### 11785 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 39 / Tuesday, February 28, 2012 / Proposed Rules

collections for particular program, except where required by statute.

III. Questions for Comment

The list below includes the questions
about these reform ideas that address issues which are of greatest interest to OMB at this stage of the process. Comments addressing any other concerns, and other types of feedback,
are also welcome.

In addition, as was explained at the beginning of this notice, the public comments received by OMB will be posted on OMB’s Web site and at http:// www.regulations.gov . Accordingly, please do not include in your comments any confidential business information or information of a personal-privacy

nature.

A. Overarching Questions

1. Which of these reform ideas would
result in reduced or increased administrative burden to you or your organization?

2. Which of these reform ideas would be the most or least valuable to you or your organization?

3. Are there any of these reform ideas that you would prefer that OMB not implement?

4. Are there any reform ideas, beyond those included in this notice, that OMB should consider as a way to relieve
administrative burden?

B. Single Audits

1. In general terms, how important are Single Audits to your entity or to entities you audit for subrecipient monitoring?

2. In general terms, what impacts would the following changes to the Single Audit framework have on your organization in administrative burden and in ability to provide oversight to subrecipients?

a. Increasing the Single Audit threshold to $1 million?

b. Requiring a more focused Single Audit (with only two compliance requirements) for any entity expending between $1 million and $3 million?

c. Requiring full Single Audits for any entity expending more than $3 million?

3. Should the Single Audit threshold(s) be increased, and if so, to
what extent?

4. Which types of currently universal Single Audit compliance requirements do you think are most essential to identifying and mitigating waste, fraud,
and abuse?

5. What processes or tools should the Federal Government implement in order
to ensure better coordination in the Single Audit oversight by Federal agencies and pass-through agencies, including in the resolution of audit findings that cut across multiple agencies’ programs?

C. Cost Principles

1. On indirect cost rates:
a. Would administrative burden be reduced by having an indirect cost rate in place for 4 years?

b. Are there any existing Federal or state level statutory/regulatory/agency requirements that would prohibit recipients from using a ‘‘flat’’ indirect cost rate if it were proposed?

2. What are your views on the following types of indirect cost rates?

a. A flat rate b. Longer term for negotiated rates to
be in effect

c. A flat rate that would be a fixed percentage of the organization’s already existing negotiated rate

3. In general terms, what would be the cost implications of implementing each of the following reforms, and/or of all of them together?

a. The proposed clarifications to allowable charges of directly allocable administrative support as a direct cost. As currently envisioned, reforms would clarify that project-specific activities such as managing substances/chemicals, data and image management, and security are allowable.

b. Allowing costs associated with recovery of improper payments.

c. Allowing excess capacity for telecommunications and public safety projects?

4. Would you be potentially interested in participating in a piloted alternative for time-and-effort reporting? Is there a permanent change to time-and-effort requirements that you recommend OMB
consider?

5. If your organization is an
educational institution that does not currently receive the Utility Cost Adjustment (UCA), what are the general factors that your organization would likely consider in deciding whether to conduct a cost study, and complete a plan to reduce utility costs, in order to justify receiving the UCA?

6. For organizations with CAScovered contracts, are there differences
between what is envisioned here and
the standards for CAS-covered contracts in the FAR that you believe could be challenging to address?

D. Administrative Requirements

1. What areas of past performance should be considered as part of a Federal agency assessment of recipient risk (e.g., fulfillment of statutory matching requirements, record of sound financial management practices with no significant or material findings or weaknesses, ability to meet established deadlines)?

2. What specific standards should be considered in Federal agencies’ evaluation of merit prior to making
Federal awards?

a. How should these be applied?
b. What elements and what source
materials should be looked at?

3. With respect to the existing government-wide standard information collection requests (ICRs) for grant applications and grant reporting—

a. Do these ICRs provide necessary information to enable Federal agencies to review grant applications or to monitor the progress of grant awardees?

b. Are these ICRs unnecessarily burdensome and, if so, in what way(s)?

