[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 49 (Monday, March 16, 2009)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 11017-11019]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-5590]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

15 CFR Part 950

[Docket No: 090113018-9019-01]
RIN 0648-AX74


Schedule of Fees for Access to NOAA Environmental Data, 
Information, and Related Products and Services

AGENCY: National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service 
(NESDIS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: In this final rule, NESDIS establishes a new schedule of fees 
for the sale of its data, information, and related products and 
services to users. NESDIS is revising the fee schedule to ensure that 
the fees accurately reflect the costs of providing access to the 
environmental data, information, and related products and services. 
NESDIS is authorized under 15 U.S.C. 1534 to assess fees, up to fair 
market value, for access to environmental data, information, and 
products derived from, collected, and/or archived by NOAA. Other than 
depreciation, costs to upgrade computer hardware and software systems 
will not be included in the fees charged to users.

DATES: Effective Date: May 1, 2009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Neely (301) 713-3305.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    NESDIS operates NOAA's National Data Centers for Climate, 
Geophysics, Oceans, and Coasts. Through these Data Centers, NESDIS 
provides and ensures timely access to global environmental data from 
satellites and other sources, provides information services, and 
develops science products.
    NESDIS maintains some 1,300 data bases containing over 2,400 
environmental variables at three National Data Centers and seven World 
Data Centers. These centers respond to over 2,000,000 requests for 
these data and products annually from over 70 countries. This 
collection of environmental data and products is growing exponentially, 
both in size and sophistication.
    Users have the ability to access the data offline, online and 
through the NESDIS e-Commerce System (NeS) online store. Our ability to 
provide these data, information, products and services depends on user 
fees.

New Fee Schedule

    The new fee schedule lists both the current fee charged for each 
item and the new fee to be charged to users that will take effect 
beginning May 1, 2009. The schedule applies to the listed services 
provided by NESDIS on or after this date, except for products and 
services covered by a subscription agreement in effect as of this date 
that extends beyond this date. In those cases, the increased fees will 
apply upon renewal of the subscription agreement or at the earliest 
amendment date provided by the agreement.
    NESDIS will continue to review the user fees periodically, and will 
revise such fees as necessary. Any future changes in the user fees and 
their effective date will be announced through notice in the Federal 
Register.

Classification

    This rule has been determined to be not significant for purposes of 
E.O. 12866. The provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (5 
U.S.C. 553) requiring notice of proposed rulemaking and the opportunity 
for public participation are inapplicable because this rule falls 
within the proprietary exception of subparagraph (a)(2) of section 553. 
Further, no other law requires that a notice of proposed rulemaking and 
an opportunity for public comment be given for this rule. Because a 
notice of proposed rulemaking and an opportunity for public comment are 
not required to be given for this rule under 5 U.S.C. 553 or by any 
other law, the requirements of

[[Page 11018]]

the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are not 
applicable.

List of Subjects in 15 CFR Part 950

    Organization and functions (Government agencies).

Charles S. Baker,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Services.

0
For the reasons set forth above, 15 CFR Part 950 is amended as follows:

PART 950--ENVIRONMENTAL DATA AND INFORMATION

0
1. The authority citation for part 950 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: (5 U.S.C. 552, 553). Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 
1970.

    2. Appendix A to Part 950 is revised to read as follows:

Appendix A to Part 950--Schedule of User Fees for Access to NOAA 
Environmental Data

