77934 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 240 / Wednesday, December 13, 2000 / Notices

efficiency assumed in Virginia Electric

and Power Company’s design-basis dose

analysis.

Date of issuance: November 20, 2000.

Effective date: As of the date of

issuance and shall be implemented

within 30 days.

Amendment Nos.: 224 and 205.

Facility Operating License Nos. NPF–

4 and NPF–7: Amendments revised the

Technical Specifications.

Date of initial notice in Federal

Register: February 9, 2000 (65 FR 6413).

The August 31, 2000, supplement

provided clarifying information only,

and did not change the initial no

significant hazards consideration

determination. The Commission’s

related evaluation of the amendments is

contained in a Safety Evaluation dated

November 20, 2000.

No significant hazards consideration

comments received: No.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day

of December 2000.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

John A. Zwolinski,

Director, Division of Licensing Project

Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation.

[FR Doc. 00–31541 Filed 12–12–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

Draft Regulatory Guide; Issuance,

Availability

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission

has issued for public comment a draft of

a new guide in its Regulatory Guide

Series, with its related Standard Review

Plan section. The Regulatory Guide

Series has been developed to describe

and make available to the public such

information as methods acceptable to

the NRC staff for implementing specific

parts of the NRC’s regulations,

techniques used by the staff in

evaluating specific problems or

postulated accidents, and data needed

by the staff in its review of applications

for permits and licenses.

The draft guide, temporarily

identified by its task number, DG–1096

(which should be mentioned in all

correspondence concerning this draft

guide), is titled ‘‘Transient and Accident

Analysis Methods.’’ This guide is being

developed to describe a process that is

acceptable to the NRC staff for the

development and assessment of

evaluation models that may be used to

analyze transient and accident behavior.

Draft Standard Review Plan Section

15.0.2, ‘‘Review of Analytical Computer

Codes,’’ is being developed to describe

the review process for NRC staff and

acceptance criteria for analytical models

and computer codes used by licensees

to analyze accident and transient

behavior. This draft Standard Review

Plan (SRP) section is intended to

become Section 15.0.2 of NUREG–0800,

‘‘Standard Review Plan for the Review

of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear

Power Plants.’’

This draft guide and draft standard

review plan section have not received

complete staff approval and do not

represent an official NRC staff position.

Comments on both documents may be

accompanied by relevant information or

supporting data. Written comments may

be submitted to the Rules and Directives

Branch, Office of Administration, U.S.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission,

Washington, DC 20555. Copies of

comments received may be examined at

the NRC Public Document Room, 11555

Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD; the

PDR’s mailing address is USNRC PDR,

Washington, DC 20555; telephone (301)

415–4737 or (800) 397–4209; fax (301)

415–3548; email <PDR@NRC.GOV>.

Comments will be most helpful if

received by February 15, 2001.

You may also provide comments or

access these documents via the NRC’s

interactive rulemaking website through

the NRC home page (http://

www.nrc.gov). This site provides the

availability to upload comments as files

(any format), if your web browser

supports that function. For information

about the interactive rulemaking

website, contact Ms. Carol Gallagher,

(301) 415–5905; e-mail CAG@NRC.GOV.

Electronic copies of this draft guide,

under Accession Number

ML003770849, are available in NRC’s

Public Electronic Reading Room, which

can also be accessed through NRC’s web

site, WWW.NRC.GOV. For information

about the draft guide and the related

documents, contact Mr. N. Lauben at

(301) 415–6762; e-mail

GNL1@NRC.GOV. For information about

the draft standard review plan section,

contact Mr. J.L. Staudenmeier at (301)

415–2869, email JLS4@NRC.GOV; or Mr.

M.A. Shuaibi at (301) 415–2859, email

MAS4@NRC.GOV.

Although a time limit is given for

comments on this draft guide,

comments and suggestions in

connection with items for inclusion in

guides currently being developed or

improvements in all published guides

are encouraged at any time.

