Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 112 /Thursday, June 11, 1998 / Notices 32035

11 17 CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).

Industry member of the NAC who

would not be subject to the regional

nominating requirements in Article VI

of the NASD Regulation By-Laws. All

six Industry members, along with six

Non-Industry members, would be

nominated by the National Nominating

Committee and appointed by the NASD

Regulation Board.

NASD Regulation proposes to make

the rule change effective upon approval

from the Commission.

2. Statutory Basis

NASD Regulation believes that the

proposed rule change is consistent with

the provisions of Section 15A(b)(6) of

the Act, which requires, among other

things, that the Association’s rules must

be designed to prevent fraudulent and

manipulative acts and practices, to

promote just and equitable principles of

trade, and, in general, to protect

investors and the public interest. The

NASD believes that the proposed rule

change will provide greater flexibility to

the National Nominating Committee and

the NASD Regulation Board in selecting

the most highly qualified candidates for

the National Adjudicatory Council,

which serves an important role in

reviewing disciplinary, membership,

and other matters for NASD Regulation.

B. Self-Regulatory Organization’s

Statement on Burden on Competition

NASD Regulation does not believe the

proposed rule change would result in

any burden on competition that is not

necessary or appropriate in furtherance

of the purposes of the act, as amended.

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.

III. Date of Effectiveness of the

Proposed Rule Change and Timing for

Commission Action

Withing 35 days of the date of

publication of this notice in the Federal

Register or within such longer period (i)

as the Commission may designate up to

90 days of such date if it finds such

longer period to be appropriate and

publishes its reasons for so finding or

(ii) as to which the self-regulatory

organization consents, the Commission

will:

A. By order approve such proposed

rule change, or

B. Institute proceedings to determine

whether the proposed rule change

should be disapproved.

IV. Solicitation of Comments

Interested persons are invited to

submit written data, views, and

arguments concerning the foregoing,

including whether the proposed rule

change is consistent with the Act.

Persons making written submissions

should file six copies thereof with the

Secretary, Securities and Exchange

Commission, 450 Fifth Street, NW,

Washington, DC 20549. Copies of the

submission, all subsequent

amendments, all written statements

with respect to the propose 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. Copies of such filing will also be

available for inspection and copying at

the principal office of NASD Regulation.

All submissions should refer to file

number SR–NASD–98–36 and should be

submitted by July 2, 1998.

For the Commission, by the Division of

Market Regulation, pursuant to delegated

authority.11

Margaret H. McFarland,

Deputy Secretary.

[FR Doc. 98–15505 Filed 6–10–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8010–01–M

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

Statement of Organization, Functions

and Delegations of Authority

This statement amends Part S of the

Statement of the Organization,

Functions and Delegations of Authority

which covers the Social Security

Administration (SSA). Chapter S1

covers the Office of the Deputy

Commissioner, Finance, Assessment

and Management. Notice is given that

Subchapter S1K, the Office of Program

and Integrity Reviews (OPIR) is being

retitled to the Office of Quality

Assurance and Performance Assessment

(OQAPA) and being amended to reflect

minor organizational changes. The

changes are as follows:

Section S1.10 The Office of the

Deputy Commissioner, Finance,

Assessment and Management—

(Organization):

Retitle:

D. ‘‘The Office of Program and

Integrity Reviews’’ (S1K) to ‘‘The Office

of Quality Assurance and Performance

Assessment’’ (S1K).

Section S1.20 The Office of the

Deputy Commissioner, Finance,

Assessment and Management—

(Functions):

Retitle:

D. ‘‘The Office of Program and

Integrity Reviews’’ (S1K) to ‘‘The Office

of Quality Assurance and Performance

Assessment’’ (S1K).

Retitle: Existing Subchapter S1K,

‘‘The Office of Program and Integrity

Reviews’’ (S1K) to ‘‘The Office of

Quality Assurance and Performance

Assessment’’ (S1K).

