Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 224 / Monday, November 20, 2000 / Notices 69803

1Target, an Oklahoma corporation, is a 99.3%-

owned subsidiary of Republic Gypsum Company.

Applicant, a Delaware corporation, is a wholly

owned subsidiary of Target. Target will, pursuant

to Oklahoma and Delaware law, merge into

Applicant with Applicant being the surviving

corporation. Following the mergers, Applicant will

be converted to a Delaware limited liability

company. As a result, the state of incorporation of

Target will be changed from Oklahoma to Delaware,

and Target will be changed to a Delaware limited

liability company.

applicable to consumer commodities,

(5) Harmonized requirements for

compressed gas cylinders, (6)

Classification of individual substances,

(7) Requirements for bulk and non-bulk

packagings used to transport hazardous

materials, (8) Requirements for the

transport of Ammonium Nitrate

Emulsions and (9) Hazard

communication requirements including

harmonized shipping paper

requirements.

The public is invited to attend

without prior notification.

Documents

Copies of documents for the UNCOE

meeting may be obtained by

downloading them from the United

Nations Transport Division’s web site at

http://www.unece.org/trans/main/dgdb/

dgcomm/dgcomm.html. Information

concerning UN dangerous goods

meetings including agendas can be

downloaded at http://www.unece.org/

trans/danger/meetings.htm#ST/SG.

These sites may also be accessed

through RSPA’s Hazardous Materials

Safety Homepage at http://

hazmat.dot.gov/intstandards.htm.

RSPA’s site also provides information

regarding the UNCOE and SCOE and

related matters such as a summary of

decisions taken at the 18th session of

the UNSCOE, meeting dates and a

summary of the primary topics which

the UNCOE plans to address.

Issued in Washington, DC, on November

14, 2000.

Robert A. McGuire,

Associate Administrator for Hazardous

Materials Safety.

[FR Doc. 00–29573 Filed 11–17–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–60–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Finance Docket No. 33954]

Hollis & Eastern Railroad Company, a

Delaware Corporation—Acquisition

and Operation Exemption—Hollis &

Eastern Railroad Company, an

Oklahoma Corporation

Hollis & Eastern Railroad Company

(Applicant), a noncarrier, has filed a

verified notice of exemption under 49

CFR 1150.31 to acquire and operate the

railroad line of Hollis & Eastern Railroad

Company (Target) between Duke, OK, at

milepost 0, and the Wichita, Tillman &

Jackson Ry. Co. line, at milepost 14,

located approximately 14 miles to the

east.1

The transaction was scheduled to be

consummated on or about November 9,

2000. The earliest the transaction could

be consummated was November 7,

2000, 7 days after the exemption was

filed.

If the verified notice contains false or

misleading information, the exemption

is void ab initio. Petitions to reopen the

proceeding to revoke the exemption

under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) may be filed

at any time. The filing of a petition to

revoke will not automatically stay the

transaction.

An original and 10 copies of all

pleadings, referring to STB Finance

Docket No. 33954, must be filed with

the Surface Transportation Board, Office

of the Secretary, Case Control Unit, 1925

K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20423–

0001. In addition, a copy of each

pleading must be served on Bryan

Bishop, Esq., Locke Liddell & Sapp LLP,

2200 Ross Avenue, Suite 2200, Dallas,

TX 75201.

Board decisions and notices are

available on our website at

‘‘WWW.STB.DOT.GOV.’’

Decided: November 13, 2000.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik,

Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–29651 Filed 11–17–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Grant Program for Research and

Development in the Field of

Transportation Statistics

AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation

Statistics, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of request for grant

applications.

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Transportation

Statistics supports its goal of advancing

the field of transportation statistics

through the Transportation Statistics

Research Grants program. This notice

solicits applications for projects that (1)

support the development of the field of

transportation statistics; and/or (2)

involve research or development in

transportation statistics. It outlines the

purpose, goals, and general procedures

for application and award. For FY 2001,

BTS will make available up to $500,000

in grant funds to eligible organizations.

DATES: For BTS to consider your

application, we must receive it by

January 19, 2000, at 5 P.M. Eastern

Standard Time. Applications received

after January 19, 2000, will be held for

the next cycle, which is anticipated to

be every six to twelve months, unless

you request in writing that your

application be returned.