Regulatory guides and standard

review plan sections are available for

inspection at the Commission’s Public

Document Room, 11555 Rockville Pike,

Rockville, MD. Requests for single

copies of draft or final guides or SRP

sections (which may be reproduced) or

for placement on an automatic

distribution list for single copies of

future draft guides in specific divisions

should be made in writing to the U.S.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission,

Washington, DC 20555, Attention:

Reproduction and Distribution Services

Section; or by fax to (301) 415–2289, or

by email to DISTRIBUTION@NRC.GOV.

Telephone requests cannot be

accommodated. Regulatory guides are

not copyrighted, and Commission

approval is not required to reproduce

them.

(5 U.S.C. 552(a))

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 28th day

of November 2000.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Farouk Eltawila,

Acting Director, Division of Risk Analysis and

Applications, Office of Nuclear Regulatory

Research.

[FR Doc. 00–31736 Filed 12–12–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

POSTAL SERVICE

Retirement Plan for Manually Set

Postage Meters

AGENCY: Postal Service.

ACTION: Notice of final plan.

SUMMARY: This notice of the final plan

for the retirement of manually set

postage meters clarifies the second

phase of the plan to take postage

metering to a higher level of security.

The Postal Service recently completed

the first phase of an overall Postal

Service plan with the decertification of

mechanical postage meters. Upon

completion of the four phases of this

plan, all meters in service will offer

enhanced levels of security, thereby

greatly reducing the Postal Service’s

exposure to meter fraud, misuse, and

loss of revenue.

DATES: May 1, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Nicholas S. Stankosky, 703–292–3703.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1995

the Postal Service, in cooperation with

all authorized postage meter

manufacturers, began a phase-out, or

decertification, of all mechanical

postage meters because of identified

cases of indiscernible tampering and

misuse. Postal revenues were proven to

be at serious risk. The completion of

this effort, which resulted in the

withdrawal of 776,000 mechanical

meters from service, completed Phase I

of the proposed plan for secure postage

meter technology. Recent advances in

postage meter technology offer high

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 240 / Wednesday, December 13, 2000 / Notices 77935

levels of security, operational reliability,

and flexibility for meter users. As a

result, the Postal Service is addressing

the next category of less secure meters:

electronic meters that are manually set

by postal employees. Of the current

total, installed population of 1,469,841

meters, almost 92 percent are remotely

set through telephone access to a

manufacturer’s setting center.

Customers have recognized the

advantages of remote setting, and as a

result the marketplace has moved in a

positive direction. The remaining

131,426 manually set electronic meters

are to be retired and no longer

authorized for use as postage evidencing

devices. It is the Postal Service’s intent

to make this an orderly process with

minimal problems for users.

The proposed plan for Phase II, the

retirement of manually reset electronic

meters, was published for comment in

the Federal Register, May 1, 2000. The

Postal Service requested that comments

on the proposed plan be submitted by

June 15, 2000. The Postal Service

received seven written comments from

postage meter manufacturers, interested

companies, large commercial mailers,

and industry associations representing

commercial mailers. Eight additional

comments came from companies and

industry associations after an article on

the retirement plan was published in

the Postal Service’s Memo to Mailers,

June 2000. Although those comments

came after June 15, 2000, they were

considered in the response.

The Postal Service gave thorough

consideration to those comments,

modified the proposed plan as

appropriate, and now announces the

adoption of the final plan. This plan

gives users of manually reset postage

meters ample time to make timely and

intelligent decisions on replacement

meters.

The Postal Service’s evaluation of the

comments follows. The final plan, as

revised, follows the discussion of

comments. The comments are organized

to reflect common topics addressed by

the commenters.

A. Discussion of Comments

1. Support for plan. Two postage

meter manufacturers commented in

support of the plan.

2. Meter models not available to the

public. One postage meter manufacturer

commented that the list of meter models

included some models that fit the

category but that are not available to the

public.

The Postal Service revised the list to

include only those models available to

the public.

3. Affected meter models. One postage

meter manufacturer commented that

some of the models included on the list

are capable of remote setting and need

not be retired or withdrawn.

The Postal Service determined that

those models should remain on the list.

Any meter capable of remote setting that

is currently being reset manually must

be reinstalled by the postage meter

manufacturer as a remote set meter with

a new model number before the user can

continue to use it. The Postal Service

added a requirement to this effect.

