[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 149 (Tuesday, August 4, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 41538-41539]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-20686]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

49 CFR Part 575

[Docket No. 98-3866; Notice 2]


Consumer Information Regulations; Uniform Tire Quality Grading 
Standards

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: This notice grants a request to extend the comment period on 
an agency proposal to amend the Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards 
(UTQGS) to change the treadwear grading procedures. Subsequent to

[[Page 41539]]

publication of the proposal, the agency received a request for 
extension of the comment period for 60 days in order to prepare a 
consolidated comment to submit in response thereto. Thus, NHTSA is 
extending the comment period from August 4, 1998 to October 5, 1998.

DATES: Extended comment closing date: Comments on the June 5, 1998 
proposal, 63 FR 30695, Docket No. 98-3866, must be received by the 
agency on or before close of business on October 5, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to Docket No. 98-3866 and be submitted 
to: Docket Management, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW, Washington, 
DC 20590. Docket room hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday 
through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical issues: Mr. Orron Kee, 
Chief, Consumer Programs Division, Office of Planning and Consumer 
Programs, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh 
Street, SW, Room 5320, Washington, DC 20590; telephone (202) 366-0846; 
fax (202) 493-2739.
    For legal issues: Mr. Walter Myers, Attorney-Advisor, Office of the 
Chief Counsel, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 
Seventh Street, SW, Room 5219, Washington, DC 20590; telephone (202) 
366-2992; fax (202) 366-3820.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 5, 1998 NHTSA published a NPRM 
proposing to amend 49 CFR 575.104 by changing the treadwear grading 
procedures in UTQGS. Briefly stated, the agency proposed to use a 
direct comparison of the wear rates of course monitoring tires (CMT) 
used as the control standard with the candidate tires, that is, the 
tires being tested for the purpose of grading. Further, NHTSA proposed 
to measure the wear rates of CMTs 4 times per year and use the average 
wear rate from the last 4 quarterly CMT tests as a basis for the base 
course wear rate (BCWR) from which tire grades are determined. The 
agency further proposed that CMTs used to determine wear rate would be 
no more than 6 months old at the commencement of the test and that the 
difference in production dates of those tires would be no greater than 
3 months.
    The NPRM specified a comment closing date of August 4, 1998 (60 
days after date of publication). However, the agency received a request 
for an extension of the comment closing date from the Rubber 
Manufacturers Association (RMA). The RMA stated that it is reviewing 
the NPRM and supporting data that are in a document entitled Critical 
Evaluation of UTQG Treadwear Testing & Methodology. Because of the 
quantity and complexity of the data, RMA stated that it will not be 
able to complete its review and prepare consolidated comments of its 
members prior to the closing date of August 4, 1998. Therefore, RMA 
requested an additional 60 days for submission of its comments.
    Since the RMA is the primary national trade association for the 
finished rubber products industry in the United States, the agency is 
interested in its comments. Thus, in order to provide the RMA and other 
interested parties ample time and opportunity to express their views on 
the UTQGS proposals, NHTSA believes that there is good cause for the 
extension of the comment period and that such extension is consistent 
with the public interest. Accordingly, the RMA request to extend the 
comment period for an additional 60 days is granted.
    The agency notes that the 60th day falls on a Saturday. Therefore, 
in order to close the comment period on a business day, the extended 
comment closing date will now be October 5, 1998.

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. Secs. 322, 30111, 30115, 30117, and 30166; 
delegation of authority is at 49 CR 1.50.

    Issued on: July 28, 1998.
L. Robert Shelton,
Associate Administrator for Safety Performance Standards.
[FR Doc. 98-20686 Filed 7-29-98; 4:10 pm]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P