ADDRESSES: You must send six copies of

the application package to the BTS

Grants Program, Room 3430, Bureau of

Transportation Statistics, U.S.

Department of Transportation, 400

Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC

20590.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Promod Chandhok, Office of Statistical

Programs and Services, Bureau of

Transportation Statistics, Room 3430,

400 Seventh Street, SW, Washington,

DC 20590; phone (202) 366–2158; fax:

(202) 366–3640; e-mail:

promod.chandhok@bts.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background—Advancing the

Discipline of Transportation Statistics

The purpose of this grant program is

to provide financial assistance to

eligible organizations to help advance

the discipline of transportation

statistics. These grants are authorized by

section 5109 of the Transportation

Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA–

21) (Pub. L. 105–178 (1998), codified at

49 U.S.C. 111(g)). BTS anticipates

awarding up to $500,000 per year in

grants for projects that (1) support

development of the field of

transportation statistics; and/or (2)

advance research or development in

transportation statistics.

BTS is an operating administration

within the U.S. Department of

Transportation (DOT). Its mission is to

lead in developing transportation data

and information of high quality, and to

advance their effective use in public and

private transportation decision-making.

In accomplishing this mission, BTS

works to improve six key attributes of

transportation data and analysis—

quality, comparability, completeness,

timeliness, relevance, and utility.

Our ultimate goal is to make

transportation better—to enhance safety,

mobility, economic growth, the human

and natural environment, and national

security (the five strategic goals of the

69804 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 224 / Monday, November 20, 2000 / Notices

Department of Transportation). BTS’s

role in this goal is to put together data

and information that others need to

make decisions concerning

transportation. We collect data and

compile, analyze, and publish statistics.

Many others, both within and outside

DOT, are involved in building this

knowledge base and BTS could not do

it alone.

While there are many excellent

transportation data programs and many

excellent statistics programs, few are

devoted to the intersection of these two

disciplines. Bringing a better

understanding of statistics to

transportation data will improve data

quality, increase utility (e.g., by

improving measures of travel), and

reduce costs (e.g., by using techniques

to make data collection, analysis, and

dissemination more efficient). BTS

wants to foster the transportation

statistics discipline and increase its

quality and usefulness to the

transportation community. This grants

program is one way BTS is working

toward this goal.

II. Eligibility Requirements

What Organizations May Apply?

BTS invites applications from public

and private non-profit institutions of

higher education. We strongly

encourage Minority Serving Institutions,

which have been traditionally under

represented in transportation statistics,

to submit applications. If organizations

partner on a project, the participants

should submit a single application. You

may submit more than one application

as long as the applications are for

separate and distinct projects.

What Projects Are Eligible for Funding?

Eligible projects must support the

development of the field of

transportation statistics and/or involve

research or development in

transportation statistics. Examples

include, but are not limited to, research

and development in the following areas:

(1) Visualizing and mining

transportation databases;

(2) Aggregating and analyzing

databases maintained by DOT agencies,

especially where the research involves

multiple modes of transportation;

(3) Improving the quality and

usability of federal transportation

statistics;

(4) Developing exposure measures

(e.g., vehicle miles traveled) for use in

risk analyses;

(5) Improving the statistical use of

geographic information systems to better

understand and quantify travel

behavior;

(6) Developing performance measures

for the transportation system;

(7) Designing and analyzing

transportation surveys;

(8) Improving data quality and data

collection; and

(9) Enhancing or extending the

National Transportation Library to

better express or incorporate statistical

analyses.

What Are the Cost Sharing

Requirements?

For awards of $100,000 or more, the

recipient shall fund at least 50 percent

of the project’s total estimated funding

requirement. The nonfederal match

must come from sources other than the

project sponsor, and must be cash

contributions rather than in-kind

contributions. In reviewing all

applications, even those requesting less

than $100,000, the degree of costsharing will be considered, with more

weight given to cash contributions than

in-kind services.

