Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 187 / Thursday, September 26, 2024 / Notices 78905 

On June 17, 2015, UHD Alliance filed 

its original notification pursuant to 

section 6(a) of the Act. The Department 

of Justice published a notice in the 

Federal Register pursuant to section 

6(b) of the Act on July 17, 2015 (80 FR 

42537). 

The last notification was filed with 

the Department on May 6, 2024. A 

notice was published in the Federal 

Register pursuant to section 6(b) of the 

Act on June 21, 2024 (89 FR 52094). 

Suzanne Morris, 

Deputy Director Civil Enforcement 

Operations, Antitrust Division. 

[FR Doc. 2024–22077 Filed 9–25–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4410–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Employment and Training 

Administration 

Workforce Information Advisory 

Council 

AGENCY: Employment and Training 

Administration, Labor. 

ACTION: Notice of a virtual WIAC 

meeting November 6, 2024. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the Workforce Information Advisory 

Council (WIAC or Advisory Council) 

will meet virtually November 6, 2024. 

Information for public attendance will 

be posted at www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/ 

wioa/wiac/meetings several days prior 

to the meeting date. The meeting will be 

open to the public. 

DATES: The meeting will take place 

November 6, 2024. The meeting will 

begin at 3 p.m. EST and conclude at 

approximately 5 p.m. EST. Public 

statements and requests for special 

accommodations or to address the 

Advisory Council must be received by 5 

p.m. EST Monday, November 4, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held 

virtually. Registration and information 

for the public to attend this virtual 

meeting will be posted on the WIAC 

website, www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/ 

wioa/wiac/meetings. If problems arise 

accessing the meeting, please contact 

Donald Haughton, Unit Chief in the 

Division of National Programs, Tools, 

and Technical Assistance, Employment 

and Training Administration, U.S. 

Department of Labor, at 202–203–9209. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Steven Rietzke, Chief, Division of 

National Programs, Tools, and 

Technical Assistance, Employment and 

Training Administration, U.S. 

Department of Labor, Room C–4510, 200 

Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 

20210; Telephone: 202–693–3912; 

Email: WIAC@dol.gov. Mr. Rietzke is the 

WIAC Designated Federal Officer. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background: This meeting is being 

held pursuant to section 308 of the 

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 

Act of 2014 (WIOA) (Pub. L. 113–128), 

which amends section 15 of the WagnerPeyser Act of 1933 (29 U.S.C. 491–2). 

The WIAC is an important component 

of WIOA. The WIAC is a Federal 

advisory committee of workforce and 

labor market information experts 

representing a broad range of national, 

state, and local data and information 

users and producers. The WIAC was 

established in accordance with 

provisions of the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act (FACA), as amended (5 

U.S.C. app.) and will act in accordance 

with the applicable provisions of FACA 

and its implementing regulation at 41 

CFR 102–3. The purpose of the WIAC is 

to provide recommendations to the 

Secretary of Labor (Secretary), working 

jointly through the Assistant Secretary 

for Employment and Training and the 

Commissioner of Labor Statistics, to 

address: (1) the evaluation and 

improvement of the nationwide 

workforce and labor market information 

(WLMI) system and statewide systems 

that comprise the nationwide system; 

and (2) how the Department of Labor 

(Department) and the states will 

cooperate in the management of those 

systems. These systems include 

programs to produce employmentrelated statistics and state and local 

WLMI. 

The Department anticipates the WIAC 

will accomplish its objectives by: (1) 

studying WLMI issues; (2) seeking and 

sharing information on innovative 

approaches, new technologies, and data 

to inform employment, skills training, 

and workforce and economic 

development decision making and 

policy; and (3) advising the Secretary on 

how the WLMI system can best support 

workforce development, planning, and 

program development. Additional 

information is available at www.dol.gov/ 

agencies/eta/wioa/wiac/meetings. 

Purpose: The WIAC is continually 

identifying and reviewing issues and 

aspects of the WLMI system and 

statewide systems that comprise the 

nationwide system and how the 

Department and the states will 

cooperate in the management of those 

systems. As part of this process, the 

Advisory Council meets to gather 

information and to engage in 

deliberative and planning activities to 

facilitate the development and provision 

of its recommendations to the Secretary 

in a timely manner. 

