Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 122 /Thursday, June 25, 1998 / Proposed Rules 34623

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: The Commission requests

comments on a petition filed by Metro

Broadcasters-Texas, Inc. seeking the

allotment of Channel 279C1 to Questa,

NM, as the community’s first local aural

service. Channel 279C1 can be allotted

to Questa in compliance with the

Commission’s minimum distance

separation requirements with a site

restriction of 5.8 kilometers (3.6 miles)

southeast, at coordinates 36–40–33 NL;

105–32–27 WL, to avoid a short-spacing

to both the allotment reference

coordinates and the transmitter site

specified in the pending application of

Idaho Broadcasting Consortium, Inc.

(BPH–971126MD), for Channel 279C2 at

Silverton, Colorado.

DATES: Comments must be filed on or

before August 3, 1998, and reply

comments on or before August 18, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Federal Communications

Commission, Washington, DC 20554. In

addition to filing comments with the

FCC, interested parties should serve the

petitioner, or its counsel or consultant,

as follows: Andrew S. Kersting,

Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth, P.L.C., 1300

North 17th Street, 11th Floor, Arlington,

VA 22209–3801 (Counsel to petitioner).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Leslie K. Shapiro, Mass Media Bureau,

(202) 418–2180.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a

synopsis of the Commission’s Notice of

Proposed Rule Making, MM Docket No.

98–83, adopted May 27, 1998, and

released June 12, 1998. The full text of

this Commission decision is available

for inspection and copying during

normal business hours in the FCC

Reference Center (Room 239), 1919 M

Street, NW., Washington, DC. The

complete text of this decision may also

be purchased from the Commission’s

copy contractor, International

Transcription Services, Inc., (202) 857–

3800, 1231 20th Street, NW,

Washington, DC 20036.

Provisions of the Regulatory

Flexibility Act of 1980 do not apply to

this proceeding.

Members of the public should note

that from the time a Notice of Proposed

Rule Making is issued until the matter

is no longer subject to Commission

consideration or court review, all ex

parte contacts are prohibited in

Commission proceedings, such as this

one, which involve channel allotments.

See 47 CFR 1.1204(b) for rules

governing permissible ex parte contacts.

For information regarding proper

filing procedures for comments, see 47

CFR 1.415 and 1.420.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73

Radio broadcasting.

Federal Communications Commission.

John A. Karousos,

Chief, Allocations Branch, Policy and Rules

Division, Mass Media Bureau.

[FR Doc. 98–16915 Filed 6–24–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration

49 CFR Part 567

[Docket No. NHTSA–98–3902]

RIN 2127–AG65

Vehicle Certification; Contents of

Certification Labels for Multipurpose

Passenger Vehicles and Light Duty

Trucks

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA),

Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking

(NPRM).

SUMMARY: This notice proposes to

amend NHTSA’s regulations on vehicle

certification that specify the contents of

the certification labels that

manufacturers are required to affix to

new motor vehicles. The amendment

would require the certification label for

multipurpose passenger vehicles

(MPVs) and trucks with a gross vehicle

weight rating (GVWR) of 6,000 pounds

or less to specify that the vehicle

complies with all applicable Federal

motor vehicle safety and theft

prevention standards. Under the

existing regulations, the certification

labels on these vehicles need only state

that the vehicles comply with all

applicable Federal motor vehicle safety

standards. The proposed amendment

would conform the certification

requirements to legislation making the

theft prevention standard applicable to

MPVs and trucks rated at 6,000 pounds

or less.

DATES: Comments. Comments must be

received on or before August 10, 1998.

If adopted, the proposed amendment

would apply to MPVs and trucks with

a GVWR of 6,000 pounds or less that are

manufactured on or after January 1,

1999.

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to

the docket and notice numbers above

and be submitted to: Docket

Management, Room PL–401, 400

Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC

20590. Docket hours are 10:00 am to 5

pm, Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Coleman Sachs, Office of Chief Counsel,

National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration, 400 Seventh Street,

S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590. (202–

366–5238).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In June

1996, NHTSA received a letter from

American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

(Honda) seeking clarification of certain

vehicle certification requirements in 49

CFR Part 567. The letter noted that

section 567.4(g)(5)(ii) of those

regulations requires the certification

label on 1987 and subsequent model

year passenger cars manufactured on or

after April 24, 1986, to state that the

vehicle ‘‘conforms to all applicable

Federal motor vehicle safety, bumper,

and theft prevention standards in effect

on the date of manufacture * * *.’’

Honda’s letter further noted that under

a provision of the Anti Car Theft Act of

1992 now codified at 49 U.S.C. 33101,

the definition of vehicles subject to the

major parts marking requirements of the

theft prevention standard was expanded

to include ‘‘a multi-purpose passenger

vehicle or light duty truck when that

vehicle or truck is rated at not more

than 6,000 pounds gross vehicle

weight.’’ This prompted Honda to

observe that the language prescribed for

certification labels at 49 CFR 567.4(g)(5)

may have to be amended to reflect these

vehicles’ conformity with the theft

prevention standard.

In its response to Honda’s letter,

NHTSA noted that although the Anti

Car Theft Act of 1992 contains no

explicit requirement for such an

amendment to the vehicle certification

regulations, the agency agreed that this

amendment should be made so that the

certification requirements for MPVs and

trucks with a GVWR of 6,000 pounds or

less are consistent with those in sections

567.4(g)(5)(i) and (ii) that apply

specifically to passenger cars.