4. Should there be sets of standard data elements based on the type of assistance being provided (e.g. research, construction, social services, scholarships or aid program awards, etc.)?

5. Are there any system issues and associated costs that may arise as aresult of implementing the new preaward and post award requirements? In general, what is the rough order of relative magnitude of these costs?

Daniel I. Werfel,

Controller.

[FR Doc. 2012–4521 Filed 2–27–12; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE P**

**DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY**

**10 CFR Part 431**

**[Docket No. EERE–2010–BT–STD–0043]**

**RIN 1904–AC36**

**Energy Conservation Program: Public Meeting and Availability of the** **Framework Document for High Intensity Discharge Lamps** 

**AGENCY :**  Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy.

**ACTION :**  Notice of public meeting and availability of the Framework

Document.

**SUMMARY :**  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is initiating the rulemaking and data collection process to consider establishing energyconservation standards for highintensity discharge (HID) lamps. Accordingly, DOE will hold a public meeting to discuss and receive comments on its planned analytical approach and the issues it will address in this rulemaking proceeding. DOE
welcomes written comments from the


### 11786 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 39 / Tuesday, February 28, 2012 / Proposed Rules

1 For editorial reasons, Parts B and C were redesignated as Parts A and A–1 on codification in
the U.S. Code. public on this rulemaking. To inform
stakeholders and to facilitate this process, DOE has prepared a framework document which details the analytical approach and identifies several issues on which DOE is particularly interested in receiving comment. The framework document is posted at: http:// www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ appliance

_ standards/commercial/ high

_ intensity

_ discharge

_ lamps.html

.

**DATES :**  The Department will hold a public meeting on March 29, 2012, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Washington, DC. Additionally, DOE plans to allow for participation in the public meeting via webinar. Any person requesting to speak at the public meeting should submit such request along with a signed original and an electronic copy of the statement to be given at the public meeting before 4 p.m., March 16, 2012.
Written comments on the framework document are welcome, especially following the public meeting, and should be submitted by April 5, 2012.

**ADDRESSES :**  The public meeting will be held at the U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal Building, Room 8E–089, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585–0121. Please note that foreign nationals participating in the public meeting are subject to advance security screening procedures. If a foreign national wishes to participate in the public meeting, please inform DOE of this fact as soon as possible by contacting Ms. Brenda Edwards at (202) 586–2945, so that the necessary procedures can be completed. Please also note that those wishing to bring laptops to the meeting will be required to obtain a property pass. Visitors should avoid bringing laptops, or allow

an extra 45 minutes.

Interested parties may submit comments, identified by docket number
EERE–2010–BT–STD–0043 and/or Regulation Identifier Number (RIN) 1904–AC36, by any of the following
methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov . Follow the instructions for submitting comments.

• Email: HIDLamps–2010–STD– 0043@ee.doe.gov. Include EERE–2010–
BT–STD–0043 and/or RIN 1904–AC36 in the subject line of the message.

• Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Program, Mailstop EE–2J, Framework Document for High-Intensity Discharge Lamps, EERE–2010–BT–STD– 0043 and/or RIN 1904–AC36, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585–0121. Please submit one signed paper original. • Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Program, Sixth Floor, 950 L’Enfant Plaza SW., Washington, DC 20024. Please submit one signed paper original.

Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name and
docket number or RIN for this rulemaking.

Docket: The docket for this rulemaking is available for review at www.regulations.gov , and will include Federal Register notices, framework documents, public meeting attendee lists and transcripts, comments, and other supporting documents/materials.
All documents in the docket are listed
in the www.regulations.gov index. Not all documents listed in the index may be publicly available, however, such as information that is exempt from public
disclosure.

