Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 140 /Wednesday, July 22, 1998 /Rules and Regulations 39239

mailers may opt to receive a notice of

new address or reason for nondelivery

by placing the endorsement ‘‘Return

Service Requested’’ on all First-Class

Mail. Consistent with DMM F010.5.1,

undeliverable as addressed (UAA)

pieces bearing this endorsement are

returned to the mailer. Under present

standards, the ‘‘Return Service

Requested’’ endorsement does not

provide forwarding service.

Since the implementation of the

‘‘Return Service Requested’’ option on

July 1, 1997, the Postal Service has

received requests from some mailers

who use the ‘‘Return Service

Requested’’ endorsement to have the

service provide forwarding of temporary

address changes. These mailers would

prefer that UAA pieces destined for

customers who have submitted

temporary change-of-address notices to

the Postal Service be forwarded to the

customer rather than returned to the

mailer. This change will improve

customer satisfaction for these mailers

by forwarding the piece to the

temporary address instead of returning

it to the mailer with the reason for

nondelivery. Under current Postal

regulations and the Privacy Act,

temporary change-of-address

information is not provided to mailers,

therefore, this change also benefits the

Postal Service by eliminating the need

to return pieces bearing address

correction information which would be

of no use or value to the sender.

To accommodate those First-Class

mailers who currently use the ‘‘Return

Service Requested’’ endorsement, and

who want pieces forwarded to the

temporary address, the Postal Service

has agreed to implement a new

endorsement, ‘‘Temp—Return Service

Requested’’, which would allow

mailpieces to be forwarded to a

temporary address when a temporary

change-of-address notice is on file. This

endorsement will only provide

forwarding for temporary change-ofaddress, and does not apply to

permanent change-of-address. Since this

option is available only to First-Class

Mailers, it is reasonable to conclude that

all mailers who elect this option will be

aware of the nature of the service

provided and the consequences in the

event a piece bearing the endorsement

is undeliverable as addressed. This

change is accordingly effective August

1, 1998.

The Postal Service is soliciting

comments on this final rule.

Although exempt from the notice and

comment requirements of the

Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C.

553 (b), (c)) regarding proposed

rulemaking by 39 U.S.C. 410(a), the

Postal Service invites comments on the

following revisions of the Domestic Mail

Manual (DMM), incorporated by

reference in the Code of Federal

Regulations. See 39 CFR Part 111.

List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 111

Postal service.

For the reasons discussed above, the

Postal Service hereby adopts the

following amendments to the Domestic

Mail Manual, which is incorporated by

reference in the Code of Federal

Regulations (see 39 CFR part 111):

PART 111—[AMENDED]

1. The authority citation for 39 CFR

Part 111 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a); 39 U.S.C. 101,

401, 403, 3001–3011, 3201–3219, 3403–3406,

3621, 3626, 5001.

2. Revise the following sections of the

Domestic Mail Manual as set forth

below:

F Forwarding and Related Services

F010 Basic Information

* * * * *

5.0 Class Treatment for Ancillary Services

5.1 Priority Mail and First-Class Mail

[Revise the table in 5.1 as follows to add the

new endorsement:]

* * * * *

‘‘Temp—Return Service

Requested’’.

Piece returned with new address or reason for nondelivery attached; no

charge. If temporary

change-of-address, piece

forwarded; no charge; no

separate notice of new

temporary change-of-address provided.

* * * * *

An appropriate amendment to 39 CFR

111.3 will be published to reflect these

changes.

Stanley F. Mires,

Chief Counsel, Legislative.

[FR Doc. 98–19464 Filed 7–17–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7710–12–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Office of Procurement and Property

Management

48 CFR Parts 401, 402, 403, 407, 408,

409, 411, 416, 419, 422, 424, 425, 432,

434, 436, and 452

[AGAR Case 96–03]

RIN 0599–AA00

Agriculture Acquisition Regulation;

Miscellaneous Amendments

AGENCY: Office of Procurement and

Property Management, USDA

ACTION: Direct final rule; Confirmation

of effective date.

SUMMARY: This document confirms the

effective date of the direct final rule that

makes miscellaneous clerical or

procedural amendments to the

Agriculture Acquisition Regulation

(AGAR).

EFFECTIVE DATE: The direct final rule

published on May 15, 1998 (63 FR

26993–26996) is effective July 14, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Joseph J. Daragan, USDA Office of

Procurement and Property Management,

Procurement Policy Division, STOP

9303, 1400 Independence Avenue SW,

Washington, DC 20250–9303, (202) 720–

5729.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In a direct

final rule published on May 15, 1998

(63 FR 26993–26996), we notified the

public of our intent to make a number

of clerical or procedural amendments to

the AGAR. We intended to amend the

AGAR to reflect changes in the Federal

Acquisition Regulation through Federal

Acquisition Circular 97–01 and to

correct minor errors and omissions in

the reissuance of the AGAR published

on October 15, 1996 (61 FR 53645–

53677).

We solicited comments concerning

the direct final rule for a 30 day

comment period ending June 15, 1998.

We stated that the effective date of the

proposed amendment would be July 14,

1998, unless we received adverse

comments or notice of intent to submit

adverse comments by the close of the

comment period.

We received neither adverse

comments nor notice of intent to submit

adverse comments by June 15, 1998.