III. Application Contents

For more information about sending

your application, please refer to the

ADDRESSES and DATES sections listed

above. In order to be considered for

funding under this program, your

application package must include the

following:

(1) A Project Narrative. This must not

exceed seven letter-size pages, singlesided and double-spaced. Use at least

12-point type and one inch margins. In

general, the information you provide

should be in sufficient detail so BTS

understands the proposed work and its

anticipated benefits. It should also

demonstrate that you have the necessary

experience and resources to accomplish

it. The narrative must identify the

organization; how it meets the eligibility

criteria; its experience and

accomplishments in collecting,

analyzing, and/or disseminating

transportation data; and the

qualifications of the principals proposed

to conduct the activities. The narrative

must also describe the proposed

activity, including how you would

accomplish it, a timeline listing major

milestones associated with the project,

and a list of specific products and/or

services with the dates they will be

delivered.

(2) An Application for Federal

Assistance. Submit OMB SF–424

(Application for Federal Assistance),

which is the official form required for

all federal grants. It requests basic

information about the grantee and the

proposed project. Under Part 10 of this

form, use 20.920 and Transportation

Statistics Research Grants for the

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Number and Title. Also submit OMB

SF–424A (Budget Information—

Nonconstruction Programs). You can

download these forms from the OMB

Internet site at http://

www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants.

(3) An Evaluation Plan. Include a brief

description of how you will evaluate

and measure the success of the project,

including the anticipated benefits and

challenges in completing it. This can be

part of the Project Narrative.

(4) Resumes. Include resumes of up to

three key personnel who would be

significantly involved in the project.

(5) Letters of Commitment. If your

proposal includes the significant

involvement of other eligible

organizations, your application must

include letters of commitment from

them.

IV. Application Review Process and

Selection Criteria

The Transportation Statistics

Research Grants program uses a

competitive process and applications

will be evaluated based on the merit and

relevance of the proposed project in

relation to the other applications

received. BTS anticipates making

multiple awards based on this

solicitation. While BTS will select the

most meritorious proposals, we may

choose to not award all available funds.

Upon receiving an application, BTS

will conduct an initial review to

determine if it meets the eligibility

criteria and contains all of the items

specified under the Application

Contents section of this announcement.

A BTS evaluation committee will then

review each complete application from

an eligible recipient using the

evaluation criteria listed below (the

order of criteria does not designate

priority) and the BTS Director will

select the final grants. The evaluation

criteria are:

(1) How well does the proposal

support BTS’s strategic goals of

improving the quality, comparability,

completeness, timeliness, relevance,

and utility of transportation data? How

well does the proposal serve the broad

transportation interests of the United

States?

(2) How innovative is the proposed

activity? To what extent is the work

being accomplished elsewhere?

(3) How much experience has the

applicant demonstrated in one or more

of the following areas—collecting,

analyzing, storing, or disseminating

transportation data, particularly data

collected or disseminated by BTS, and

working with theoretical statistical

issues concerning transportation data?

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 224 / Monday, November 20, 2000 / Notices 69805

(4) Does the applicant have the

professional qualifications and team

members necessary for satisfactory

performance of the proposed activity?

(5) How well does the technical

approach and proposed costs reflect an

understanding of the procedures

necessary to complete the required

tasks?

(6) To what degree does the proposal

include cost-sharing? More weight will

be given to proposals with cash

contributions than in-kind services. For

awards of $100,000 or more, BTS

requires cash contributions of 50

percent toward the project’s total

estimated funding requirement.

V. Amount of Funds Available and

Period of Support

We anticipate that approximately

$500,000 per year will be designated to

support grants, subject to the

availability of appropriated funds. This

estimate does not bind BTS to a specific

number of offers or awards, nor to a

specific amount of funding support for

particular awards or awards in

aggregate. It is anticipated that

individual awards amounts, based upon

demonstrated needs, will likely range

from $50,000 to $200,000, though BTS

has not established minimum or

maximum funding levels.

Given the limited amount of funds

available, applicants are strongly

encouraged to seek other funding

opportunities to supplement the federal

funds. Preference will be given to

applicants with cost sharing proposals

from within or outside their

organizations.

The period of time of awards will vary

with the complexity of the project and

it is possible that grants will be awarded

for periods greater than one year.

