39926 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 142 / Friday, July 24, 1998 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 2862]

Bureau of Oceans and International

Environmental and Scientific Affairs;

Government Activities on International

Harmonization of Chemical

Classification and Labeling Systems;

Public Meeting

AGENCY: Bureau of Oceans and

International Environmental and

Scientific Affairs (OES), Department of

State.

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting

regarding Government Activities on

International Harmonization of

Chemical Classification and Labeling

Systems.

SUMMARY: This public meeting will

provide an update on current activities

related to international harmonization

since the previous public meeting,

conducted June 16, 1998. (See

Department of State Public Notice 2813,

on pages 26938–26839 of the Federal

Register of May 14, 1998.) The meeting

will also offer interested organizations

and individuals the opportunity to

provide information and views for

consideration in the development of

United States Government policy

positions. For more complete

information on the harmonization

process, please refer to State Department

Public Notice 2526, pages 15951–15957

of the Federal Register of April 3, 1997.

The meeting will take place from

10:00 a.m. until noon on August 5 in

Room S4215 A&B, U.S. Department of

Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW,

Washington, DC. Attendees should use

the entrance at C and Third Streets, NW.

To facilitate entry, please have a picture

ID available and/or a U.S. Government

building pass if applicable.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For further information or to submit

written comments or information,

please contact Mary Frances Lowe, U.S.

Department of State, OES/ENV, Room

4325, 2201 C Street, NW, Washington,

DC 20520. Phone (202) 736–4660, fax

(202) 647–5947. A public docket is also

available for review (OSHA docket H–

022H).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Department of State is announcing a

public meeting of the interagency

committee concerned with the

international harmonization of chemical

hazard classification and labeling

systems (an effort often referred to as the

‘‘globally harmonized system’’ or GHS).

The purpose of the meeting is to provide

interested groups and individuals with

an update on activities since the June

16, 1998, public meeting, a preview of

upcoming international meetings, and

an opportunity to submit additional

information and comments for

consideration in developing U.S.

Government positions. Representatives

of the following agencies participate in

the interagency group: the Department

of State, the Environmental Protection

Agency, the Department of

Transportation, the Occupational Safety

and Health Administration, the

Consumer Product Safety Commission,

the Food and Drug Administration, the

Department of Commerce, the

Department of Agriculture, the Office of

the U.S. Trade Representative, and the

National Institute of Environmental

Health Sciences.

The Agenda of the public meeting

will include:

1. Introduction

2. Reports on recent international

meetings

—First meeting of the InterOrganization Program for the Sound

Management of Chemicals (IOMC)/

International Labour Organisation

Working Group for the

Harmonization of Chemical Hazard

Communication, June 22, in

London, UK. The Working Group

elected Dr. Iona Pratt of Ireland as

chair and set up a process for

developing the terms of reference,

work plan and time table for the

hazard communication elements of

the GHS.

—12th Consultation of the IOMC

Coordinating Group for the

Harmonization of Chemical

Classification Systems, June 23–24,

London, UK. This group provides

overall management direction to the

development of the GHS. At the

June meeting, the group reached

consensus on a paper clarifying the

scope and application of the GHS

discussed at the previous two

Coordinating Group meetings, in

June and November, 1997. The

group also approved a report on a

proposed organizational setting

within the UN Economic and Social

Council framework. Both papers

have been forwarded to the

Intersessional Group of the

Intergovernmental Forum on

Chemical Safety for consideration at

its November 29–December 4

meeting. The organizational paper

was also considered by the UN

Subcommittee of Experts on the

Transport of Dangerous Goods

(UNSCETDG) during its June 29–

July 10 session. Copies of the two

papers and related documents are

in the public docket.

—Second Meeting of the Organization

for Economic Cooperation and

Development (OECD) Working

Group on Mixtures, June 25–27, in

London, UK. This group is charged

with developing harmonized

approaches for the classification of

mixtures. Participants discussed a

draft detailed review document

outlining the components of major

existing hazard classification

systems for mixtures, set up a

process for revising that document,

and reached agreement on some

coverage issues.

—Meeting of the UNSCETDG, June

29–July 10, in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Subcommittee has hosted the

working group developing

classification criteria proposals for

physical hazards and largely

completed this work in December

1997. It is also involved in

consideration of OECD proposals on

acute and aquatic toxicity

classifications, the institutional

framework for the ongoing

maintenance of the GHS, and

hazard communication issues as

they relate to goods in transport.

3. Preparation for upcoming meetings.

—Seventh Meeting of the Advisory

Group on Harmonization of

Classification and Labelling,

September 1–2, Paris, France. This

meeting will focus on discussion of

classification criteria proposals for

health and environmental

endpoints, including skin and eye

irritation/corrosion, target organ

toxicity, reproductive toxicity,

aquatic toxicity, acute toxicity, and

the review of an integrated

document comprised of

introductory sections on crosscutting issues and individual

chapters on each covered endpoint.

The goal is to have the integrated

proposal and other issues resolved

as much as possible before the high

level OECD meeting, described

below. Key remaining issues

involve actue, acquatic

reproductive and target organ

toxicity and the integrated proposal.

—OECD High Level Meeting of the

Advisory Group, September 3–4,

Paris, France. Participants in this

meeting will be senior level officials

charged with reaching agreement on

a packaging of OECD classification

criteria for submission to and

approval of the OECD Joint Meeting

on Chemicals, now planned for

November 4–6.

