11718 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 52 / Thursday, March 19, 2009 / Notices 

Estimated Total Annual (Non-hour) 

Respondent Cost Burden: $0. There are 

no capital start-up, operation, 

maintenance or recordkeeping costs 

associated with this information 

collection, and there are no filing fees. 

Although it is possible for the public 

to submit the nominations through 

regular or express mail, to date no 

submissions have been received in this 

manner. The majority of recent 

submissions have been through 

electronic mail. The USPTO, therefore, 

is not calculating an estimate of postage 

costs associated with this information 

collection. 

IV. Request for Comments 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden 

(including hours and cost) of the 

proposed collection of information; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized or 

included in the request for OMB 

approval of this information collection; 

they will also become a matter of public 

record. 

Dated: March 12, 2009. 

Susan K. Fawcett, 

Records Officer, USPTO, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer, Customer Information 

Services Group, Public Information Services 

Division. 

[FR Doc. E9–5984 Filed 3–18–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

United States Patent and Trademark 

Office 

[PTO–C–2009–0009] 

Public Advisory Committees 

AGENCY: United States Patent and 

Trademark Office. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

nominations for Public Advisory 

Committees. 

SUMMARY: On November 29, 1999, the 

President signed into law the Patent and 

Trademark Office Efficiency Act (the 

‘‘Act’’), Public Law 106–113, which, 

among other things, established two 

Public Advisory Committees to review 

the policies, goals, performance, budget 

and user fees of the United States Patent 

and Trademark Office (USPTO) with 

respect to patents, in the case of the 

Patent Public Advisory Committee, and 

with respect to trademarks, in the case 

of the Trademark Public Advisory 

Committee, and to advise the Director 

on these matters (now codified at 35 

U.S.C. 5). Due to the expiration of 

current members’ terms, the USPTO is 

requesting nominations for three (3) 

members to the Patent Public Advisory 

Committee (PPAC) and two (2) members 

to the Trademark Public Advisory 

Committee (TPAC) for terms of three 

years that begin from date of 

appointment. 

DATES: Nominations must be 

postmarked or electronically 

transmitted on or before May 15, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to submit 

nominations should send the nominee’s 

resume ́ to Chief of Staff, Office of the 

Under Secretary of Commerce for 

Intellectual Property and Director of the 

USPTO, Post Office Box 1450, 

Alexandria, Virginia 22313–1450; by 

electronic mail to: 

PPACnominations@uspto.gov for the 

Patent Public Advisory Committee or 

TPACnominations@uspto.gov for the 

Trademark Patent Public Advisory 

Committee; by facsimile transmission 

marked to the Chief of Staff’s attention 

at (571) 273–0464, or by mail marked to 

the Chief of Staff’s attention and 

addressed to the Office of the Under 

Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual 

Property and Director of the USPTO, 

Post Office, Box 1450, Alexandria, 

Virginia 22313–1450. Self-nominations 

are perfectly acceptable. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Eleanor K. Meltzer, Chief of Staff, by 

facsimile transmission marked to her 

attention at (571) 273–0464, by mail 

marked to her attention and addressed 

to the Office of the Under Secretary of 

Commerce for Intellectual Property and 

Director of the USPTO, Post Office Box 

1450, Alexandria, Virginia 22313–1450, 

or by telephone at: (571) 272–7660. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Advisory Committees’ duties include: 

• Advising the Under Secretary of 

Commerce for Intellectual Property and 

Director of the USPTO on matters 

relating to policies, goals, performance, 

budget, and user fees of the USPTO 

relating to patents and trademarks, 

respectively; and 

• Within 60 days after the end of each 

fiscal year: (1) Preparing an annual 

report on matters listed above; (2) 

transmitting a report to the Secretary of 

Commerce, the President, and the 

Committees on the Judiciary of the 

Senate and the House of 

Representatives; and (3) publishing the 

report in the Official Gazette of the 

USPTO. 

Members of the Patent and Trademark 

Public Advisory Committees are 

appointed by and serve at the pleasure 

of the Secretary of Commerce for three 

(3)-year terms. 