------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Name of product/data/publication/
          information/service             Current fee        New fee
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOAA National Data Centers Standard
 User Fees:
    Department of Commerce                       $91.00           $85.00
     Certification....................
    General Certification.............            60.00            68.00
    Paper Copy........................             2.00             2.00
    Online In-Situ Digital Data.......            10.00             6.00
    Data Poster.......................            18.00            18.00
    Shipping Service:
        For orders totaling less than              5.00             3.00
         $50.00.......................
        For orders totaling $50.00 or             11.00             3.00
         more.........................
    Rush Order Fee....................            60.00            60.00
    Super Rush Order Fee..............           100.00           100.00
    Foreign Shipping Service:
        For orders totaling less than             10.00            22.00
         $100.00......................
        For orders totaling $100.00 or            20.00            22.00
         more.........................
Additional National Climatic Data
 Center (NCDC) User Fees:
    NEXRAD Doppler Radar Color Prints.            19.00            18.00
    Paper Copy from Electronic Media..             6.00             6.00
    Offline In-Situ Digital Data......           156.00           164.00
    Microfilm Copy (roll to paper) per            13.00            13.00
     frame from existing film.........
    Satellite Image Product...........            80.00            82.00
    Offline Satellite Digital Data               115.00  ...............
     (average unit size is 1.2
     gigabytes).......................
    Offline Radar Digital Data (Level            145.00  ...............
     II) (average unit size is 4
     gigabytes).......................
    Offline Satellite, Radar, and       ...............           996.00
     Model Digital Data (average unit
     size is 1 terabyte)..............
    Conventional CD-ROM/DVD...........            99.00            74.00
    Specialized CD-ROM/DVD............  ...............           165.00
    CD-ROM/DVD Copy, Offline..........            40.00            35.00
    CD-ROM/DVD Copy, Online Store.....            22.00            17.00
    Facsimile Service.................            65.00            80.00
Additional National Oceanographic Data
 Center (NODC) User Fees:
    World Ocean Circulation Experiment             8.00                *
     2002 version 3.0 DVD.............
    World Ocean Database 2001; World              19.00                *
     Ocean Atlas 2001; International
     Atlases..........................
    NODC Non-Standard Data, Select to            198.00                *
     FTP..............................
    NODC Non-Standard Data, 1-1 Copy             165.00                *
     to FTP...........................
    World Ocean Atlas Figures (DVD)...            39.00                *
    International Atlas 10: Climatic              53.00                *
     Atlas of the Sea of Azov 2006 (CD-
     ROM).............................
    World Ocean Database 2005 (DVD)...            12.00                *
    World Ocean Atlas 2005; World                  7.00                *
     Ocean Atlas Figures 2005 (DVD)...
    International Atlas 11: Barents               55.00                *
     Sea 1998 Climatic Atlas;
     International Atlas 2: Biological
     Atlas of the Arctic Seas 2000;
     World Ocean Database 98..........
    International Atlas 9: Climatic               35.00                *
     Atlas of the Arctic Seas 2004
     (DVD)............................
    NODC Non-Standard Data, Select to            203.00                *
     CD or DVD, Specialized...........
    NODC Non-Standard Data, 1-1 Copy             170.00                *
     to CD or DVD, Specialized........
    Conventional CD-ROM/DVD...........            75.00                *
    NODC Non-Serial Publications......            15.00            20.00
    NODC Non-Standard Data; Select/     ...............            42.00
     Copy to CD, DVD or Electronic
     Transfer, Specialized, Offline...
    NODC Non-Standard Data; 1-1 Direct  ...............            19.00
     Copy to CD, DVD, or Electronic
     Transfer, Specialized, Offline...
    NODC Digital and Non-Digital Off-   ...............             4.00
     the-Shelf Products, Online.......
    NODC Digital and Non-Digital Off-   ...............             6.00
     the-Shelf Products, Offline......
Additional National Geophysical Data
 Center (NGDC) User Fees:
    Mini Poster.......................             1.00             1.00
    Icosahedron Globe.................             0.50             3.00
    Convert Data to Standard Image....             5.00             5.00
    Single Orbit OLS..................            15.00            16.00
    Single Orbit OLS, Additional                   5.00             5.00
     Orbits...........................
    Single Orbit OLS--Subset..........            15.00            16.00
    Single Orbit OLS, Subset-                      5.00             5.00
     Additional Orbits................
    Geolocated Data...................            40.00            43.00
    Subset of Pre-existing Geolocated             25.00            26.00
     Data.............................
    Global DMSP-OLS Nighttime Lights          61,582.00        70,140.00
     Annual Composite from One
     Satellite........................
    Most Recent DMSP-OLS Thermal Band/           215.00           238.00
     Cloud Cover Mosaics from Multiple
     Satellites.......................

[[Page 11019]]

 
    Nightly DMSP-OLS Mosaics, Visible            201.00           223.00
     and Thermal Band Data from One
     Satellite........................
    Global DMSP-OLS Nighttime Lights           5,624.00         6,020.00
     Lunar Cycle Composite from One
     Satellite........................
    Radiance Calibrated Global DMSP-          67,922.00        77,177.00
     OLS Nighttime Lights Annual
     Composite from One Satellite.....
    Research Data Series CD-ROM/DVD...            25.00            25.00
    Custom Analog Plotter Prints......            49.00            60.00
    NOS Bathymetric Maps and                       6.00             7.00
     Miscellaneous Archived
     Publication Inventory............
    Global DMSP-OLS Annual Composite    ...............         7,665.00
     of Persistent Nighttime Lights on
     Monthly Increments from One
     Satellite........................
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* New prices for these products are not included since these products
  are now available under a different category of NODC products.

[FR Doc. E9-5590 Filed 3-13-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P