A link to the docket Web page for this
notice can be found at: http:// www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ appliance

_ standards/commercial/ high

_ intensity

_ discharge

_ lamps.html

. The regulations.gov Web page contains
instructions on how to access all documents, including public comments,
in the docket.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :** 

Ms. Lucy deButts, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies, EE–2J, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585–0121. Telephone: (202) 287–1604. Email: lucy.debutts@ee.doe.gov

.

Ms. Elizabeth Kohl, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General Counsel, GC–71, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585–0121. Telephone: (202) 586–7796. Email: elizabeth.kohl@hq.doe.gov

.

For information on how to submit or review public comments and on how to participate in the public meeting, contact Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies Program, EE–2J, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC, 20585–0121. Telephone (202) 586–2945. Email: brenda.edwards@ee.doe.gov

.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  Title III of Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) (42 U.S.C. 6291, et seq.; EPCA or ‘‘the Act’’) sets forth a variety of provisions designed to improve energy efficiency. (All references to EPCA refer to the statute as amended through the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007), Public Law 110– 140 (Dec. 19, 2007).) Under EPCA, this program consists essentially of four parts: (1) Testing; (2) labeling; (3) Federal energy conservation standards; and (4) certification, compliance, and enforcement. Part B of Title III (42 U.S.C. 6291–6309) established the ‘‘Energy Conservation Program for
Consumer Products Other Than Automobiles.’’ Part C of title III (42 U.S.C. 6311–6317), establishes an energy conservation program for certain industrial and commercial equipment. 1 Although HID lamps are defined in 42 U.S.C. 6291(46), DOE is required to set standards for HID lamps in 42 U.S.C. 6317(a)(1). Therefore, DOE has determined that the provisions of Part C are applicable to HID lamps.

DOE published a positive final determination for specified HID lamps on July 1, 2010. 75 FR 37975. Pursuant to the positive final determination, DOE must establish testing requirements for the HID lamps specified in the determination. (42 U.S.C. 6317(a)(1)) As directed by EPCA, DOE must complete the HID lamps test procedure final rule within 30 months of the completion of the final determination (by January 1, 2013). DOE recently published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) for the HID lamp test procedures. 76 FR 77914 (December 15, 2011).

DOE must also complete the HID lamps energy conservation standards rulemaking within 18 months of the publication of the HID lamps test procedure final rule (by July 1, 2014). (42 U.S.C. 6317(b)) During the standards rulemaking, DOE will decide whether and at what level(s) to promulgate energy conservation standards. The decision, which will incorporate public participation, will be based on consideration of the technological feasibility, economic justification, and energy savings of specific potential standard levels as required by EPCA. ( See, e.g., 42 U.S.C. 6295(o)–(p))

DOE has prepared a framework document to explain the issues, analyses, and processes it anticipates using for the development of potential energy conservation standards for HID lamps. Interested parties may obtain the
framework document from DOE’s Web site ( http://www1.eere.energy.gov/ buildings/appliance

_ standards/
commercial/ high

_ intensity

_ discharge

_ lamps.html ). DOE will hold a public meeting in Washington, DC on the date specified in
the **DATES** section to discuss the analyses presented and issues identified in the framework document prepared


### 11787 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 39 / Tuesday, February 28, 2012 / Proposed Rules

for the development of potential HID lamp energy conservation standards. At the public meeting, the Department will make a presentation, invite discussion on the rulemaking process as it applies to the covered products, and solicit comments, data, and information from participants and other interested parties. Participants can also attend the public meeting via webinar. Registration information, participant instructions, and information about the capabilities available to webinar participants will be published on the following Web site: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/

221154352 . Participants are responsible for ensuring their computer systems are compatible with the webinar software. The Department encourages those who wish to participate in the public meeting to obtain the framework document and to be prepared to discuss

its contents.

Public meeting participants need not
limit their comments to the issues
identified in the framework document. The Department is also interested in receiving views concerning other relevant issues that participants believe would affect energy conservation standards for this equipment or that
DOE should address in the NOPR. Furthermore, the Department welcomes all interested parties, regardless of whether they participate in the public meeting, to submit in writing by the date specified in the **DATES** section,
comments and information on matters
addressed in the framework document
and on other matters relevant to
consideration of standards for HID lamps. At this time, DOE is tentatively considering setting standards based on
the information included in the
framework document. DOE will consider modifications to its approach
based on the data and comments received in response to the framework document and public meeting.