4. Timing of retirement plan. Three

commenters questioned the timing of

the retirement plan, coming as it does

soon after the completion of the

decertification of mechanical meters.

They noted that some users who

replaced their mechanical meters with

manually reset electronic meters are

faced now with the expense of another

meter replacement.

Although the Postal Service did not

require that users of mechanical meters

replace those meters with remote set

electronic meters, pamphlets that were

widely distributed to users by the Postal

Service during the decertification

process suggested that users rent

‘‘remote set meters as this will be our

direction in the future.’’

5. Replacement meters. Two industry

associations were concerned about the

possibility that the Postal Service would

require the near-term retirement of a

meter selected to replace a manually

reset meter and asked about the longrange plans for postage meter

technology.

Phases III and IV of the proposed plan

for secure postage meter technology

were published for comment in the

Federal Register on August 21, 2000.

Upon completion of these phases of the

plan all meters in service will offer

enhanced levels of security, thereby

greatly reducing the Postal Service’s

exposure to meter fraud, misuse, and

loss of revenue. Given the rapid pace of

new technological developments for

secure postage meter technology, leases

for postage meter equipment of more

than five (5) years’ duration would

appear to be inadvisable.

6. Communications with meter users.

One postage meter manufacturer was

concerned about inadequate,

misleading, or confusing

communications to meter users, and

another questioned the Postal Service

requirement for the manufacturer to

provide generalized correspondence

with meter users to the Postal Service

for review.

The Postal Service is working to

ensure the integrity of the meter

retirement process with expeditious,

accurate, and informative

communications with postage meter

users, postal employees, and postage

meter manufacturers, and it expects

manufacturers to provide accurate,

timely information to their customers. If

the Postal Service finds that meter

manufacturers or their agents are

disseminating misleading information,

it reserves the right to review all

generalized manufacturer

communications to all customers or a

subclass of its customers prior to

distribution to customers.

7. Request for list of lease expiration

dates. One postage meter manufacturer

questioned the requirement to provide

the Postal Service with a complete

listing of lease expiration dates, since

such information is considered

confidential business information.

Manufacturers will no longer be asked

to submit this information. However, in

order to accomplish the goal of ensuring

that manually reset meters are

withdrawn in accordance with the plan,

the Postal Service will review meter

manufacturer lease records and records

of meter withdrawals shortly after each

quarterly retirement date.

8. Security of remote set meters. One

industry association asked for

information to support the Postal

Service claim of increased security

benefits with remote set postage meters

and the actual risk to Postal Service

revenue from manually reset meters.

Postal Service records show that all

major meter fraud cases have involved

physical tampering. USPS ability to

detect meter fraud involving

conventional postage meters is limited;

the best protection for postal revenue

comes from requiring the change to

more secure meters. The increased

security of remote reset meters is based,

first of all, on the analysis by the

resetting computer of the meter control

total when the meter user contacts the

resetting center to obtain additional

postage. The computer used for resetting

can identify any imbalance that would

warrant investigation. This amounts to

an ‘‘inspection’’ of the control totals

each time the meter is reset. Second,

remote meter resetting eliminates the

use of the meter keys that must be used

when meters are reset manually. These

keys allow access to any meter of the

same model and sometimes other meters

of the same manufacturer. Loss and theft

of these keys, which would allow

improper access to meters, is a major

security issue that is eliminated with

remote set meters. In addition, any

manually set meter allows the

possibility of human error by the

resetting clerk.

77936 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 240 / Wednesday, December 13, 2000 / Notices

New, remotely reset meters are also

more reliable and have more features

than manually reset meters; meter

manufacturers can provide the specifics.

The remote set meters are clearly more

flexible because, unlike manual set

meters, they do not have to be removed

from the plant or office and taken to a

remote location for resetting. They can

be reset and returned to service in

minutes.

There are 131,426 manually reset

meters in use, which represents 8.2

percent of the total number of postage

meters. Postal revenue from manually

reset meters for our 2000 fiscal year is

$6,121,084,200, which is 29.8 percent of

total meter revenue. Given the

significant contribution of the relatively

small number of manually reset meters

to postal revenue, it is essential that

these meters be secure.