VI. BTS Involvement

BTS involvement, if any, will vary by

award. If you anticipate BTS

involvement, you must note this in your

project narrative and any support BTS

provides will be specified in the award

agreement. BTS will assign a liaison to

serve as the primary contact regarding

the grant.

VII. Terms and Conditions of Award

(1) Prior to award, each grantee will

be required to complete additional

government application forms, such as

OMB SF–424B (Assurances—

Nonconstruction Programs), and with

certification requirements, such as 49

CFR part 20, Department of

Transportation New Restrictions on

Lobbying, and 49 CFR part 29,

Department of Transportation

Government-Wide Debarment and

Suspension (Non-Procurement).

(2) Each grantee shall submit

quarterly progress reports, a draft final

report, and a final report that reflects the

BTS liaison’s comments.

Thank you for your interest in our

Transportation Statistics Research

Grants program.

Ashish Sen,

Director.

[FR Doc. 00–29571 Filed 11–17–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–FE–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and

Firearms

[Notice No. 908]

Availability of ATF Publication 5400.7

(Federal Explosives Law and

Regulations—2000)

AGENCY: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco

and Firearms (ATF), Department of the

Treasury.

ACTION: General notice.

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Alcohol,

Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is issuing

this notice: (1) To announce the release

of ATF Publication 5400.7 (09/00),

‘‘Federal Explosives Law and

Regulations—2000’’ and (2) to make

certain technical corrections to that

publication. The purpose of this

publication is to serve as a guide to

Federal explosives laws, regulations,

and related information.

ADDRESSES: ATF P 5400.7 (09/00),

‘‘Federal Explosives Law and

Regulations—2000’’ is available at no

cost upon request from the ATF

Distribution Center, P.O. Box 5950,

Springfield, Virginia 22150–5950. The

publication may also be viewed at

ATF’s web site at: http://

www.atf.treas.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill

O’Brien, Public Safety Branch, Bureau

of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, 680

Techworld South Building, Washington,

DC 20226 (202–927–7930).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and

Firearms (ATF) is pleased to announce

the release of ATF Publication 5400.7

(09/00), ‘‘Federal Explosives Law and

Regulations—2000.’’ The purpose of this

publication is to serve as a guide to

Federal explosives law, regulations, and

related information. Several changes

have been made to explosives laws and

regulations since the last publication.

In examining the completed

publication, we observed two errors in

the regulations section which need to be

corrected, as follows:

1. In 27 CFR 55.218 (Table of

distances for storage of explosive

materials), footnote 3 at the end of the

table, ‘‘11/2 lbs.’’ should be changed to

read ‘‘11⁄2 lbs.’’; and

2. In 27 CFR 55.223 (Table of

distances between fireworks process

buildings and other specified areas), the

title heading of the table was omitted

and should be added to read:

Distance From Passenger Railways,

Public Highways, Fireworks Plant

Buildings Used to Store Consumer

Fireworks and Articles Pyrotechnic,

Magazines and Fireworks Shipping

Buildings, and Inhabited

Buildings.345

In addition to the above, we wish to

point out that the correct address of the

ATF Out-of-Business Records Center is:

2029 Stonewall Jackson Drive, Spring

Mills Office Park, Falling Waters, West

Virginia 25419. The regulations at 27

CFR 55.128 (Discontinuance of

business) will be amended to reflect this

change in a forthcoming Treasury

decision.

Approved: November 13, 2000.

Bradley A. Buckles,

Director.

[FR Doc. 00–29615 Filed 11–17–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4810–31–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Internal Revenue Service

Proposed Collection; Comment

Request for Notice 97–66

AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS),

Treasury.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: The Department of the

Treasury, as part of its continuing effort

to reduce paperwork and respondent

burden, invites the general public and

other Federal agencies to take this

opportunity to comment on proposed

and/or continuing information

collections, as required by the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

Public Law 104–13 (44 U.S.C.

3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is

soliciting comments concerning Notice

97–66, Certain Payments Made Pursuant

to a Securities Lending Transaction.

DATES: Written comments should be

received on or before January 19, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments

to Garrick R. Shear, Internal Revenue