13426 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 54 / Thursday, March 20, 1997 / Notices

3 15 U.S.C. 78q–1.

4 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(iii).

5 17 CFR 240.19b–4(e)(4). 6 17 CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).

the participants OTC trade file and

transmitted to NSCC. Second, the

submitting participant may forward

OTC corrections to SCCP via electronic

transmission. The corrections are then

appended to the participants OTC trade

file and transmitted electronically to

NSCC. SCCP now proposes to afford its

participants the ability to forward OTC

corrections to SCCP through the

participant’s Philanet terminal. Philanet

access provides participants with the

ability to enter and modify OTC

corrections through an on-line

application.

SCCP believes that the proposed rule

change is consistent with the

requirements of Section 17A of the Act 3

and the rules and regulations

thereunder because it promotes the

prompt and accurate clearance and

settlement of securities transactions.

(B) Self-Regulatory Organization’s

Statement on Burden on Competition

This modification will not impose a

burden on competition not

contemplated under the Act.

(C) Self-Regulatory Organization’s

Statement on Comments on the

Proposed Rule Change Received From

Members, Participants or Others

Written comments were neither

solicited nor received with respect to

the proposed rule change.

III. Date of Effectiveness of the

Proposed Rule Change and Timing for

Commission Action

The foregoing rule change has become

effective pursuant to Section

19(b)(3)(A)(iii) 4 of the Act and pursuant

to Rule 19b–4(e)(4) 5 promulgated

thereunder because the proposal effects

a change in an existing service that (1)

does not adversely affect the

safeguarding of securities or funds in

the custody or control of the clearing

agency or for which it is responsible and

(2) does not significantly affect the

respective rights or obligations of the

clearing agency or persons using the

service. At any time within sixty days

of the filing of such rule change, the

Commission may summarily abrogate

such rule change if it appears to the

Commission that such action is

necessary or appropriate in the public

interest, for the protection of investors,

or otherwise in furtherance of the

purposes of the Act.

IV. Solicitation of Comments

Interested persons are invited to

submit written data, views, and

arguments concerning the foregoing.

Persons making written submissions

should file six copies thereof with the

Secretary, Securities and Exchange

Commission, 450 Fifth Street, N.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of the

submission, all subsequent

amendments, all written statements

with respect to the proposed rule

change that are filed with the

Commission, and all written

communications relating to the

proposed rule change between the

Commission and any person, other than

those that may be withheld from the

public in accordance with the

provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be

available for inspection and copying in

the Commission’s Public Reference

Room, 450 Fifth Street, N.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of such

filing also will be available for

inspection and copying at the principal

office of SCCP. All submissions should

refer to File No. SR–SCCP–97–01 and

should be submitted by April 10, 1997.

For the Commission by the Division of

Market Regulation, pursuant to delegated

authority.6

Jonathan G. Katz,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–7047 Filed 3–19–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8010–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Office of the Secretary

[Public Notice 2523]

Extension of the Restriction on the Use

of United States Passports for Travel

To, In, or Through Iraq

On February 1, 1991, pursuant to the

authority of 22 U.S.C. 211a and

Executive Order 11295 (31 FR 10603),

and in accordance with 22 CFR 51.73

(a)(2) and (a)(3), all United States

passports, with certain exceptions, were

declared invalid for travel to, in, or

through Iraq unless specifically

validated for such travel. The restriction

was originally imposed because armed

hostilities then were taking place in Iraq

and Kuwait, and because there was an

imminent danger to the safety of United

States travelers to Iraq. American

citizens then residing in Iraq and

American professional reporters and

journalists on assignment there were

exempted from the restrictions on the

ground that such exemptions were in

the national interest. The restriction has

been extended for additional one-year

periods since then, and was last

extended on March 15, 1996.

Although armed hostilities have

ended, conditions in Iraq remain

unsettled and hazardous. Regional

conflicts continue in northern Iraq

between Kurdish ethnic groups and

Iraqi security forces. In southern Iraq,

military repression of the Shia

communities is severe, rendering

conditions unsafe. Iraq’s economy was

severely damaged during the Gulf War

and continues to be affected by the U.N.

economic sanctions. Basic modern

medical care and medicines may not be

available to our citizens in case of

emergency. U.S. citizens and other

foreigners working inside Kuwait near

the Iraqi borders have been detained by

Iraqi authorities in the past and

sentenced to lengthy jail terms for

illegal entry into the country. Although

our interests are represented by the

Embassy of Poland in Baghdad, its

ability to obtain consular access to

detained U.S. citizens and to perform

emergency services is constrained by

Iraqi unwillingness to cooperate. In light

of these circumstances, I have

determined that Iraq continues to be a

country ‘‘where there is imminent

danger to the public health or physical

safety of United States travelers’’.

Accordingly, United States passports

shall continue to be invalid for use in

travel to, in, or through Iraq unless

specifically validated for such travel

under the authority of the Secretary of

State. The restriction shall not apply to

American citizens residing in Iraq on

February 1, 1991 who continue to reside

there, or the American professional

reporters or journalists on assignment

there.

The Public Notice shall be effective

upon publication in the Federal

Register and shall expire at the end of

one year unless sooner extended or

revoked by Public Notice.

Dated: March 17, 1997.

Madeleine K. Albright,

Secretary of State.

