27542 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 96 /Tuesday, May 19, 1998 / Proposed Rules

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

40 CFR Part 62

[GA–37–9811b; FRL–6003–9]

Approval and Promulgation of State

Plans for Designated Facilities and

Pollutants: Georgia

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: EPA proposes to approve the

Section 111(d) and 129 State Plan

submitted by the Georgia Department of

Natural Resources (DNR) for the State of

Georgia on November 13, 1997, for

implementing and enforcing the

Emissions Guidelines applicable to

existing Municipal Waste Combustors

with capacity to combust more than 250

tons per day of municipal solid waste.

The Plan was submitted by the Georgia

DNR to satisfy certain Federal Clean Air

Act requirements. In the Final Rules

Section of this Federal Register, EPA is

approving the Georgia State Plan

submittal as a direct final rule without

prior proposal because the Agency

views this as a noncontroversial

submittal and anticipates that it will not

receive any significant, material, and

adverse comments. A detailed rationale

for the approval is set forth in the direct

final rule and incorporated by reference

herein. If no significant, material, and

adverse comments are received in

response to this proposed rule, no

further activity is contemplated in

relation to this proposed rule. If EPA

receives adverse comments, the direct

final rule will be withdrawn and all

public comments received will be

addressed in a subsequent final rule

based on this proposed rule. EPA will

not institute a second comment period

on this action.

DATES: Comments on this proposed rule

must be received in writing by June 18,

1998.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should

be addressed to Scott Martin at the EPA

Region Office listed. Copies of the

documents relevant to this proposed

rule are available for public inspection

during normal business hours at the

following locations. The interested

persons wanting to examine these

documents should make an

appointment with the appropriate office

at least 24 hours before the day of the

visit.

Environmental Protection Agency,

Region 4, Air Planning Branch, 61

Forsyth Street, SW, Atlanta, Georgia

30303–3104.

Georgia Department of Natural

Resources, Air Protection Branch,

4244 International Parkway, Suite

120, Atlanta, Georgia 30354.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Scott Davis at (404) 562–9127 or Scott

Martin at (404) 562–9036.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: See the

information provided in the Direct Final

action which is located in the Rules

Section of this Federal Register.

Dated: March 16, 1998.

A. Stanley Meiburg,

Acting Regional Administrator, Region 4.

[FR Doc. 98–13118 Filed 5–18–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 54

[CC Docket No. 96–45; DA 98–872]

Proposed Revision of 1998 Collection

Amounts for Schools and Libraries

and Rural Health Care Universal

Service Support Mechanisms

AGENCY: Federal Communications

Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: The Common Carrier Bureau

seeks comment on the proposed

revision of 1998 collection amounts for

the schools and libraries and rural

health care universal service support

mechanisms.

DATES: Comments in response to this

proposed rule are due May 22, 1998.

ADDRESSES: One original and five copies

of all comments responsive to this

Public Notice must be sent to Magalie

Roman Salas, Secretary, Federal

Communications Commission, 1919 M

Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20554.

Three copies also should be sent to

Sheryl Todd, Accounting Policy

Division, Common Carrier Bureau, 2100

M Street, N.W., 8th Floor, Washington,

D.C. 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Irene Flannery, Accounting Policy

Division, Common Carrier Bureau, (202)

418–7383.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The final

rules providing for universal service

support for schools, libraries, and health

care providers appear in 47 CFR part 54,

subparts F and G, which were originally

published on June 17, 1997 (62 FR

32862) and amended in rules published

on January 3, 1998 (63 FR 2094) and

January 27, 1998 (63 FR 3830).

By the Common Carrier Bureau:

Consistent with section 254 of the

Communications Act, as amended, and

the recommendations of the FederalState Joint Board on Universal Service,

we remain committed to providing

support to eligible schools and libraries

for telecommunications services,

Internet access, and internal

connections. We also remain committed

to providing the greatest level of support

to the most economically disadvantaged

schools and libraries. At the same time,

however, we strive to ensure a smooth

transition to the new universal service

support mechanisms and to minimize

disruption to consumers. We seek to

provide support to schools, libraries,

and rural health care providers in a

manner that does not require

consumers’ rates to rise, and without

causing rate churn. We thus seek

comment on a proposal to implement a

gradual phase-in of the schools,

libraries, and rural health care universal

service support mechanisms that takes

advantage, and reflects the timing, of

access charge reductions, will provide

substantial support and at the same time

will minimize disruption to consumers.

As of May 1, 1998, SLC projected that

$2.02 billion in discounts have been

requested by applicants who have filed

through April 28, 1998. RHCC projected

that the rural health care support

mechanism will require $25 million for

the third quarter. Although the local

exchange carriers will not file their

access tariffs until June 16, 1998, based

on preliminary information provided by

the local exchange carriers, we estimate

that the July 1, 1998 access charge

reductions will be approximately $700

million below current levels. Given

projected access charge reductions, we

estimate that the quarterly collection

rate for schools and libraries could rise

from $325 million (the second quarter

collection rate) to approximately $524

million (We reach this result in the

following manner: Long distance

carriers pay direct contributions to

universal service and, through interstate

access charges, indirectly pay for most

of the local exchange carrier

contributions. Directly and indirectly,

long distance carriers are responsible for

approximately 82.5 percent of schools

and libraries and rural health care

contributions. Multiplying $700 million

by 1/.825 yields $848 million. We

divide $848 million by 4 to find the

incremental amount available for each

quarter, which is $212 million. We then

add $212 million to the average

quarterly collection rate for the first half

of 1998, $312 million (the average of

$300 and 325 million). Accordingly,

access charge reductions of $700 million

yield $524 million as a quarterly

collection rate for the third and fourth