Therefore, the direct final rule is

effective on July 14, 1998, as scheduled.
39240 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 140 /Wednesday, July 22, 1998 /Rules and Regulations

Done at Washington, D.C., this 15th day of

July, 1998.

W. R. Ashworth,

Director, Office of Procurement and Property

Management.

[FR Doc. 98–19462 Filed 7–21–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–XE–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 971208297–8054–02; I.D.

071698E]

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Pelagic Shelf

Rockfish in the Western Regulatory

Area of the Gulf of Alaska

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS is prohibiting directed

fishing for pelagic shelf rockfish in the

Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of

Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary

to prevent exceeding the 1998 total

allowable catch (TAC) of pelagic shelf

rockfish in this area.

DATES: Effective 1200 hrs, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), July 17, 1998, through 2400

hrs, A.l.t., December 31, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Thomas Pearson, 907–486-6919.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS

manages the groundfish fishery in the

GOA exclusive economic zone

according to the Fishery Management

Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of

Alaska (FMP) prepared by the North

Pacific Fishery Management Council

under authority of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and

Management Act. Regulations governing

fishing by U.S. vessels pursuant to the

FMP appear at subpart H of 50 CFR part

600 and 50 CFR part 679.

In accordance with § 679.20(c)(3)(ii),

the Final 1998 Harvest Specifications of

Groundfish for the GOA (63 FR 12027,

March 12, 1998) established the amount

of the 1998 TAC of pelagic shelf

rockfish in the Western Regulatory Area

of the Gulf of Alaska as 620 metric tons

(mt).

In accordance with § 679.20(d)(1)(i),

the Administrator, Alaska Region,

NMFS (Regional Administrator), has

determined that the 1998 TAC for

pelagic shelf rockfish will be reached.

Therefore, the Regional Administrator is

establishing a directed fishing

allowance of 520 mt, and is setting aside

the remaining 100 mt as bycatch to

support other anticipated groundfish

fisheries. In accordance with

§ 679.20(d)(1)(iii), the Regional

Administrator finds that this directed

fishing allowance has been reached.

Consequently, NMFS is prohibiting

directed fishing for pelagic shelf

rockfish in the Western Regulatory Area

of the GOA.

Maximum retainable bycatch amounts

may be found in the regulations at

§ 679.20(e) and (f).

Classification

This action responds to the best

available information recently obtained

from the fishery. It must be

implemented immediately to prevent

overharvesting the 1998 TAC of pelagic

shelf rockfish for the Western

Regulatory Area of the GOA. A delay in

the effective date is impracticable and

contrary to the public interest. Further

delay would only result in overharvest.

NMFS finds for good cause that the

implementation of this action should

not be delayed for 30 days. Accordingly,

under 5 U.S.C. 553(d), a delay in the

effective date is hereby waived.

This action is required by 50 CFR

679.20 and is exempt from review under

E.O. 12866.

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

Dated: July 17, 1998.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98–19503 Filed 7–17–98; 2:15 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 971208297–8054–02; I.D.

071698I]

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Pelagic Shelf

Rockfish in the Eastern Regulatory

Area of the Gulf of Alaska

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS is prohibiting directed

fishing for pelagic shelf rockfish in the

Eastern Regulatory Area of the Gulf of

Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary

to prevent exceeding the 1998 total

allowable catch (TAC) of pelagic shelf

rockfish in this area.

DATES: Effective 1200 hrs, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), July 19, 1998, until 2400

hrs, A.l.t., December 31, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Thomas Pearson, 907–486-6919.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

groundfish fishery in the GOA exclusive

economic zone is managed by NMFS

according to the Fishery Management

Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of

Alaska (FMP) prepared by the North

Pacific Fishery Management Council

under authority of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and

Management Act. Fishing by U.S.

vessels is governed by regulations

implementing the FMP at subpart H of

50 CFR part 600 and 50 CFR part 679.

The amount of the 1998 TAC of

pelagic shelf rockfish in the Eastern

Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska

was established by the Final 1998

Harvest Specifications of Groundfish for

the GOA (63 FR 12027, March 12, 1998)

as 1,000 metric tons (mt), determined in

accordance with § 679.20(c)(3)(ii).

In accordance with § 679.20(d)(1)(i),

the Administrator, Alaska Region,

NMFS (Regional Administrator), has

determined that the 1998 TAC for

pelagic shelf rockfish in the Eastern

Regulatory Area will be reached.

Therefore, the Regional Administrator is

establishing a directed fishing

allowance of 800 mt, and is setting aside

the remaining 200 mt as bycatch to

support other anticipated groundfish

fisheries. In accordance with

§ 679.20(d)(1)(iii), the Regional

Administrator finds that this directed

fishing allowance has been reached.

Consequently, NMFS is prohibiting

directed fishing for pelagic shelf

rockfish in the Eastern Regulatory Area.

Maximum retainable bycatch amounts

may be found in the regulations at

§ 679.20(e) and (f).

Classification

This action responds to the best

available information recently obtained

from the fishery. It must be

implemented immediately to prevent

overharvesting the 1998 TAC of pelagic

shelf rockfish for the Eastern Regulatory

Area of the GOA. A delay in the

effective date is impracticable and

contrary to the public interest. Further

delay would only result in overharvest.

NMFS finds for good cause that the

implementation of this action should

not be delayed for 30 days. Accordingly,

under 5 U.S.C. 553(d), a delay in the

effective date is hereby waived.