4. Public comments.

5. Concluding remarks.

Interested parties are invited to

submit their comments as soon as
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 142 / Friday, July 24, 1998 / Notices 39927

possible for consideration in the

development of U.S. positions for the

international meetings listed above, and

to present their views orally and/or in

writing at the public meeting.

Participants in the meeting may also

address other topics relating to

harmonization of chemical classification

and labeling systems and are

particularly invited to identify issues of

concern to specific sectors that may be

affected by the GHS.

All written comments will be placed

in the public docket (OSHA docket H–

022H). The docket is open from 10 am

until 4 pm, Monday through Friday, and

is located at the Department of Labor,

Room 2625, 200 Constitution Avenue

NW, Washington, D.C. (Telephone 202–

219–7894; Fax: 202–219–5046). The

public may also consult the docket to

review previous Federal Register

notices, comments received, Questions

and Answers about the GHS, a response

to comments on the April 3, 1997,

Federal Register notice, and other

relevant documents.

Dated: June 20, 1998.

Michael Metelits,

Director Office of Environmental Policy

Bureau of Oceans and International

Environmental and Scientific Affairs.

[FR Doc. 98–19868 Filed 7–23–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710–09–M

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES

TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

Notice of Cancellation of Meeting of

the Industry Sector Advisory

Committee on Small and Minority

Business (ISAC–14)

AGENCY: Office of the United States

Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice of meeting cancellation.

SUMMARY: A notice was published in the

Federal Register dated July 1, 1998,

Volume number 63, Notice 126, page

36009, announcing a meeting of the

Industry Sector Advisory Committee

(ISAC–14) scheduled for July 20, 1998

from 9:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The meeting

was to be open to the public from 9:15

a.m. to 11:15 a.m. and closed to the

public from 11:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

However, due to an insufficient number

of responses regarding attendance, the

meeting had to be canceled.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill

Daley, Office of the United States Trade

Representative, (202) 395–6120.

Pate Felts,

Assistant U.S. Trade Representative.

[FR Doc. 98–19806 Filed 7–23–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3190–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping

Requirements; Agency Information

Collection Activity Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice

announces that the Information

Collection Request (ICR) abstracted

below has been forwarded to the Office

of Management and Budget (OMB) for

review and approval. The ICRs describe

the nature of the information collections

and their expected burden. The Federal

Register Notice with a 60-day comment

period soliciting comments on the

following information collection was

published on April 28, 1998 [63 FR

23337].

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before August 24, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael Robinson, NHTSA Information

Collection Clearance Officer at (202)

366–9456.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration (NHTSA)

Title: 49 CFR Part 576 Record

Retention.

OMB Control Number: 2127–0042.

Type Request: Extension of a

currently approved collection.

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit.

Abstract: Under 49 U.S.C. Section

30166(e), NHTSA ‘‘reasonably may

require a manufacturer of a motor

vehicle or motor vehicle equipment to

keep records, and a manufacturer,

distributor, or dealer to make reports, to

enable [NHTSA] to decide whether the

manufacturer, distributor or dealer has

complied or is complying with this

chapter or a regulation prescribed under

this chapter.’’ 49 U.S.C. Section 30118

requires manufacturers to notify NHTSA

and owners, purchasers, and dealers if

the manufacturer (1) ‘‘learns’’ that any

vehicle or equipment manufactured by

it contains a defect and decides in good

faith that the defect relates to motor

vehicle safety, or (2) ‘‘decides in good

faith’’ that the vehicle or equipment

does not comply with an applicable

Federal motor vehicle safety standard.

The only way for the agency to decide

if and when a manufacturer ‘‘learned’’

of a safety-related defect or ‘‘decided in

good faith’’ that some products did not

comply with an applicable Federal

motor vehicle safety standard is for the

agency to have access to the information

available to the manufacturer. Further,

49 U.S.C. Section 30118(a) requires

NHTSA to immediately notify a

manufacturer if the agency determines

that some of the manufacturer’s

products either do not comply with an

applicable Federal motor vehicle safety

standard or contain a safety-related

defect, and provide the manufacturer

with all the information on which the

determination is based. Agency

determinations of noncompliance are

generally based upon actual testing

conducted by or for the agency.

However, defect determinations depend

heavily upon review of consumer

complaints submitted to the

manufacturer, communications between

manufacturers and suppliers, and the

manufacturers’ analyses of field

problems and/or warranty claims.

Without these complaints and

manufacturer documents, NHTSA

would have only limited access to

information about vehicle or equipment

problems. To ensure that NHTSA will

have access to this type of information,

the agency exercised the authority

granted in 49 U.S.C. Section 30166(e)

and promulgated 49 CFR Part 576,

Record Retention. This regulation

requires manufacturers of motor

vehicles to retain one copy of all records

that contain information concerning

malfunctions that may be related to

motor vehicle safety, for a period of five

years after the record is generated or

acquired by the manufacturer.

Estimated Annual Burden: 40,000

hours.

Number of Respondents: At least

1,000 vehicle manufacturers of all types.

ADDRESS: Send comments, within 30

days, to the Office of Information and

Regulatory Affairs, Office of

Management and Budget, 725–17th

Street, NW, Washington, DC 20503,

Attention DOT Desk Officer. Comments

are invited on: whether the proposed

collection of information is necessary

for the proper performance of the

functions of the Department, including

whether the information will have

practical utility; the accuracy of the

Department’s estimate of the burden of

the proposed information collection;

ways to enhance the quality, utility and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and ways to minimize the

burden of the collection of information

on respondents, including the use of

automated collection techniques or

other forms of information technology.

A comment to OMB is best assured of

having its full effect if OMB receives it

within 30 days of publication.