[FR Doc. 97–7276 Filed 3–18–97; 3:46 pm]

BILLING CODE 4710–10–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

Environmental Impact Statement:

Yamhill County, OR

AGENCY: Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 54 / Thursday, March 20, 1997 / Notices 13427

SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this

notice to all concerned that an

environmental impact statement will be

prepared for a proposed transportation

improvement project in the NewbergDundee area in Yamhill County,

Oregon.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Elton Chang, Environmental Engineer,

Federal Highway Administration, 530

Center Street NE., Suite 100, Salem,

Oregon, 97301, Telephone: (503) 399–

5749, Fax: (503) 399–5838, or Dick

Upton, Economic Partnerships Unit,

Oregon Department of Transportation,

2950 State Street, Room 120, Salem,

Oregon, 97310, Telephone: (503) 986–

5816, Fax: (503) 986–5813.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

FHWA, in cooperation with the Oregon

Department of Transportation, will

prepare an Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) on a set of multi-modal

solutions to transportation problems

identified on the Pacific Highway West

(Highway 99W) through Newberg and

Dundee area, in Yamhill County,

Oregon. The proposed alternatives will

be solutions to the increasing travel

demands in and through the NewbergDundee area which exceeds the capacity

of the existing transportation system.

Specifically, weekday as well as

weekend travel demands exceed

available capacity, the highway’s

physical features constrain traffic, and

few transit options are available within

the corridor. Several user groups

compete for limited capacity, including

commuters, freight, local trips, and

tourist/recreation trips between the

Portland Metropolitan Area and the

Oregon Coast. Traffic congestion is

expected to worsen in the future on

Highway 99W as Yamhill County’s

population and tourist activity increase.

Continued traffic congestion will

inconvenience travelers; divert trips to

alternative routes through the

communities; impede freight movement;

alter commuting patterns; reduce the

ability of some local businesses to

attract and serve customers; and

adversely affect pedestrian, bicycle, and

vehicular access and safety.

As a first step in the environmental

review process, a corridor-level

alternatives analysis will be conducted.

Alternatives currently being studied are

multimodal, and it is expected that the

preferred alternative will be a

combination of a number of modes with

other measures to address the

transportation problem. Alternatives

being considered in the NEPA process

include the base conditions (no action

alternative), transportation system

management, capacity improvements to

Highway 99W (including widening the

existing route), a bypass north of

Highway 99W from east of Newberg to

south of Dundee, a bypass south of

Highway 99W from east of Newberg to

the Highway 99W/Highway 18

intersection, a bypass from the Highway

99W/Highway 18 intersection to

Interstate 5, commuter train service

between McMinnville and the Portland

Metropolitan Area on improved

trackage, and light rail transit service

between McMinnville and the Portland

Metropolitan Area on new trackage. All

alternatives will include planned

projects and those likely to occur by

2020. All except the base condition

alternative will include transportation

system management, demand

management and land use elements. All

of the highway alternatives will also

include express bus elements. Bypass

alternatives will include consideration

of tolls as a funding source.

These multi-modal alternatives will

be screened by considering their relative

ability to meet travel needs, human

health and safety, environmental

quality, community economics, socio/

cultural quality, project cost and

implementability objectives. The

alternatives that best meet these

objectives will be refined and screened

again. The preferred multi-modal

alternative(s) resulting from this process

and the base conditions alternative will

be examined in detail in an EIS.

Preparation of the DEIS is expected to

begin early in 1998.

Newsletters describing alternatives

analysis activities and soliciting

comments will be sent to appropriate

Federal, State, local agencies, private

organizations and individuals who have

expressed or are known to have an

interest in this improvement project. A

Project Oversight Steering Team (POST),

comprised of elected officials and

transportation agency representatives,

will direct project work and make

recommendations to the Oregon

Transportation Commission and

affected local jurisdictions. A Project

Advisory Committee, comprised of

representatives of a broad range of

stakeholder interests, will make

recommendations to the POST. An

Agency Advisory Committee, comprised

of representatives of Federal and State

resource agencies, will meet

periodically to provide information on

key decision points. Several public

workshops will be held in the project

area during the process to solicit

information on issues that should be

addressed, evaluation criteria that

should be used, and alternatives that

should be evaluated as well as to

present results of the alternatives

evaluation and to solicit opinions on the

preferred alternative. Public notice will

be given of the times and locations of

the meetings. These outreach activities,

taken together, will function as part of

the scoping process for the project. A

formal scoping meeting is expected to

be scheduled for the summer of 1997.

To ensure that the full range of issues

related to this proposed action are

addressed and all significant issues are

identified, comments, and suggestions

are invited from all interested parties.

Comments and questions concerning

this proposed action and the EIS should

be directed to the FHWA at the address

provided.

(Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Number 20.205, Highway Research,

Planning and Construction. The regulations

implementing Executive Order 12372

regarding intergovernmental consultation of

federal programs and activities apply to this

program)

Issued on: March 12, 1997.

Elton Chang,

Environmental Engineer, Federal Highway

Administration, Salem, Oregon.

[FR Doc. 97–7080 Filed 3–19–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Internal Revenue Service

Proposed Collection; Comment

Request for Revenue Procedure 97–22

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

Revenue Procedure 97–22, 26 CFR

601.105 Examination of returns and

claims for refund, credits or abatement;

determination of correct tax liability.

DATES: Written comments should be

received on or before May 19, 1997 to

be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments

to Garrick R. Shear, Internal Revenue

Service, room 5571, 1111 Constitution

Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20224.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or