Change all references to ‘‘The Office

of Program and Integrity Reviews’’ (S1K)

to ‘‘The Office of Quality Assurance and

Performance Assessment’’ (S1K) and all

references to ‘‘OPIR’’ to ‘‘OQAPA’’

throughout Chapter S1 and all its

Subchapters.

Section S1K.00 The Office of Quality

Assurance and Performance

Assessment—(Mission):

Delete the last sentence.

Section S1K.10 The Office of Quality

Assurance and Performance

Assessment—(Organization):

C. The Immediate Office of the

Associate Commissioner for Quality

Assurance and Performance Assessment

(S1K).

Retitle:

1. ‘‘The Administration, Matching and

Data Management Staff’’ (S1K–3) to

‘‘The Data Management Staff’’ (S1K–3).

Retitle:

F. ‘‘The Office of Regional Program

and Integrity Reviews’’ (S1K–F1—S1K–

FX) to ‘‘The Office of Regional Quality

Assurance and Performance

Assessment’’ (S1K–F1—S1K–FX).

Section S1K.20 The Office of Quality

Assurance and Performance

Assessment—(Functions):

C. The Immediate Office of the

Associate Commissioner for Quality

Assurance and Performance Assessment

(S1K).

Retitle:

1. ‘‘The Administration, Matching and

Data Management Staff’’ (S1K–3) to

‘‘The Data Management Staff’’ (S1K–3).

Amend to read as follows:

1. The Data Management Staff

supports OPIR components, including

the Office of Regional Quality

Assurance and Performance Assessment

(ORQAPA), by planning, developing,

maintaining and improving OQAPA’s

communications and data processing

systems and the quality review data

bases for SSA programs.

Retitle:

F. ‘‘The Office of Regional Program

and Integrity Reviews’’ (S1K–F1—S1K–

FX) to ‘‘The Office of Regional Quality

Assurance and Performance

Assessment’’ (S1K–F1—S1K–FX).
32036 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 112 /Thursday, June 11, 1998 / Notices

Change all references to ‘‘The Office

of Regional Program and Integrity

Reviews’’ to ‘‘The Office of Regional

Quality Assurance and Performance

Assessment’’ and all references to

‘‘ORPIR’’ to ‘‘ORQAPA’’ throughout

Subchapter S1K.

Dated: May 13, 1998.

Paul D. Barnes,

Deputy Commissioner for Human Resources.

[FR Doc. 98–15552 Filed 6–10–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4190–29–P

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Office of International Energy Policy

[Public Notice 2832]

Notice of Receipt of Application for a

Permit for Pipeline Facilities To Be

Constructed and Maintained on the

Borders of the United States

AGENCY: Office of International Energy

Policy, Department of State.

The Department of State has received

an application from Boise Cascade

Corporation, a Delaware corporation, for

a Presidential Permit, pursuant to

Executive Order 11423 of August 16,

1968, as amended by Executive Order

12847 of May 17, 1993, seeking

authorization for the continued

operation and maintenance of four

existing pipelines at the International

Dam at International Falls, Minnesota

on the U.S.-Canada border. The dam

extends across the border between

International Falls and Fort Frances,

Ontario.

The pipelines were constructed in the

1915–40 period and have been in use

since that time. The pipelines traverse

the International Dam for a distance of

approximately 1030 feet and convey

water, steam, and filler material

between the applicant’s paper mill and

a pulp and paper mill located in Fort

Frances, Ontario. There will be no

construction and no changes in the

present use of the pipelines.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to

submit, in duplicate, comments relative

to this proposal on or before July 13,

1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Daniel L. Martinez, Office of

International Energy Policy, Department

of State, Washington, DC 20520. Tel:

(202) 647–4557.

Dated: May 28, 1998.

William A. Weingarten,

Director, Office of International Energy and

Commodities Policy.