The public meeting will be conducted in an informal, facilitated, conference style. There shall be no discussion of proprietary information, costs or prices, company market shares, or other commercial matters regulated by U.S. antitrust laws. A court reporter will record the proceedings of the public meeting, after which a transcript will be
made available on DOE’s Web site at http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ appliance

_ standards/commercial/ high

_ intensity

_ discharge

_ lamps.html

. After the public meeting and the close of the comment period on the framework document, DOE will collect data, conduct the analyses as discussed
in the framework document and at the public meeting, and review the
comments received. DOE considers public participation to be a very important part of the process for setting energy conservation standards. DOE actively encourages the participation and interaction of the public during the comment period in each stage of the rulemaking process. Beginning with the framework document, and during each subsequent public meeting and comment period,
interactions with and between members of the public provide a balanced
discussion of the issues to assist DOE in the standards rulemaking process. Accordingly, anyone who would like to participate in the public meeting, receive meeting materials, or be added to the DOE mailing list to receive future notices and information regarding this rulemaking on HID lamps should contact Ms. Brenda Edwards at (202) 586–2945, or via email at: Brenda.Edwards@ee.doe.gov

.

Issued in Washington, DC, on February 21,

2012. Kathleen B. Hogan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

[FR Doc. 2012–4639 Filed 2–27–12; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 6450–01–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION**

**Federal Aviation Administration**

**14 CFR Part 39**

**[Docket No. FAA–2012–0177; Directorate Identifier 2009–SW–59–AD]** 

**RIN 2120–AA64**

**Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter France Helicopters** 

**AGENCY :**  Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

**ACTION :**  Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

**SUMMARY :**  We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Eurocopter France Model EC155B and EC155B1 helicopters with a VIP 4-seat bench. This proposed AD is prompted by the determination that the load strength of the seat attachment hardware
of the seat installation does not meet certification specifications. The proposed actions are intended to prevent overloading of the seat structure at the attachment point during a hard landing or emergency landing, which
could result in the VIP 4-seat bench detaching from the floor and subsequent injury to the seat occupants.

**DATES :**  We must receive comments on this proposed AD by April 30, 2012. **ADDRESSES :**  You may send comments by any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Docket: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for sending your comments electronically.

• Fax: 202–493–2251.

• Mail: Send comments to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M–30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington,

DC 20590–0001.

• Hand Delivery: Deliver to the
‘‘Mail’’ address between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

Examining the AD Docket: You may
examine the AD docket on the Internet

at http://www.regulations.gov or in person at the Docket Operations Office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD docket contains this proposed AD, the economic evaluation, any comments received, and other
information. The street address for the Docket Operations Office (telephone 800–647–5527) is in the **ADDRESSES** section. Comments will be available in the AD docket shortly after receipt.

For service information identified in this proposed AD, contact American Eurocopter Corporation, 2701 N. Forum Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 75052, telephone (972) 641–0000 or (800) 232– 0323, fax (972) 641–3775, or at http:// www.eurocopter.com/techpub. You may review a copy of the referenced service information at the FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Room 663, Fort Worth, Texas 76137.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Gary Roach, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Regulations and Policy Group, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76137; telephone: (817) 222–5130; fax: (817) 222–5961, email gary.b.roach@faa.gov.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :** 

Comments Invited

We invite you to participate in this rulemaking by submitting written comments, data, or views. We also invite comments relating to the economic, environmental, energy, or federalism impacts that might result from adopting the proposals in this document. The most helpful comments reference a specific portion of the proposal, explain the reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data. To ensure the docket does not contain duplicate comments, commenters should send only one copy of written comments, or if comments are