This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

13362

Vol. 62, No. 54

Thursday, March 20, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

March 14, 1997.

The Department of Agriculture has

submitted the following information

collection requirement(s) to OMB for

review and clearance under the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

Public Law 104–13. Comments

regarding (a) whether the collection of

information is necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of the

agency, including whether the

information will have practical utility;

(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate

of burden including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used; (c)

ways to enhance the quality, utility and

clarity of the information to be

collected; (d) ways to minimize the

burden of the collection of information

on those who are to respond, including

through the use of appropriate

automated, electronic, mechanical, or

other technological collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology should be addressed to: Desk

Officer for Agriculture, Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB), Washington, D.C. 20503 and to

Department Clearance Office, USDA,

OCIO, Mail Stop 7602, Washington, D.C.

20250–7602. Comments regarding these

information collections are best assured

of having their full effect if received

within 30 days of this notification.

Copies of the submission(s) may be

obtained by calling (202) 720–6204 or

(202) 720–6746.

An agency may not conduct or

sponsor a collection of information

unless the collection of information

displays a currently valid OMB control

number and the agency informs

potential persons who are to respond to

the collection of information that such

persons are not required to respond to

the collection of information unless it

displays a currently valid OMB control

number.

• Rural Housing Service

Title: 7 CFR 1965–B, Security

Servicing for Multiple Family Housing

Loans.

OMB Control Number: 0575–0100.

Summary: The information collection

allows RHS to respond to account

servicing actions such as transfers,

reamortizations, delinquencies,

subordinations and junior liens.

Need and Use of the Information: The

information is used to assure

compliance with the regulations for

projects financed with Multiple Family

Housing loan and grant funds.

Description of Respondents:

Individuals or households; Business or

other for-profit; Not-for-profit

institutions; Farms; State, Local or

Tribal Government.

Number of Respondents: 945.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 1,587.

Donald Hulcher,

Deputy Departmental Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 97–7043 Filed 3–19–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–01–M

Commodity Credit Corporation

Notice of Request for Extension and

Revision of a Currently Approved

Information Collection

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the Commodity Credit

Corporation’s (CCC) intention to request

an extension for, and revision of, an

information collection process currently

in effect related to the Standards for

Approval of Warehouses for Cotton.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before May 19, 1997, to be assured

consideration.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR COMMENTS:

All comments concerning this notice

should be addressed to Mr. Steven

Closson, Chief, Storage Contract Branch,

Warehouse and Inventory Division,

Farm Service Agency, United States

Department of Agriculture, 1400

Independence Ave., SW, Washington

DC 20250–0553 FAX (202) 690–3213.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Standards for Approval of

Warehouses for Cotton.

OMB Control Number: 0560–0010.

Expiration Date of Approval: January

31,1997.

Type of Request: Extension and

Revision of a Currently Approved

Information Collection.

Abstract: The CCC Charter Act,

authorizes CCC to enter into storage

agreements with commercial warehouse

operators for the storage of CCC-owned

or CCC-loaned cotton. 15 U.S.C. 714

note. The information collected under

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) Number 0560–0010, as identified

above, allows CCC to effectively

maintain a list of approved warehouses

for the storage of cotton as covered by

7 CFR part 1427—Standards for

Approval of Warehouses for Cotton or

Cotton Linters.

The forms covered by this collection

are the Cotton Storage Agreement

(Storage Agreement) and supporting

documents that allows the warehouse

operator to demonstrate to CCC his

ability to meet the standards for

approval necessary for the CCC

contracting officer to enter into or

continue an existing storage agreement

with a warehouse operator. The Storage

Agreement is a contract for services

between CCC and the warehouse

operator and spells out the terms that

will prevail during the period that the

warehouse and CCC chose to conduct

business. During this period the

warehouse is listed on a CCC

maintained List of Approved

Warehouses and eligible producers may

obtain price support loans for cotton

stored at the warehouse. The forms are

furnished to interested warehouse

operators to secure and record

information regarding the agreement

and permits the warehouse operator to

submit the storage and handling rates to

be paid by CCC should CCC or eligible

producers use the warehouse for the

storage and handling of eligible cotton.

Estimate of Burden: The record

keeping requirements in this clearance

are normal business records and,

therefore, have no burden. Public

reporting burden for this information

collection is estimated to average 1.06

hours per response.

Respondents: Business or other forprofit.

Estimated Number of Responses: 400.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 54 / Thursday, March 20, 1997 / Notices 13363

Estimated Number of Responses per

Respondent: 3.265.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 1,395.

Comments are sought on these

requirements including: (a) whether the

continued collection of information is

necessary for the proper performance of

CCC contracting activities, including

whether the information will have

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of

CCC’s estimate of burden including the

validity of the methodology and

assumptions used; (c) enhancing the

quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected; (d)

minimizing the burden of the collection

of information on those who are to

respond, including using appropriate

automated, electronic, mechanical, or

other technological collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology. Comments should be sent to

the Desk Officer for Agriculture, Office

of Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Office of Management and Budget,

Washington, D.C. 20503 and to Mr.

Steven Closson, Chief, Storage Contract

Branch, Warehouse and Inventory

Division, Farm Service Agency, United

States Department of Agriculture, 1400

Independence Ave., SW, Washington

DC 20250–0553. Copies of the

information collection may be obtained

from Mr. Closson at the above address.