Agenda: There are three agenda topics 

for this meeting. One, review and 

approve recommendations the WIAC 

members discussed at the previous 

meeting held September 9 and 10, 2024. 

Two, discuss topics for future 

consideration of the WIAC. Third, 

determine a workplan for developing 

the next set of WIAC recommendations. 

A detailed agenda will be available at 

www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/wioa/wiac/ 

meetings shortly before the November 6, 

2024, meeting commences. 

The Advisory Council will open the 

floor for public comment at 

approximately 4 p.m. EST for 

approximately 10 minutes. However, 

that time may change at the WIAC 

chair’s discretion. 

Attending the Meetings: Members of 

the public who require reasonable 

accommodations to attend the virtual 

meeting may submit requests for 

accommodations via email to the email 

address indicated in the FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT section with the 

subject line ‘‘November 2024 WIAC 

Meeting Accommodations’’ by the date 

indicated in the DATES section. Please 

include a specific description of the 

accommodations requested and phone 

number or email address where you 

may be contacted if additional 

information is needed to meet your 

request. 

Public Statements: Organizations or 

members of the public wishing to 

submit written statements may do so by 

transmitting them as email attachments 

in PDF format to the email address 

indicated in the FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT section with the 

subject line ‘‘November 2024 WIAC 

Meeting Public Statements’’ by the date 

indicated in the DATES section. 

Submitters may include their name and 

contact information in the body of the 

email for statements transmitted 

electronically. Relevant statements 

received before the date indicated in the 

DATES section will be included in the 

record of each meeting. No deletions, 

modifications, or redactions will be 

made to statements received, as they are 

public records. Please do not include 

personally identifiable information in 

your public statement. 

Requests to Address the Advisory 

Council: Members of the public or 

representatives of organizations wishing 

to address the Advisory Council should 

forward their requests to the contact 

indicated in the FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT section, or contact 

the same by phone, by the date 

indicated in the DATES section. Oral 

presentations will be limited to 10 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
78906 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 187 / Thursday, September 26, 2024 / Notices 

minutes, time permitting, and shall 

proceed at the discretion of the 

Advisory Council chair. Individuals 

with disabilities, or others who need 

special accommodations, should 

indicate their needs along with their 

request. 

Jose ́ Javier Rodrı ́guez, 

Assistant Secretary for Employment and 

Training, Labor. 

[FR Doc. 2024–22101 Filed 9–25–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–FN–P 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration 

[Docket No. OSHA–2024–0003] 

Ballard Marine Construction Lower 

Olentangy Tunnel Project; Grant of 

Permanent Variance 

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration (OSHA), Labor. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In this notice, OSHA grants a 

permanent variance to Ballard Marine 

Construction (Ballard) related to work in 

compressed air environments. 

DATES: The permanent variance 

specified by this notice becomes 

effective on September 26, 2024 and 

shall remain in effect until the 

completion of the Lower Olentangy 

Tunnel Project or until modified or 

revoked by OSHA. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Information regarding this notice is 

available from the following sources: 

Press inquiries: Contact Mr. Frank 

Meilinger, Director, OSHA Office of 

Communications, U.S. Department of 

Labor; telephone: (202) 693–1999; 

email: meilinger.francis2@dol.gov. 

General and technical information: 

Contact Mr. Kevin Robinson, Director, 

Office of Technical Programs and 

Coordination Activities, Directorate of 

Technical Support and Emergency 

Management, Occupational Safety and 

Health Administration, U.S. Department 

of Labor; telephone: (202) 693–1911; 

email: robinson.kevin@dol.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Copies of this Federal Register 

notice. Electronic copies of this Federal 

Register notice are available at http://

www.regulations.gov. This Federal 

Register notice, as well as news releases 

and other relevant information, also are 

available at OSHA’s web page at http:// 

www.osha.gov. 

