Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 15 / Friday, January 23, 1998 / Proposed Rules 3531

parts 51–8, 51–9, and 51–10

respectively.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

I certify that this proposed revision of

the Committee regulations will not have

a significant economic impact on a

substantial number of small entities

because the revision clarifies program

policies and does not essentially change

the impact of the regulations on small

entities.

Paperwork Reduction Act

The Paperwork Reduction Act does

not apply to this proposed rule because

it contains no new information

collection or recordkeeping

requirements as defined in that Act and

its regulations.

Executive Order No. 12866

The Committee has been exempted

from the regulatory review requirements

of the Executive Order by the Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs.

Additionally, the proposed rule is not a

significant regulatory action as defined

in the Executive Order.

List of Subjects

41 CFR Parts 51–5 and 51–6

Government procurement, Individuals

with disabilities.

41 CFR Part 51–8

Freedom of information.

41 CFR Part 51–9

Privacy.

41 CFR Part 51–10

Administrative practice and

procedure, Civil rights, Equal

employment opportunity, Federal

buildings and facilities, Individuals

with disabilities.

For the reasons set out in the

preamble, parts 51–5, 51–6, 51–8, 51–9

and 51–10 of Title 41, Chapter 51 of the

Code of Federal Regulations are

proposed to be amended as follows:

1. The authority citation for parts 51–

5 and 51–6 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 41 U.S.C. 46–48c.

PART 51–5—CONTRACTING

REQUIREMENTS

2. Add new paragraph (e) to § 51–5.2

to read as follows:

§ 51–5.2 Mandatory source requirement.

* * * * *

(e) Contracting activities procuring

services which have included within

them services on the Procurement List

shall require their contractors for the

larger service requirement to procure

the included Procurement List services

from nonprofit agencies designated by

the Committee.

3. Revise the first sentence of

paragraph (b) of § 51–5.3 to read as

follows:

§ 51–5.3 Scope of requirement.

* * * * *

(b) For services, where an agency and

location or geographic area are listed on

the Procurement List, only the service

for the location or geographic area listed

must be procured from the nonprofit

agency, except as provided in § 51–6.14

of this chapter. * * *

* * * * *

PART 51–6—PROCUREMENT

PROCEDURES

4. Redesignate § 51–6.14 as § 51–6.15.

5. Add new § 51–6.14 to read as

follows:

§ 51–6.14 Replacement services.

If a service is on the Procurement List

to meet the needs of a Government

entity at a specific location and the

entity moves to another location, the

service at the new location is

automatically considered to be on the

Procurement List if a qualified nonprofit

agency is available to provide the

service at the new location, unless the

service at that location is already being

provided by another contractor. If the

service at the new location is being

provided by another contractor, the

service will not be on the Procurement

List unless the Committee adds it as

prescribed in part 51–2 of this chapter.

If another Government entity moves into

the old location, the service at that

location will remain on the Procurement

List to meet the needs of the new

Government entity.

PART 51–8—PUBLIC AVAILABILITY

OF AGENCY MATERIALS

6. The authority citation for Part 51–

8 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552.

§§ 51–8.4 and 51–8.5 [Amended]

7. Remove the words ‘‘Crystal Square

3, Suite 403, 1735 Jefferson Davis

Highway, Arlington, Virginia 22202–

3461’’ and add, in their place, the words

‘‘Crystal Gateway 3, Suite 310, 1215

Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington,

Virginia 22202–4302’’ in the following

places:

a. Section 51–8.4; and

b. Section 51–8.5(a).

PART 51–9—PRIVACY ACT RULES

8. The authority citation for Part 51–

9 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552a.

§§ 51–9.401 and 51–9.405 [Amended]

Remove the words ‘‘Crystal Square 3,

Suite 403, 1735 Jefferson Davis

Highway, Arlington, Virginia 22202–

3461’’ and add, in their place, the words

‘‘Crystal Gateway 3, Suite 310, 1215

Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington,

Virginia 22202–4302’’ in the following

places:

a. Section 51–9.401(a); and

b. Section 51–9.405(a).

PART 51–10—ENFORCEMENT OF

NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS

OF HANDICAP IN PROGRAMS OR

ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED BY THE

COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM

PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR

SEVERELY DISABLED

10. The authority citation for part 51–

10 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 29 U.S.C. 794.

§ 51–10.170 [Amended]

11. In § 51–10.170, remove the words

‘‘Crystal Square 3, Suite 403, 1735

Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington,

Virginia 22202–3461’’ and add, in their

place, the words ‘‘Crystal Gateway 3,

Suite 310, 1215 Jefferson Davis

Highway, Arlington, Virginia 22202–

4302’’ in paragraph (c).

Dated: January 20, 1998.

Beverly L. Milkman,

Executive Director.

[FR Doc. 98–1625 Filed 1–22–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6353–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

43 CFR Part 2360

RIN 1004–AC79

[WO–130–1820–00 24 1A]

National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; withdrawal.