Advisory Committees 

The Public Advisory Committees are 

each composed of nine (9) voting 

members who are appointed by the 

Secretary of Commerce (the 

‘‘Secretary’’). The Public Advisory 

Committee members must be United 

States citizens and represent the 

interests of diverse users of the USPTO, 

both large and small entity applicants in 

proportion to the number of such 

applications filed. The Committees must 

include members who have ‘‘substantial 

backgrounds and achievement in 

finance, management, labor relations, 

science, technology, and office 

automation.’’ 35 U.S.C. 5(b)(3). In the 

case of the Patent Public Advisory 

Committee, at least twenty-five (25) 

percent of the members must represent 

‘‘small business concerns, independent 

inventors, and nonprofit organizations,’’ 

and at least one member must represent 

the independent inventor community. 

35 U.S.C. 5(b)(2). Each of the Public 

Advisory Committees includes three (3) 

non-voting members representing each 

of the labor organizations recognized by 

the USPTO. 

Procedures and Guidelines of the 

Patent and Trademark Public Advisory 

Committees 

Each newly appointed member of the 

Patent and Trademark Public Advisory 

Committees will serve for a term of 

three years from date of appointment. 

As required by the Act, members of the 

Patent and Trademark Public Advisory 

Committees receive compensation for 

each day they attend meetings or are 

engaged in the business of that Advisory 

Committee. 

The rate of compensation is the daily 

equivalent of the annual rate of basic 

pay in effect for level III of the Executive 

Schedule under section 5314 of title 5, 

United States Code. While away from 

their home or regular place of business, 

members are allowed travel expenses, 

including per diem in lieu of 

subsistence, as authorized by Section 

5703 of title 5, United States Code. The 

USPTO provides the necessary 

administrative support, including 

technical assistance, for the Committees. 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 52 / Thursday, March 19, 2009 / Notices 11719 

Applicability of Certain Ethics Laws 

Members of each Public Advisory 

Committee are considered Special 

Government Employees within the 

meaning of Section 202 of title 18, 

United States Code. The following 

additional information includes several, 

but not all, of the ethics rules that apply 

to members, and assumes that members 

are not engaged in Public Advisory 

Committee business more than sixty 

days during each calendar year: 

• Each member will be required to 

file a confidential financial disclosure 

form within thirty (30) days of 

appointment. 5 CFR 2634.202(c), 

2634.204, 2634.903, and 2634.904(b). 

• Each member will be subject to 

many of the public integrity laws, 

including criminal bars against 

representing a party, 18 U.S.C. 205(c), in 

a particular matter that came before the 

member’s committee and that involved 

at least one specific party. See also 18 

U.S.C. 207 for post-membership bars. A 

member also must not act on a matter 

in which the member (or any of certain 

closely related entities) has a financial 

interest. 18 U.S.C. 208. 

• Representation of foreign interests 

may also raise issues. 35 U.S.C. 5(a)(1) 

and 18 U.S.C. 219. 

Meetings of the Patent and Trademark 

Public Advisory Committees 

Meetings of each Advisory Committee 

take place at the call of the Chair to 

consider an agenda set by the Chair. 

Meetings may be conducted in person, 

electronically through the Internet, or by 

other appropriate means. The meetings 

of each Advisory Committee are open to 

the public except that each Advisory 

Committee may, by majority vote, meet 

in executive session when considering 

personnel, privileged, or other 

confidential matters. Nominees must 

have the ability to participate in 

Committee business via the Internet. 

Procedures for Submitting Nominations 

Please submit resume ́s for 

nominations for the Patent Public 

Advisory Committee and the Trademark 

Public Advisory Committee to: Chief of 

Staff to the Under Secretary of 

Commerce for Intellectual Property and 

Director of the United States Patent and 

Trademark Office, using the addresses 

provided above. 

Dated: March 12, 2009. 

John J. Doll, 

Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for 

Intellectual Property and Acting Director of 

the United States Patent and Trademark 

Office. 