Accordingly, NHTSA is proposing to

amend the certification regulations to

require the certification label for MPVs

and trucks with a GVWR of 6,000

pounds or less to specify that the

vehicle complies with all applicable

Federal motor vehicle safety and theft

prevention standards. So that affected

manufacturers have adequate lead time

to exhaust their existing inventory of

certification labels and have new labels

printed, if the proposed amendment is

adopted, this requirement would apply

to vehicles manufactured on or after

January 1, 1999.
34624 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 122 /Thursday, June 25, 1998 / Proposed Rules

Rulemaking Analyses and Notices

1. Executive Order 12866 (Federal

Regulatory Planning and Review) and

DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures

This proposal was not reviewed under

E.O. 12866. NHTSA has analyzed this

proposal and determined that it is not

‘‘significant’’ within the meaning of the

Department of Transportation’s

regulatory policies and procedures.

2. Regulatory Flexibility Act

In accordance with the Regulatory

Flexibility Act, NHTSA has evaluated

the effects of this action on small

entities. Based upon this evaluation, I

certify that the proposed amendment

would not have a significant economic

impact on a substantial number of small

entities. Motor vehicle manufacturers

who are likely to be affected by the

proposed amendment typically would

not qualify as small entities. This

amendment would also have no effect

on small businesses, small

organizations, and small governmental

units. Accordingly, no regulatory

flexibility analysis has been prepared.

3. Executive Order 12612 (Federalism)

This action has been analyzed in

accordance with the principles and

criteria contained in Executive Order

12612, and it has been determined that

the proposed rule would not have

sufficient Federalism implications to

warrant preparation of a Federalism

Assessment. No State laws would be

affected.

4. National Environmental Policy Act

The agency has considered the

environmental implications of this

proposed rule in accordance with the

National Environmental Policy Act of

1969 and determined that the proposed

rule would not significantly affect the

human environment.

5. Civil Justice Reform

This proposed rule would not have

any retroactive effect. It would modify

an existing Federal regulation to make it

consistent with a statutory requirement.

A petition for reconsideration or other

administrative proceeding will not be a

prerequisite to an action seeking judicial

review of this proposed rule. This

proposed rule does not preempt the

states from adopting laws or regulations

on the same subject, except that if

adopted, the resulting Federal

regulation would preempt a state

regulation that is in actual conflict with

the Federal regulation or makes

compliance with the Federal regulation

impossible or interferes with the

implementation of the Federal statute.

Public Comments

Interested persons are invited to

submit comments on the proposal. It is

requested but not required that 10

copies be submitted.

All comments must not exceed 15

pages in length. (49 CFR 553.21).

Necessary attachments may be

appended to these submissions without

regard to the 15-page limit. This

limitation is intended to encourage

commenters to detail their primary

arguments in a concise fashion.

If a commenter wishes to submit

certain information under a claim of

confidentiality, three copies of the

complete submission, including

purportedly confidential business

information, should be submitted to the

Chief Counsel, NHTSA, at the street

address given above, and seven copies

from which the purportedly confidential

information has been deleted should be

submitted to the Docket Section. A

request for confidentiality should be

accompanied by a cover letter setting

forth the information specified in the

agency’s confidential business

information regulation. 49 CFR Part 512.

All comments received before the

close of business on the comment

closing date indicated above for the

proposal will be considered, and will be

available for examination in the docket

at the above address both before and

after that date. To the extent possible,

comments filed after the closing date

will also be considered. Comments

received too late for consideration in

regard to the final rule will be

considered as suggestions for further

rulemaking action. NHTSA will

continue to file relevant information as

it becomes available in the docket after

the closing date, and it is recommended

that interested persons continue to

examine the docket for new material.

Comments will also be available on line

at www.dms.dot.gov.

Those persons desiring to be notified

upon receipt of their comments in the

rules docket should enclose a selfaddressed, stamped postcard in the

envelope with their comments. Upon

receiving the comments, the docket

supervisor will return the postcard by

mail.

List of Subjects in 49 CFR Part 567

Labeling, Motor vehicle safety, Motor

vehicles.

In consideration of the foregoing, the

agency proposes to amend § 567.4,

Requirements for manufacturers of

motor vehicles, in Title 49 of the Code

of Federal Regulations at Part 567 as

follows:

PARTS 567—[AMENDED]

1. The authority citation for Part 567

would be revised to read as follows:

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 322, 30111, and

30115, 30117, 30166, 32502, 32504, 33101–

33104, and 33109; delegation of authority at

49 CFR 1.50

2. Section 567.4 would be amended

by adding a new paragraph (g)(5)(iii), to

read as follows:

§ 567.4 Requirements for manufacturers of

motor vehicles.

* * * * *

(g) * * *

(5) * * *

(iii) In the case of multipurpose

passenger vehicles (MPVs) and trucks

with a GVWR of 6,000 pounds or less

manufactured on or after January 1,

1999, the expression ‘‘and theft

prevention’’ shall be included in the

statement following the word ‘‘safety’’.

* * * * *

Issued: June 19, 1998.

L. Robert Shelton,

Associate Administrator for Safety

Performance Standards.

[FR Doc. 98–16849 Filed 6–24–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–59–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 300

[Docket No. 980602143–8143–01; I.D.

040197B]

RIN 0648–AI99

High Seas Fishing Compliance Act

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Proposed rule; request for

comments.

SUMMARY: NMFS issues this proposed

rule to implement vessel identification

and reporting requirements under the

High Seas Fishing Compliance Act

(HSFCA). This rule would require

vessels with permits issued under the

HSFCA to be marked for identification

purposes and to report their catches and

effort when fishing on the high seas.

This action is necessary to comply with

the HSFCA.

DATES: Comments must be received by

July 27, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Send comments on the

proposed rule and on the collection-ofinformation requirements to Gary C.