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land

Management (BLM) is withdrawing a

rule that proposed removing sections of

43 CFR part 2360. The proposal was

published in the Federal Register on

October 23, 1996, and would have

removed all of part 2360 except for

provisions dealing with use

authorizations. BLM had proposed to

remove the regulations because we

thought they were repetitive of statutory

language or obsolete.
3532 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 15 / Friday, January 23, 1998 / Proposed Rules

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Frank Bruno, Regulatory Affairs Group

(WO–630), Bureau of Land

Management, Mail Stop 401LS, 1849

‘‘C’’ Street, N.W., Washington, DC

20240; telephone (202) 452–0352

(Commercial or FTS).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BLM

published the proposed rule on October

23, 1996, at 61 FR 54977–54978. The

comment period closed on November

22, 1996, and we received only one

public comment letter. Because of the

National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska

Environmental Impact Statement

planning project that is currently

underway, BLM decided to withdraw

the proposed rule, and will take no

further action on the proposal.

Dated: January 15, 1998.

Sylvia V. Baca,

Deputy Assistant Secretary, Land and

Minerals Management

[FR Doc. 98–1597 Filed 1–22–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–84–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[Docket No. 980113013–8013–01; I.D.

122397I]

RIN 0648–AK56

Fisheries Off West Coast States and in

the Western Pacific; Western Pacific

Pelagic Fisheries; Control Date

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Advance notice of proposed

rulemaking; consideration of a control

date.

SUMMARY: This notice announces that

persons who, after November 13, 1997,

enter the pelagic longline fishery in

American Samoa will not necessarily be

assured of eligibility for continuing

participation in the fishery if, in the

future, the Western Pacific Fishery

Management Council (Council) prepares

and NMFS approves a program limiting

entry or effort. This notice also

announces that vessels greater than 50

ft (15.2 m) in length that are registered

for use with Federal general longline

permits after November 13, 1997, would

not be assured of being allowed to use

longline gear to fish for pelagic

management unit species within 100

nautical miles (nm) from the coast lines

of American Samoa. This notice does

not commit the Council to limit effort,

nor does it prevent any other date from

being selected for eligibility to

participate in the fishery. The Council

also may use other criteria to limit

fishing effort associated with the

proposed area closure around American

Samoa.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by

February 23, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments to the

Western Pacific Fishery Management

Council, 1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1400,

Honolulu, HI 92813.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.

Kitty Simonds, Executive Director,

Western Pacific Fishery Management

Council, (909) 522–8220, or Mr. Alvin

Katekaru, Fishery Management

Specialist, Pacific Islands Area Office,

NMFS (808) 973–2985.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

pelagic fishery in American Samoa is

undergoing rapid change. Prior to 1995

it was largely a troll-based fishery. In

late 1995 four vessels known locally as

‘‘alia’’ catamarans (about 30 ft (9.1 m)

long powered by small gas outboard

engines) began to fish for albacore using

monofilament longline gear. During

1995, this artisanal-scale fishing

operation landed 54,902 lb (24.903

metric tons (mt)) of albacore, a 97–

percent increase in landings over the

previous year. In 1996, 13 alias

participated in the fishery and landed

232,721 lb (105.56 mt) of albacore. The

number of longline vessels registered for

the fishery increased to 32 in 1997,

including four vessels ranging in length

from 65 to 109 ft (19.8 to 33.2 m). In

1996, a total of 99,990 hooks were set

in the fishery. By the third quarter of

1997, a total of 175,081 hooks had been

set in the fishery.

In June 1997, fishermen in American

Samoa formed a small boat working

group to discuss possible management

approaches to prevent destabilization

and overcapitalization in the fishery. At

the 94th meeting held in November

1997, after consulting with the group,

Council members from American Samoa

presented the Council with two

recommendations: (1) Establish a

‘‘control date’’ (potential cut-off date)

for permit eligibility if the Council

decides to develop a limited entry

program and (2) prepare a regulatory

amendment under the framework

process of the Fishery Management Plan

for Pelagic Species Fisheries in the

Western Pacific Region to establish a

100–nm area around American Samoa

closed to longline fishing by vessels

longer than 50 ft (15.2 m) that were not

already in the fishery. Vessels greater

than 50 ft (15.2 m) in length registered

with a general longline permit after the

control date would not be allowed to

continue to fish within the closed area.

The Council approved the establishment

of a control date (November 13, 1997)

for a limited entry program and directed

staff to prepare a regulatory amendment

to establish a 100–nm area closed to

longline fishing.

This decision by the Council rescinds

the earlier control date for this fishery

of January 1, 1991, published in the

Federal Register on March 28, 1991 (56

FR 1289).

The Council believes that there is a

risk of speculative entry into the fishery

while the Council further evaluates the

potential benefits and costs of limited

entry alternatives and the proposed

regulatory amendment for area closure,

including enforcement concerns. The

control date is designed to discourage

speculative entry during this period of

analysis. The control date does not

commit the Council or NMFS to any

particular management regime or

criteria for entry into the American

Samoa longline fishery. Fishermen are

not guaranteed future participation in

this fishery, regardless of their entry

date or level of participation before or

after the control date. The Council may

choose a different control date or it may

choose a management regime that does

not involve a control date. Other

criteria, such as documentation of

commercial landings and sales, may be

used to determine eligibility for

participation in the fishery. At its 95th

meeting in April 1998, the Council may

also consider prohibiting other U.S.

pelagic non-longline fishing vessels

(purse-seiners, trollers, and pole-andline bait boats) greater than 50 ft (15.2

m) from fishing within 100–nm of the

land masses of American Samoa. The

Council also may choose to take no

further action to control entry or access

to the fishery or to establish a closed

longline fishing area.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

Dated: January 14, 1998.

Rolland A. Schmitten,

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98–1546 Filed 1–22–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F