I. Overview 

On April 11, 2023, Ballard Marine 

Construction (Ballard or the applicant), 

submitted under section 6(d) of the 

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 

1970 (the Act), 29 U.S.C. 655, and 29 

CFR 1905.11 (Variances and other relief 

under Section 6(d)) an application for a 

permanent variance from several 

provisions of the OSHA standard that 

regulates work in compressed air, 

1926.803 of 1926 subpart S— 

Underground Construction, Caissons, 

Cofferdams, and Compressed Air, and 

an interim order allowing it to proceed 

while OSHA considers the request for a 

permanent variance (OSHA–2024– 

0003–0002). This notice addresses 

Ballard’s application for a permanent 

variance and interim order for 

construction of the Lower Olentangy 

Tunnel Project in Columbus, Ohio only 

and is not applicable to future Ballard 

tunneling projects. 

This notice addresses Ballard’s 

application for a permanent variance 

and interim order from the provisions of 

the standard that: (1) require the use of 

the decompression values specified in 

decompression tables in appendix A of 

subpart S (29 CFR 1926.803(f)(1)); and 

(2) require the use of automated 

operational controls and a special 

decompression chamber (29 CFR 

1926.803(g)(1)(iii) and (xvii), 

respectively). 

OSHA reviewed Ballard’s application 

for the variance and interim order and 

determined that they were appropriately 

submitted in compliance with the 

applicable variance procedures in 

Section 6(d) of the Occupational Safety 

and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act; 29 

U.S.C. 655) and OSHA’s regulations at 

29 CFR 1905.11 (Variances and other 

relief under section 6(d)), including the 

requirement that the applicant inform 

workers and their representatives of 

their rights to petition the Assistant 

Secretary of Labor for Occupational 

Safety and Health for a hearing on the 

variance application. 

OSHA reviewed the alternative 

procedures in Ballard’s application and 

preliminarily determined that the 

applicant’s proposed alternatives, on the 

whole, subject to the conditions in the 

request and imposed by the interim 

order, provide measures that are as safe 

and healthful as those required by the 

cited OSHA standards. On March 27, 

2024, OSHA published a Federal 

Register notice announcing Ballard’s 

application for permanent variance, 

stating the preliminary determination 

along with the basis of that 

determination, and granting the interim 

order (89 FR 21274). OSHA requested 

comments on each. 

OSHA did not receive any comments 

or other information disputing the 

preliminary determination that the 

alternatives were at least as safe as 

OSHA’s standard, nor any objections to 

OSHA granting a permanent variance. 

Accordingly, through this notice OSHA 

grants a permanent variance, subject to 

the conditions set out in this document. 

A. Background 

The information that follows about 

Ballard, its methods, and the Lower 

Olentangy Tunnel Project comes from 

the Ballard variance application. 

Ballard is a contractor for the Lower 

Olentangy Tunnel Project (the project), 

that works on complex tunnel projects 

using innovations in tunnel-excavation 

methods. The applicant’s workers 

engage in the construction of tunnels 

using advanced shielded mechanical 

excavation techniques in conjunction 

with an earth pressure balanced microtunnel boring machine (TBM). Using 

shielded mechanical excavation 

techniques, in conjunction with precast 

concrete tunnel liners and backfill 

grout, TBMs provide methods to achieve 

the face pressures required to maintain 

a stabilized tunnel face through various 

geologies and isolate that pressure to the 

forward section (the working chamber) 

of the TBM. 

Ballard asserts that it bores tunnels 

using a TBM at levels below the water 

table through soft soils consisting of 

clay, silt, and sand. TBMs are capable of 

maintaining pressure at the tunnel face, 

and stabilizing existing geological 

conditions, through the controlled use 

of a mechanically driven cutter head, 

bulkheads within the shield, groundtreatment foam, and a screw conveyor 

that moves excavated material from the 

working chamber. The forward-most 

portion of the TBM is the working 

chamber, and this chamber is the only 

pressurized segment of the TBM. Within 

the shield, the working chamber 

consists of two sections: the forward 

working chamber and the staging 

chamber. The forward working chamber 

is immediately behind the cutter head 

and tunnel face. The staging chamber is 

behind the forward working chamber 

and between the man-lock door and the 

entry door to the forward working 

chamber. 

The TBM has twin man-locks located 

between the pressurized working 

chamber and the non-pressurized 

portion of the machine. Each man-lock 

has two compartments. This 

configuration allows workers to access 

the man-locks for compression and 

decompression, and medical personnel 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES