40880 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 147 / Friday, July 31, 1998 / Notices

15373, April 1, 1994) (the ‘‘Matched

Sales’’ Amendment), the Department

has been administering the matched

uranium sales quota on a quota year

basis, April 1 through March 31, as

listed in the ‘‘Matched Sales’’

Amendment. On March 6, 1998, the

Department received a request from the

Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) on behalf

of certain of its members requesting that

the Department revise its practice and

administer the matched sales quota on

a calendar year basis, January 1 through

December 31. (See letter from NEI to the

Department on March 6, 1998, on public

record at the Department of Commerce

in room B–099). In this letter, NEI

suggests that a calendar year quota

system would make tracking operational

or contractual flexibilities for both

buyers and sellers of uranium more

consistent with their other internal

tracking systems (i.e., budgeting,

requests for quotes, deliveries). NEI

states that administration on a calendar

year basis would make the matched

sales quota system more consistent with

industry contracting practices, thereby

eliminating a potential barrier to

participation in the matched sales

program. Further, NEI notes that

reconciliation of historical transactions

which specified deliveries in 1996 and

1997 does not affect the commercial

balance among competing suppliers as

marketing opportunities have long

passed.

On May 5, 1998, the Department

requested comments from interested

parties (63 FR 24772). The Department

received ten sets of comments from

affected companies and reviewed each

set of comments. As all comments

received were supportive of the change,

and as the reallocation would not cause

any quota limitations to be exceeded,

the Department has determined that it is

reasonable to change the administration

of the matched sales quota from a quota

year basis (i.e., April 1–March 31) to a

calendar year basis (i.e., January 1–

December 31).

The Department examined two

ensuing issues: (1) The effect the change

will have on the existing approved

contracts and allocations of quota; and

(2) the necessity to arrive at a proper

accounting for the periods April 1, 1996

through December 31, 1996 and January

1, 2004 through March 31, 2004.

Concerning the first issue, the

Department has determined that

contracts already approved by the

Department in quota years 1996–1997

(4/1/96–3/31/97; 4/1/97–3/31/98) will

not be affected by the change to a

calendar year basis other than on the

Department’s accounting system. Thus,

these contracts stand as approved and

deliveries may continue as scheduled.

Further, although the amount of used

quota allocated to these two periods will

change under the new system, the

overall totals do not (See 63 FR 24772,

May 5, 1997).

Concerning the second issue, the

‘‘Matched Sales’’ Amendment details

that delivery quotas began on April 1,

1996, and would expire on March 31,

2004. By switching to a calendar year

basis, neither the period April 1, 1996,

through December 31, 1996 nor the

period January 1, 2004 through March

31, 2004, which were covered under the

Department’s previous quota year

methodology, can fall under a calendar

year methodology absent modification.

To resolve this issue, NEI proposed

designating calendar year 1996 as a

‘‘short’’ quota year, starting April 1,

1996 and ending December 31, 1996. As

these contracts have already been

approved and as the Department has

determined the appropriate

reconciliation in accounting, (See 63 FR

24772, May 5, 1997), the Department

agrees that the designation of a ‘‘short

year’’ a suitable resolution. In addition,

NEI proposed that calendar year 2003 be

designated as a ‘‘long’’ quota year,

beginning January 1, 2003 and ending

March 31, 2004. The Department agrees

that it is reasonable to designate

calendar year 2003 as a ‘‘long year’’

without disruption to the administration

of matched sales.

Thus, effective immediately, the

Department will use a calendar year

quota system in administering matched

sales. The following chart details the

current effective time periods and

applicable matched sales quotas.

Calendar year

Available

quota 1 (in

lbs. U308)

1998 .......................................... 3,600,000

1999 .......................................... 4,040,000

2000 .......................................... 4,230,000

2001 .......................................... 4,040,000

2002 .......................................... 4,890,000

2003 2 ........................................ 4,300,000

1Please note that some quota has already

been allocated to previously approved contracts. Please contact the listed Departmental

personnel for the exact available quota in

each calendar year. 2 ‘‘Long year’’ dates (1/1/03–3/31/04)

Dated: July 27, 1998

Joseph A. Spetrini.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping

Countervailing Duty—Group III.

[FR Doc. 98–20516 Filed 7–30–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

North American Free-Trade

Agreement, Article 1904; NAFTA Panel

Reviews; Request for Panel Review

AGENCY: NAFTA Secretariat, United

States Section, International Trade

Administration, Department of

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of First Request for Panel

Review.

SUMMARY: On July 15, 1998, Wolverine

Tube (Canada) Inc. filed a First Request

for Panel Review with the United States

Section of the NAFTA Secretariat

pursuant to Article 1904 of the North

American Free Trade Agreement. Panel

review was requested of the final

antidumping duty administrative review

determination made by the International

Trade Administration, respecting Brass

Sheet and Strip from Canada. This

determination was published in the

Federal Register (63 FR 33037) on June

17, 1998. The NAFTA Secretariat has

assigned Case Number USA–CDA–98–

1904–03 to this request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

James R. Holbein, United States

Secretary, NAFTA Secretariat, Suite

2061, 14th and Constitution Avenue,

Washington, D.C. 20230, (202) 482–

5438.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Chapter

19 of the North American Free-Trade

Agreement (‘‘Agreement’’) establishes a

mechanism to replace domestic judicial

review of final determinations in

antidumping and countervailing duty

cases involving imports from a NAFTA

country with review by independent

binational panels. When a Request for

Panel Review is filed, a panel is

established to act in place of national

courts to review expeditiously the final

determination to determine whether it

conforms with the antidumping or

countervailing duty law of the country

that made the determination.