9. Advantage to meter manufacturers

from retirement of manually reset

meters. Several large commercial

mailers and the industry associations

representing such mailers commented

that the change to remote reset meters

gives an advantage to the meter

manufacturers over meter users. They

felt that manufacturers would benefit

from replacement of mailing equipment,

from additional fees—which could be

increased at any time—and from the

interest on the money deposited by a

user before it is reset on the meter.

Retiring manually reset postage

meters is a USPS plan to increase meter

security and is not driven by the

manufacturers. Checks for postage must

be made payable to the U.S. Postal

Service (or to the manufacturer) and are

sent by the meter user to the designated

Postal Service lockbox account at

Citibank. The manufacturer does not

benefit from any ‘‘float’’ on the money,

unless the manufacturer has established

its own bank to handle the funds before

they are deposited with the Postal

Service and its customers elect to

deposit funds in that bank. Moreover,

through its Postage NowTM program, the

USPS promotes the use of electronic

payments: automated clearing house

(ACH) debits and credits, and wire

transfer of funds. Using such electronic

payments to the Postal Service lockbox

account minimizes float by allowing

customers to pay for postage at a time

that is very close to the time that

postage is needed. In most cases,

postage payment and meter resetting

can take place on the same business

day.

Any additional fees and costs for

users are determined on a manufacturerby-manufacturer basis and not by the

Postal Service. Customers have choices

in a competitive meter marketplace if

they are not satisfied with the fees and

policies of a given manufacturer. Users

of remote set meters benefit from the

additional features not available on

manually set meters and from the

increased convenience of using meters

that do not require a trip to the post

office during the business day for

resetting. Individual meter

manufacturers can provide detailed

information about their products and

services.

10. Inconvenience and increased cost

of remote set meters. All comments from

interested companies, large commercial

mailers, and industry associations

representing such mailers addressed the

perceived difficulties, inconvenience,

and cost of changing from manually

reset meters to remote set meters. The

following comments and responses

discuss the major areas of concern.

11. Increased fees. Commenters were

concerned about increased fees and the

financial costs associated with the

change to a remote set meter including

(1) Higher resetting fees compared with

the free resets at the post office; (2)

higher service fees, especially for lastminute mailings, or if the mailer wants

immediate access to postage, or if funds

are not on deposit for a specified time

period; and (3) the loss to the mailer of

interest earned on funds during the time

period between when money is sent to

the manufacturer and when postage is

used. Mailers noted that they would

need to keep significant funds on

deposit with a meter manufacturer to

cover the costs of last-minute mailings—

especially since the amount of postage

needed each day is so unpredictable.

The Postal Service is encouraging

meter manufacturers to work with the

industry and the Postal Service to

ensure that the fees and procedures for

resetting remote set meters meet the

needs of all customers, including large

commercial mailers and third party

mailers. In the competitive postage

meter marketplace, every customer has

the option to change meter

manufacturers and/or to negotiate the

fees paid. Although the commenters

assumed that manually reset meters are

reset for free, that assessment does not

account for the user time, labor, and

travel costs incurred when a meter is

taken to the post office. Remote set

meters can thus be more cost effective

and convenient than manually reset

meters, and offer the possible

availability of postage 24 hours a day,

seven days a week, depending on the

manufacturer plan selected.

12. Increased equipment costs. Nine

commenters were concerned about

increased equipment costs, especially

the need for new mailing equipment if

the new remote set meter is

incompatible with the mailer’s existing

equipment. They also mentioned the

cost of installing a new (possibly

dedicated) telephone line to handle

meter resets.

Any changes to mailing equipment

required because of incompatibilities

with remote set postage meters, as well

as the need for an additional telephone

line, is manufacturer dependent and not

under the control of the Postal Service.

However, according to manufacturer

feedback, mailing equipment changes

should be minimal.