[FR Doc. E9–5844 Filed 3–18–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–16–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[FRL–8784–1] 

Total Coliform Rule Revisions—Notice 

of Stakeholder Meeting 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection 

Agency’s Total Coliform Rule/ 

Distribution System Advisory 

Committee established an Agreement in 

Principle (AIP), which provides the 

Agency with recommendations for 

revising the 1989 Total Coliform Rule 

(TCR). One of the recommendations of 

the Committee is that EPA conduct 

stakeholder outreach as the Agency 

develops the proposed revisions to the 

TCR. Today, EPA is giving notice of a 

public meeting to provide regulation 

development updates and opportunities 

for stakeholders to provide feedback on 

the development of the proposed 

revised Total Coliform Rule (RTCR). 

Topics to be discussed in the meeting 

include a review of EPA’s commitments 

to stakeholder outreach and 

involvement pertaining to the proposed 

RTCR and linkages to other rules; plan 

and schedule for guidance documents 

development; progress in converting the 

AIP recommendations to the rule 

language; discussion on proposed 

changes to the Public Notification and 

Consumer Confidence Report language; 

and discussion on AIP 

recommendations regarding review of 

the TCR analytical methods for Total 

Coliform/E. coli. EPA will also provide 

status on the Distribution System 

Research and Information Collection 

Partnership. Teleconferencing will be 

available for individuals unable to 

attend the meeting in person. 

DATES: The public meeting will be held 

on Friday, April 3, 2009 (9 a.m. to 4 

p.m., Eastern Time (ET)). Attendees and 

those planning to participate via 

teleconference should register for the 

meeting by calling Kate Zimmer of 

RESOLVE at (202) 965–6387 or by email to kzimmer@resolv.org no later 

than March 31, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the EPA East Building, Room 1117–A, 

1201 Constitution Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20460. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

general inquiries about this meeting and 

teleconference information, contact Kate 

Zimmer of RESOLVE at (202) 965–6387 

or by e-mail kzimmer@resolv.org. For 

technical information, contact Sean 

Conley: conley.sean@epa.gov, (202) 

564–1781), Standards and Risk 

Management Division, Office of Ground 

Water and Drinking Water (MC 4607M), 

Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 

Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20460; fax number: 

(202) 564–3767. For more information 

on the Committee’s recommendations 

please visit, http://www.epa.gov/ 

safewater/disinfection/tcr/ 

regulation_revisions_tcrdsac.html. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Special 

Accommodations: For information on 

access or accommodations for 

individuals with disabilities, please 

contact Crystal Rodgers-Jenkins at (202) 

564–5275 or by e-mail at rodgersjenkins.crystal@epa.gov. Please allow at 

least 10 days prior to the meeting to give 

EPA time to process your request. 

Dated: March 13, 2009. 

Cynthia C. Dougherty, 

Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking 

Water. 

[FR Doc. E9–6005 Filed 3–18–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

FARM CREDIT SYSTEM INSURANCE 

CORPORATION 

Farm Credit System Insurance 

Corporation Board; Regular Meeting 

AGENCY: Farm Credit System Insurance 

Corporation. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the 

regular meeting of the Farm Credit 

System Insurance Corporation Board 

(Board). 

DATES: The meeting of the Board will be 

held at the offices of the Farm Credit 

Administration in McLean, Virginia, on 

March 24, 2009, from 9 a.m. until such 

time as the Board concludes its 

business. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Roland E. Smith, Secretary to the Farm 

Credit System Insurance Corporation 

Board, (703) 883–4009, TTY (703) 883– 

4056. 

ADDRESSES: Farm Credit System 

Insurance Corporation, 1501 Farm 

Credit Drive, McLean, Virginia 22102. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Parts of 

this meeting of the Board will be open 

to the public (limited space available) 

and parts will be closed to the public. 

In order to increase the accessibility to 

Board meetings, persons requiring 

assistance should make arrangements in 

advance. The matters to be considered 

at the meeting are: 

Open Session 

A. Approval of Minutes 

• January 15, 2009 (Regular). 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES