-term stewardship among DOE,

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 211 / Tuesday, October 31, 2000 / Notices 64935

Tribal nations, state and local

governments, and private citizens.

The Draft Study does not:

• Serve as a National Environmental

Policy Act (NEPA) document or its

functional equivalent;

• Identify or address site-specific

issues, except as examples in the

context of presenting national issues; or

• Address issues specific to nuclear

stockpile stewardship, other activities

related to national security, or the

Central Internet Database required by

the settlement agreement.

Study Development Process

The terms of the settlement agreement

stipulate that DOE follow the

President’s Council on Environmental

Quality (CEQ) procedures for public

scoping, 40 CFR 1501.7(a)(1)–(2) for this

study, even though it is not a NEPA

document or its functional equivalent.

Therefore, DOE conducted a scoping

process during October 1999—February

2000 to gather comments on the scope

of the Draft Study. The scoping period

was initially intended to run from

October 1999 to January 2000, but was

extended by request to February 2000.

The scoping process provided DOE with

input about the topics and issues that

should be included in the Draft Study,

within the general parameters

established by the settlement agreement.

DOE developed the overall scope and

issues that are addressed in the Draft

Study based on comments received

through the scoping process, ongoing

work on long-term stewardship being

conducted by DOE and non-DOE

organizations, and requirements of the

settlement agreement. DOE is soliciting

comments on the Draft Study during a

public comment period that begins on

the date of publication of this notice and

ends on December 15, 2000. Similarly,

a public hearing will be held to receive

oral and written comments from the

public on the Draft Study. Comments

received during the public comment

period will be used by DOE to complete

the final study. DOE’s responses to

comments received during the public

comment period will be presented in a

public comment summary document to

be issued as part of the final study.

Availability of the Draft Study and

Related Information

DOE released a background

document, From Cleanup to

Stewardship, a Companion Report to

‘‘Paths to Closure’’ and Background

Information to Support the Scoping

Process Required for the 1998 PEIS

Settlement Study in October 1999. In

producing the background document

and the Draft Study, DOE used the same

data set used to develop the 1998

Accelerating Cleanup: Paths to Closure

report. DOE used this information to

identify sites where contaminated

facilities, water, soil, and/or engineered

units would likely remain after cleanup

is complete to estimate the scope of

long-term stewardship activities. Both

the Draft Study on long-term

stewardship and the background

document are the best available

information sources to date on the issue

of DOE’s long-term stewardship

responsibilities. Copies of the Draft

Study and the background document or

other related information can be

obtained by contacting:

• The Internet Web Site at

www.em.doe.gov/lts, which contains

information on long-term stewardship

related issues produced by DOE and

outside sources.

• The Center for Environmental

Management Information, 955 L’Enfant

Plaza, North, SW, Suite 8200,

Washington, D.C. 20024, 1–800–736–

3282 (‘‘1–800–7EM–DATA’’).

• DOE Reading Rooms (for locations

of the DOE Reading Rooms or other

public information repositories

containing background information,

please contact the Center for

Environmental Management

Information at the above address and

telephone).

Issued in Washington D.C., October 24,

2000.

James D. Werner,

Director, Office of Long-Term Stewardship,

Office of Environmental Management.

[FR Doc. 00–27902 Filed 10–31–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–U

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. CP01–17–00]

Algonquin Gas Transmission

Company; Notice of Request Under

Blanket Authorization

October 25, 2000.

Take notice that on October 18, 2000

Algonquin Gas Transmission Company

(Algonquin), 5400 Westheimer Court,

Houston, Texas 77056–5310, filed in

Docket No. CP01–17–000, a request

pursuant to § 157.205 and 157.211 of the

Commission’s regulations under the

Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.205 and

175.211). Algonquin requests

authorization to install, own, operate

and maintain a new point of delivery

and short spur lateral along its existing

6-inch and 12-inch laterals in New

London County, Connecticut, to make

natural gas deliveries to Phelps Dodge

Copper Products Company (Phelps

Dodge), an industrial end user near

Norwich, Connecticut.

Algonquin requests this authorization

pursuant to its blanket facilities

certificate of public convenience and

necessity, as more fully set forth in the

application which is on file with the

Commission and open to public

inspection. This application may be

viewed on the Internet at http://

www.ferc.fed.us/online/rims.htm (call

202–208–2222 for0 assistance). The

name, address, and telephone number of

the applicant’s representative, to whom

correspondence and communications

concerning this application should be

addressed is: Steven E. Tillman,

Director of Regulatory Affairs,

Algonquin Gas Transmission Company,

P.O. Box 1642 Houston, Texas 77251–

1642, (713) 627–5113 (Phone) or (713)

627–5947 (Fax).

Algonquin proposes to construct and

install dual 6-inch tap valves, 6-inch

check values and 6-inch insulating

flanges near Mile Post 17.0 of its

existing E–1L 12-inch Lateral and the E–

1 6-inch Lateral in New London County,

including all piping between such tap

valves, check valves and insulating

flanges or above ground riser piping.

The short spur lateral from the above

delivery tap to the Phelps Dodge plant

would be located between the Yantic

River and Otrobando Avenue and will

consist of about 1,565 feet of buried 6-

inch pipe and an electric gas

measurement meter station at the plant.

Algonquin says that Phelps Dodge will

reimburse Algonquin for 100% of the

projects cost, abut $1,450,000.

Algonquin says that the related

transportation service for Phelps Dodge

of up to 3,800 Dth per day will be

rendered pursuant to Algonquin’s open

access rate schedules. Further,

Algonquin says that the transportation

service for Phelps Dodge will be

performed using existing capacity on

Algonquin submits that its proposal will

be accomplished without detriment or

disadvantage to its other customers.

Any person or the Commission’s staff

may, within 45 days after issuance of

the this notice by the Commission, file

pursuant to Rule 214 of the

Commission’s Procedural Rules (18 CFR

385.214) a motion to intervene or notice

of intervention and, pursuant to Section

157.205 of the Regulations under the

Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.205), a

protest to the request. If no protest is

filed within the time allowed therefore,

the proposed activity shall be deemed to

be authorized effective the day after the

time allowed for filing a protest. If a