13. Problems in handling last-minute

mailings. Seven commenters, including

presort bureaus, third party mailers, and

industry associations, were concerned

about losing the ability to obtain postage

on their meters to process last-minute

mailing requests. Currently, many

mailing agents bring a check and a

postage meter to the post office to have

the meter reset while they wait. They

claim that losing this option will

inconvenience their customers since

mailers would be unable to bring in

mail for processing at the last minute

and have it metered. They noted that

additional time is required for remote

setting since there is a delay of several

days between the time when additional

funds are transmitted or requested and

when the funds are available for use.

Commenters noted that they would

need to keep significant funds on

deposit to cover such last-minute

postage needs since costs are so

unpredictable and variable, another

added expense. Commenters noted that

they might have to change procedures to

accommodate last-minute mailings.

Through the Postal Service’s Postage

NowTM program, which was designed to

facilitate quick electronic payment for

postage, mailers can pay close to the last

minute for mailings. If the customer

authorizes an ACH debit, the meter can

be reset immediately. Payment by wire

transfer allows meter resetting within

two to three hours. Should a customer

prefer to pay for postage by check, there

is no waiting period required by the

Postal Service for a check to clear before

an account is credited. In fact, the Postal

Service processes all checks within 24

hours of receipt, and the information is

then transferred to the manufacturer for

an update of the user’s account. The

user’s designated Citibank lockbox is

located geographically so as to minimize

time in transit for the checks mailed in

for postage. The Citibank lockbox is

specific to each manufacturer and has

files for automated updates of users’

accounts. The Postal Service agrees that

some mailers may have to adapt new

procedures for last-minute mailings.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 240 / Wednesday, December 13, 2000 / Notices 77937

However, both the Postal Service and

meter manufacturers are aware of the

challenges for some mailers in handling

last-minute mail and are working on

solutions that will be implemented by

June 30, 2001, the first mandated

retirement date for manually reset

meters. In addition, the Postal Service

strongly encourages use of Postage

NowTM.

14. Cut-off time for end-of-day resets.

One industry representative noted that

depending on time zone, meter

manufacturer cut-off time for daily

deposits (such as 6:00 p.m. EST) limits

the ability of West Coast and Hawaiian

commercial mailers to respond to

emergency postage needs after 12:00

noon.

The Postal Service does not have a

cut-off time for daily deposits. Any cutoff time is established on a

manufacturer-by-manufacturer basis,

rather than by the Postal Service. Meter

manufacturers are aware of the potential

timing problems with meter resetting for

some mailers and are working on

solutions that will be implemented by

June 30, 2001, the first mandated

retirement date for manually reset

meters.

15. Alternative payment plans. Two

industry associations suggested

alternative payment options for

customers who need immediate access

to postage, including using credit cards

and having the Postal Service act as an

intermediary between the customer and

meter manufacturer for immediate

resetting of the meter. Commenters said

that any solution must involve nearly

instantaneous deposit and crediting of

postage.

As noted before, certain electronic

payments through Postage NowTM can

satisfy any last-minute request for

postage. The Postal Service does not

allow use of credit cards as a payment

option for remote meter resettings. Since

local post offices do not have any direct

interface with the Citibank lockbox,

they cannot be used as an intermediary

for resetting postage meters.

16. Procedures for getting customer

postage on meters for mailing agents.

Four commenters, including

commercial mailers and industry

associations, were concerned with the

procedures for paying for customer

postage on remote set meters.

Commercial mailers’ customers prepay

for mailings, which can include the use

of meters from more than one

manufacturer, as well as other forms of

postage, such as permits. The

commenters were unclear about how

they will be able to get this postage onto

their remote set meters under the new

system without either a waiting period

for the customer, or else providing the

postage up front and taking the risk that

the customer’s check will clear. Even if

checks are made out to the U.S. Postal

Service, they said different checks will

now be needed for each meter

manufacturer and form of postage.

Mailing agents, such as presort

bureaus, will need a way to guarantee

their customer funds. Checks should be

made payable to the U.S. Postal Service

and sent to the designated Citibank

lockbox, as appropriate for each meter

company. However, if a check is made

out to a third party, it will be processed

by the Postal Service if the third party

endorses it over to the Postal Service on

the back of the check. As the

commenters noted, there may be a need

for different checks for each meter

manufacturer and form of postage.