Under Article 1904 of the Agreement,

which came into force on January 1,

1994, the Government of the United

States, the Government of Canada and

the Government of Mexico established

Rules of Procedure for Article 1904

Binational Panel Reviews (‘‘Rules’’).

These Rules were published in the

Federal Register on February 23, 1994

(59 FR 8686).

A first Request for Panel Review was

filed with the United States Section of

the NAFTA Secretariat, pursuant to

Article 1904 of the Agreement, on July

15, 1998, requesting panel review of the
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 147 / Friday, July 31, 1998 / Notices 40881

final antidumping duty administrative

review described above.

The Rules provide that:

(a) a Party or interested person may

challenge the final determination in whole or

in part by filing a Complaint in accordance

with Rule 39 within 30 days after the filing

of the first Request for Panel Review (the

deadline for filing a Complaint is August 14,

1998);

(b) a Party, investigating authority or

interested person that does not file a

Complaint but that intends to appear in

support of any reviewable portion of the final

determination may participate in the panel

review by filing a Notice of Appearance in

accordance with Rule 40 within 45 days after

the filing of the first Request for Panel

Review (the deadline for filing a Notice of

Appearance is August 31, 1998); and

(c) the panel review shall be limited to the

allegations of error of fact or law, including

the jurisdiction of the investigating authority,

that are set out in the Complaints filed in the

panel review and the procedural and

substantive defenses raised in the panel

review.

Dated: July 22, 1998.

James R. Holbein,

United States Secretary, NAFTA Secretariat.

[FR Doc. 98–20451 Filed 7–30–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–GT–M

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 071598C]

Marine Mammals; Permit No. 968

(P557D)

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NCAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Issuance of permit amendment.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a

request for amendment of scientific

research permit No. 968 submitted by

Scripps Institution of Oceanography,

Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean

Climate Project, Institute for Geophysics

and Planetary Physics, 9500 Gilman

Drive, La Jolla, California 92093–02252,

has been granted.

ADDRESSES: The amendment and related

documents are available for review

upon written request or by appointment

in the following office(s):

Permits Division, Office of Protected

Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West

Highway, Room 13130, Silver Spring,

MD 20910 (301/713–2289); and

Regional Administrator, Southwest

Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean

Boulevard, Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA

90802–4213 (562/980–4001).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

requested amendment has been granted

under the authority of the Marine

Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as

amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the

provisions of § 216.39 of the Regulations

Governing the Taking and Importing of

Marine Mammals (50 CFR part 216), the

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as

amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.),

the provisions of § 222.25 of the

regulations governing the taking,

importing, and exporting of endangered

fish and wildlife (50 CFR 222.23), and

the Fur Seal Act of 1966, as amended

(16 U.S.C. 1151 et seq.).

This amendment extends the permit

through December 31, 1998. On April

18, 1997, permit No. 968 was extended

through August 31, 1998, to allow the

completion of the full 24 month Marine

Mammal Research Program (MMRP).

Since issuance of that amendment,

however, the project has suffered further

delays due to the El Nino weather

conditions, which prevented the

resumption of research at Pioneer

Seamount until May 4, 1998.

Consequently, to compensate for this

latest delay, the Permit is again

extended through December 31, 1998.

Issuance of this amendment, as

required by the ESA was based on a

finding that such permit: (1) Was

applied for in good faith; (2) will not

operate to the disadvantage of the

endangered species which is the subject

of this permit; and (3) is consistent with

the purposes and policies set forth in

section 2 of the ESA.

Dated: July 23, 1998.

Ann D. Terbush,

Chief, Permits and Documentation Division,

Office of Protected Resources, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98–20446 Filed 7–30–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING

COMMISSION

Sunshine Act Meeting

FEDERAL REGISTER CITATION OF PREVIOUS

ANNOUNCEMENT: 63 FR 36883.

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED TIME AND DATE OF

MEETING: 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 29,

1998.

CHANGES IN THE MEETING: The

Commodity Futures Trading

Commission changed the meeting to

discuss enforcement matters to

Thursday, August 13, 1998 at 2:00 p.m.

CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Jean A. Webb, 418–5100.

Jean A. Webb,

Secretary of the Commission.

[FR Doc. 98–20579 Filed 7–29–98; 10:54 am]

BILLING CODE 6351–01–M

CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

The Corporation for National and

Community Service (CNCS) has

submitted the following public

information collection requests (ICRs) to

the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) for review and approval in

accordance with the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13,

44 U.S.C .Chapter 35). Copies of these

individual ICRs, with applicable

supporting documentation, may be

obtained by calling the Corporation for

National and Community Service,

AmeriCorps Leaders Program, Julie

Catlett, (202) 606–5000, Extension 164.

Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TTY/TDD) may call (202) 606–5256

between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4:30

p.m. Eastern time, Monday through

Friday.

Comments should be sent to the

Office of Information and Regulatory

Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for the

Corporation for National and

Community Service, Office of

Management and Budget, Room 10235,

NW., Washington, DC 20503, (202) 395–

7316, by August 31, 1998.

The OMB is particularly interested in

comments which:

• Evaluate whether the proposed

collection of information is necessary

for the proper performance of the

functions of the Corporation, including

whether the information will have

practical utility;

• Evaluate the accuracy of the

agency’s estimate of the burden of the

proposed collection of information,

including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used;

• Enhance the quality, utility and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and

• Minimize the burden of the

collection of information on those who

are to respond, including through the

use of appropriate automated,

electronic, mechanical, or other

technological collection techniques or

other forms of information technology,

e.g., permitting electronic submissions

of responses.