All responses to this notice will be

summarized and included in the request

for OMB approval. All comments will

also become a matter of public record.

Signed at Washington, DC on March 12,

1997.

Bruce R. Weber,

Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit

Corporation.

[FR Doc. 97–6786 Filed 3–19–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P

Forest Service

Commonality of the Chemistries

Involved in Moisture, Biological,

Ultraviolet, and Thermal Degradations

of Wood; Notice of Intent To Form a

Consortium

Program Description—Purpose. The

USDA, Forest Service, Forest Products

Laboratory (FPL) is seeking industrial

partners to form a Consortium dedicated

to understanding the commonality of

the chemistries involved in moisture,

biological, ultraviolet, and thermal

degradations of wood, and developing

basic approaches to protecting wood

from degradation without loss of other

basic properties, under the authority of

the Federal Technology Transfer Act of

1986 (15 U.S.C. 3710a).

An industrial partner may be a

Federal Agency, university, private

business, nonprofit organization,

research or engineering entity, or

combination of the above.

A summary of the current status of

preventing wood degradation is as

follows:

(a) Wood is a three-dimensional,

polymeric composite made up primarily

of cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin.

These polymers, along with extractives

and inorganics, and the matrix they are

in, make up the cell wall and are

responsible for the characteristics,

properties and performance of wood.

When considering wood as a long

term engineering material it must be

remembered that wood is a hygroscopic

resource that was designed to perform,

in nature, in a wet environment and that

nature is programmed to recycle wood

in a timely way through biological,

thermal, aqueous, photochemical,

chemical, and mechanical degradations.

There are four basic chemical

reactions involved in all the degradation

reactions of wood: Oxidation, hydrolsis,

reduction, and dehydration. Because of

the similarities in degradation

chemistry, all these degradation

reactions will be studied together.

Cell wall polymers are responsible for

the properties of wood. Wood changes

dimension with changing moisture

content because the cell wall polymers

contain hydroxyl and other oxygencontaining groups that attract moisture

through hydrogen bonding. The

hemicelluloses are mainly responsible

for moisture sorption, but the accessible

cellulose, noncrystalline cellulose,

lignin, and surface of crystalline

cellulose also play minor parts to major

roles. Moisture swells the cell wall and

the wood expands until the cell wall is

saturated with water (fiber saturation

point (FSP)). Beyond this saturation

point, moisture exists as free water in

the void structure and does not

contribute to further expansion. The

process is reversible and the wood

shrinks as it loses moisture below the

FSP.

Wood exposed to moisture frequently

is not a equilibrium and has wet areas

and drier areas. This exacerbates the

moisture problem resulting in

differential swelling followed by

cracking and/or compression set. Over

the long term, wood undergoes cyclic

swelling and shrinking as moisture

levels change resulting in more severe

moisture effects than those encountered

under steady moisture conditions.

Wood is degraded biologically

because organisms recognize the

carbohydrate polymers (mainly the

hemicelluloses) in the cell wall and

have both specific and non-specific

chemical and specific enzyme systems

capable of hydrolyzing these polymers

into digestible units. Biodegradation of

both the matrix and the high molecular

weight cellulose weakens the fiber cell

wall. Strength is lost as the matrix and

cellulose polymer undergo degradation

through oxidation, hydrolysis, and

dehydration reactions. As degradation

continues, removal of cell wall content

results in weight loss.

Wood exposed outdoors undergoes

photochemical degradation caused by

ultraviolet radiation. This degradation

takes place primarily in the lignin

component, which is responsible for the

characteristic color changes. The surface

becomes richer in cellulose content as

the lignin degrades. In comparison to

lignin, cellulose is much less

susceptible to ultraviolet radiation

degradation. After the lignin has been

degraded, the poorly bonded

carbohydrate-rich fibers erode easily

from the surface, which exposes new

lignin to further degradative reactions.

In time, the ‘‘weathering’’ process

causes the surface of the composite to

become rough and can account for a

significant loss in surface fibers.

Wood burns because the cell wall

polymers undergo pyrolysis reactions

with increasing temperature to give off

volatile, flammable gasses. The

hemicelluloses and cellulose polymers

are degraded by heat much before the

lignin. The lignin and carbohydrate

components contribute to char

formation, and the charred layer helps

insulate the composite from further

thermal degradation.

The idea of protecting wood in

adverse environments dates back to

early human history. Perhaps the

earliest reference is in the Old

Testament (Genesis 6:14) when God

instructed Noah to build an ark of

gopher wood (a naturally durable and

hard wood) and cover it inside and

outside with pitch (for both water

repellency and decay protection).

Ancient civilization in Burma, China,

Greece, and Italy used various animal,

vegetable and mineral oils, tars, pitches

or charring to preserve wood. Sometime

during the second half of the eighteenth

century, the science of wood

preservation started with a search for

toxic chemicals that could be used to

treat wood to stop decay. The time line

might include: mercuric chloride first

used in 1705, patented in 1832; copper

sulfate first introduced in 1767,

patented in 1839; zinc chloride first

used in 1815; creosote first used in

1836; copper, chromium and arsenic

salts introduced in the early 1900’s; and

pentachlorophenol first introduced in