17. Multiple meters. Two industry

associations were concerned about how

commercial mailers would handle

multiple customer meters, since they

often have meters from more than one

manufacturer, resulting in multiple

setting fees and contractual

arrangements.

The customers of the third party

mailers are responsible for meter fees.

Commercial mailers should handle

these costs in accordance with industry

practices.

18. Permission to continue to reset

meters at post office. Two commenters

asked for permission to continue to reset

their meters at the local post office,

given the many problems associated

with changing to remote reset meters.

The Postal Service must maintain a

level playing field for all mailers and

cannot accept the continued risk of less

secure meters. The Postal Service will

not allow the continued use of manually

reset meters beyond the dates given in

the plan.

19. Mailings for state and local

governments. Two industry associations

asked how meter resetting will be

handled for state and local governments

that use only checks for payment. They

also noted that it is often illegal for state

and local governments to place funds on

deposit with private parties.

Although the funds for resetting

postage meters are sent to the Postal

Service’s lockbox account at Citibank, a

private sector bank, checks are made

payable to the U.S. Postal Service. In

addition, the Postal Service does not

keep funds on deposit at Citibank. Each

day, all available Postal Service funds

are concentrated in the Postal Service

Fund at the U.S. Treasury. Checks made

payable to the U.S. Postal Service are

sent to a designated Citibank Postal

Service lockbox account, but the funds

for resetting postage meters are not

deposited with a private business;

rather, they are deposited with the U.S.

Postal Service.

20. Speed of remote set meters. One

industry association was concerned that

remote set meters are not as fast as

manually reset meters. The availability

of high-speed meters is dependent on

the individual meter manufacturer’s

approved meter models and is not

within the control of the Postal Service.

21. Timetable for meter retirement.

One manufacturer questioned the

timetable for withdrawals of manually

set meters, especially the immediate

withdrawal of meters upon lease

expiration for leases expiring between

January 1, 2001, and June 30, 2001, and

suggested an alternative.

The Postal Service reviewed the

suggestion and revised the timetable to

simplify the withdrawal schedule and to

ensure that all users will be able to

make timely and intelligent decisions

on replacement meters. Under the

revised timetable, any meter covered

under a lease that expires after

December 31, 2000, may be used until

the end of the calendar quarter

following the quarter in which the lease

expires, at which time the meter must

be retired and withdrawn from service.

This date is called the retirement date.

For example, any meter with a lease

expiring during the first quarter of 2001

(January, February, or March 2001) must

be retired before the end of the second

quarter of 2001 and will have a

retirement date of June 30, 2001. This

timetable will give all manually set

postage meter users at least three

months to replace the meter with a

remote set meter and will consolidate

retirement dates. The first date for

mandatory manual meter retirement

will be June 30, 2001.

22. Protection of funds for postage if

meter or meter manufacturer fails. One

commenter was concerned about how

postage funds would be protected in the

event of the failure of the postage meter,

and another was concerned about the

possible bankruptcy of the meter

manufacturer.

Postage meters undergo extensive

testing to ensure against meter failure

and memory loss. There are established

procedures for postage refunds in the

case of meter failure. The Postal Service

is working with manufacturers to make

the process easier and more immediate.

The new technology used in remote set

meters enhances the process and gives

the customer additional protections. All

funds for postage are sent directly from

customers to a Postal Service account

and are not held by the manufacturer.

Each day, the Postal Service

concentrates all of its available funds in

77938 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 240 / Wednesday, December 13, 2000 / Notices

the Postal Service Fund at the U.S.

Treasury. Therefore, the user’s money is

protected in the unlikely event of a

manufacturer bankruptcy.

B. The Final Postal Service Plan for the

Retirement of Manually Reset Postage

Meters

1. Effective February 1, 2000, new

placements of manually reset electronic

postage meters ceased. The decision

applied to new customers as well as

existing meter users. All meter

manufacturers were notified of this

policy and have complied.