[FR Doc. 98–15538 Filed 6–10–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710–07–M

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES

TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

Implementation of the Second Round

of Accelerated Tariff Eliminations

Under Provisions of the North

American Free Trade Agreement

AGENCY: Office of the United States

Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notification of articles proposed

for accelerated tariff elimination under

the North American Free Trade

Agreement.

SUMMARY: Section 201(b) of the North

American Free Trade Agreement

Implementation Act of 1993 (‘‘the Act’’)

grants the President, subject to the

consultation and lay-over requirements

of section 103(a) of the Act, the

authority to proclaim any accelerated

schedule for duty elimination that may

be agreed to by the United States,

Mexico and Canada under Article 302(3)

of the North American Free Trade

Agreement (‘‘the NAFTA’’). This notice

is intended to inform the public of those

articles on which the United States has

provisionally agreed to accelerate the

elimination of duties as a result of the

second round of talks.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs,

Office of the United States Trade

Representative, Room 522, 600 17th

Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508;

telephone: (202) 395–3412; fax: (202)

395–9517. The list of products for

which the United States will accelerate

tariff elimination, as well as the lists for

Mexico and Canada and can be obtained

from the USTR Internet Web Page, at

www.ustr.gov under ‘‘Reports.’’.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Two

Federal Register notices provide

information on the second round. A

notice soliciting petitions appeared May

12, 1997 (62 FR 25992) and a request for

comments on the list of products to be

considered appeared October 21, 1997,

(62 FR 54671).

Article 302 of the NAFTA provides

that the Parties may consider and agree

to accelerate the elimination of customs

duties on goods of a Party. Pursuant to

this provision, the United States,

Canada and Mexico solicited requests

from interested parties in May 1997. As

a result, approximately 1,500 8-digit

tariff subheadings were considered by

the three Parties. For trade between the

United States and Canada, all duties

subject to tariff reductions were

eliminated on January 1, 1998.

Therefore, this acceleration round

resulted in two parallel agreements, one

between the United States and Mexico

and another between Mexico and

Canada.

Section 201 of the Act authorizes the

President to proclaim such

modifications in NAFTA duty treatment

as the President determines to be

necessary or appropriate to maintain the

general level of reciprocal and mutually

advantageous concessions provided in

the NAFTA, subject to the consultation

and layover requirements of section 103

of the Act. Pursuant to section 103, on

May 29, 1998, a report was submitted to

the House Ways and Means and Senate

Finance Committees that sets forth the

proposed action to be proclaimed, the

reasons therefore, and the advice

obtained from the International Trade

Commission and appropriate advisory

committees. After expiration of the 60-

day consultation and layover period, the

President may proclaim the proposed

changes in NAFTA duty treatment.

As a part of the process, USTR

requested the advice of the United

States International Trade Commission

(USITC) and consulted with private

sector trade advisory groups. As was the

practice under the first NAFTA tariff

acceleration and the three rounds

conducted under the provisions of the

United States-Canada Free Trade

Agreement, the United States did not

agree to provide accelerated tariff

elimination for those products subject to

negative advice. In a similar manner, the

governments of Canada and Mexico

declined to agree to acceleration for

products subject to negative comments

by their interested parties.

The Parties agreed to accelerated tariff

elimination on the remaining products,

involving all or parts of approximately

600 8-digit tariff lines for which one or

more of the Parties have provisionally

agreed to eliminate duties at the

conclusion of the necessary domestic

procedures.

As noted above, the relevant private

sector advisory committees were

consulted throughout this process, and

have expressed no objection to

eliminating tariffs for the products

appearing in the Annex. In addition, the

USITC provided a report to USTR

indicating that the proposed

eliminations would have no harmful

impact on the United States.

The attached list shows the tariff

subheadings for which the United States

proposes to eliminate the remaining

tariffs on imports of NAFTA-qualifying

goods from Mexico, effective August 1,

1998.

Regarding future tariff acceleration

activity, trilateral work to date has

brought about a positive process of

consultations and communication

among the private sectors of the NAFTA