2. The Postal Service will allow a

lease extension for a manually set

electronic meter up to December 31,

2001, for any lease that expires during

calendar year 2000. No other lease

extensions are permitted by the Postal

Service. Manufacturers or users cannot

avoid meter retirement by the

manipulation of leases.

3. Some users currently have a lease

for a manually reset electronic meter

that expires after December 31, 2000.

Any meter covered under such a lease

may be used until the end of the

calendar quarter following the quarter in

which the lease expires, at which time

the meter must be retired and

withdrawn from service. This date is

called the ‘‘retirement date.’’ For

example, any meter with a lease

expiring during the first quarter of 2001

(January, February, or March 2001) must

be retired before the end of the second

quarter of 2001 and will have a

retirement date of June 30, 2001. This

timetable will give all manually set

postage meter users at least three

months to replace the meter with a

remote set meter and will consolidate

retirement dates.

4. All retired meters must be

withdrawn from active service records

immediately upon the retirement date

following lease expiration.

Manufacturers must process PS Form

3601–C, Postage Meter Activity Report,

to withdraw the meter effective the

retirement date.

5. Retired meters must be physically

returned to the manufacturer within 30

business days after the retirement date.

The use of a retired meter in the time

period between the retirement date and

when the meter is returned to the

manufacturer may result in the

cancellation of the user registration.

6. Official notification to users

explaining this plan will be sent directly

by the Manager, Postage Technology

Management, Postal Service

Headquarters. No other correspondence

will be considered to be official.

7. The manager of Postage Technology

Management reserves the right to review

manufacturer correspondence to these

meter users prior to distribution.

8. After each retirement date, the

Postal Service may review meter

manufacturers’ lease records in

comparison with meter withdrawals, to

ensure that all meters that should have

been retired were retired.

9. Any manually reset electronic

postage meter that is capable of remote

meter setting must be either converted

to remote meter setting or withdrawn

from service. The function that allows

manual resetting must be disabled.

10. Given the rapid pace of new

technological developments for secure

postage meter technology, meter

manufacturers should not offer, and

customers should not accept, leases for

postage meter equipment of more than

five (5) years’ duration.

11. The following meter models may

be affected by this plan. Any postage

meter that is taken to a post office for

resetting is affected by this plan and

must be retired, even if it is not

included on the following list.

Ascom Hasler

1441

1441X

1446

1446X

16410

16413

16413X

16463

16463X

17563

17563X

4280

64280

741

741X

7410

7410X

7413

7413X

7560

7560X

7563

7563X

Francotyp-Postalia

7000

7100

7200

Neopost

9212

9212G

9248

9248G

9252

9252G

9257

9257G

9258

9258G

9252U

9257U

9258U

9258UG

9267

9268

9268G

9282M

9287GM

9287M

9288GM

9288M

9512GM

9512M

9547GM

9547M

9548GM

9548M

Pitney Bowes

6501

6502

6513

B901

E101

E102

Stanley F. Mires,

Chief Counsel, Legislative.

[FR Doc. 00–31359 Filed 12–12–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7710–12–P

RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD

Determination of Quarterly Rate of

Excise Tax for Railroad Retirement

Supplemental Annuity Program

In accordance with directions in

section 3221(c) of the Railroad

Retirement Tax Act (26 U.S.C., 3221(c)),

the Railroad Retirement Board has

determined that the excise tax imposed

by such section 3221(c) on every

employer, with respect to having

individuals in his employ, for each

work-hour for which compensation is

paid by such employer for services

rendered to him during the quarter

beginning January 1, 2001, shall be at

the rate of 26 cents.

In accordance with directions in

section 15(a) of the Railroad Retirement

Act of 1974, the Railroad Retirement

Board has determined that for the

quarter beginning January 1, 2001, 39.7

percent of the taxes collected under

sections 3221(b) and 3221(c) of the

Railroad Retirement Tax Act shall be

credited to the Railroad Retirement

Account and 60.3 percent of the taxes

collected under such sections 3211(b)

and 3221(c) plus 100 percent of the

taxes collected under section 3221(d) of

the Railroad Retirement Tax Act shall be

credited to the Railroad Retirement

Supplemental Account.

Dated: December 1, 2000.