Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 62 / Thursday, April 2, 2009 / Rules and Regulations 14933 

verification upon receipt, processing 

through a secure mail system, and 

signature upon delivery. For these 

services, in addition to terminal dues, 

the delivering postal operator is 

provided a set amount in compensation 

from the originating postal operator, 

regardless of the cost of the delivery 

process. The Postal Service is not 

authorized to charge a premium for the 

delivery of these items to the addressee. 

Through the December 20, 2006, 

enactment of the Postal Accountability 

and Enhancement Act (PAEA), Congress 

fundamentally changed the Postal 

Service’s business model by converting 

it from one based on an expectation that 

it would break-even over time, to a more 

commercially competitive, profitmaking model. This change requires the 

Postal Service to review all of its 

services in an effort to better align costs 

and revenues, while at the same time 

ensuring the security of the mail. 

Domestic Registered Mail is handled 

in a separate hand-to-hand laborintensive process from point of 

acceptance to delivery. The domestic 

Registered Mail fees are set by the Postal 

Service and are based on the stated 

value of the item, for which insurance 

is provided in the fee, up to $25,000. 

These fees take into account the labor 

and processing costs required to accept, 

process and deliver this mail. 

In contrast, inbound international 

Registered Mail is defined by the UPU’s 

agreement, which limits the 

compensation the Postal Service 

receives for providing the service and 

also limits the indemnity available to 

customers. The UPU agreement does not 

require hand-to-hand processing. 

Inbound international Registered Mail, 

therefore, will no longer be handled in 

the domestic Registered Mail system. 

International senders of Registered 

Mail will continue to receive the 

features that distinguish this service. 

The Postal Service will verify the 

receipt of Registered Mail to the 

originating postal administration. A 

signature will be obtained at the time of 

delivery in accordance with domestic 

regulations governing the delivery of 

accountable mail. The sender also will 

have access to the inquiry process and 

may receive indemnity based on UPU 

limits for loss, damage or missing 

contents. Customers will also benefit 

from the high security of the domestic 

First-Class Mail® mailstream, which is 

protected by the United States Postal 

Inspection Service® and the United 

States Postal Service Office of Inspector 

General. The Postal Service anticipates 

improved service as well as cost savings 

as a result of this change to its 

operational handling of inbound 

international Registered Mail items. 

The Postal Service hereby adopts the 

following changes to Mailing Standards 

of the United States Postal Service, 

International Mail Manual (IMM), 

which is incorporated by reference in 

the Code of Federal Regulations. See 39 

CFR 20.1. 

List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 20 

Foreign relations, International postal 

services. 

■ Accordingly, 39 CFR part 20 is 

amended as follows: 

PART 20—[AMENDED] 

■ 1. The authority citation for 39 CFR 

part 20 continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a); 39 U.S.C. 401, 

404, 407, 408, 3622, 3632, and 3633. 

■ 2. Revise the following sections of 

Mailing Standards of the United States 

Postal Service, International Mail 

Manual (IMM) to read as follows: 

Mailing Standards of the United States 

Postal Service, International Mail 

Manual (IMM) 

* * * * * 

7 Treatment of Inbound Mail 

* * * * * 

750 Extra Services 

* * * * * 

752 Registered Mail 

752.1 Identification 

* * * * * 

[Revise 752.13 to read as follows:] 

752.13 Treatment of Registered Items 

All mail registered by the country of 

origin must be handled in the domestic 

First-Class Mail mailstream from the 

exchange office to the office of delivery. 

A signed delivery receipt must be 

obtained at the time of delivery. 

* * * * * 

Stanley F. Mires, 

Chief Counsel, Legislative. 

[FR Doc. E9–7373 Filed 4–1–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7710–12–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 648 

[Docket No.070817467–8554–02] 

RIN 0648–XN68 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

Provisions; Fisheries of the 

Northeastern United States; Atlantic 

Sea Scallop Fishery; Closure of the 

Delmarva Scallop Access Area to 

General Category Scallop Vessels 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Department of Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; closure. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the 

Delmarva Scallop Access Area will 

close to general category scallop vessels 

for the remainder of the 2009 fishing 

year. This action is based on the 

determination that 728 general category 

scallop trips into the Delmarva Access 

Area are projected to be taken as of 

0001, April 1, 2009. This action is being 

taken to prevent the allocation of 

general category trips in the Delmarva 

Scallop Access Area from being 

exceeded during the 2009 fishing year, 

in accordance with the regulations 

implementing Framework 19 to the 

Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery 

Management Plan (FMP) and the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act. 

DATES: Effective 0001 hours, April 1, 

2009, through February 28, 2010. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Don 

Frei, Fishery Management Specialist, 

(978) 281–9221, fax (978) 281–9135. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Regulations governing fishing activity in 

the Sea Scallop Access Areas are found 

at §§ 648.59 and 648.60. Regulations 

specifically governing general category 

scallop vessel operations in the 

Delmarva Scallop Access Area are 

specified at § 648.59(e)(4)(ii). These 

regulations authorize vessels issued a 

valid general category scallop permit to 

fish in the Delmarva Scallop Access 

Area under specific conditions, 

including a total of 728 trips that may 

be taken by general category vessels 

during the 2009 fishing year. The 

regulations at § 648.59(e)(4)(ii) require 

the Delmarva Scallop Access Area to be 

closed to general category scallop 

vessels once the Northeast Regional 

Administrator has determined that the 


dwashington3 on PROD1PC60 with RULES
14934 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 62 / Thursday, April 2, 2009 / Rules and Regulations 

allowed number of trips are projected to 

be taken. 

Based on trip declarations by general 

category scallop vessels fishing in the 

Delmarva Scallop Access Area, and 

analysis of fishing effort, a projection 

concluded that 728 trips will have been 

taken on April 1, 2009. Therefore, in 

accordance with the regulations at 

§ 648.59(e)(4)(ii), the Delmarva Scallop 

Access Area is closed to all general 

category scallop vessels as of 0001 

hours, April 1, 2009, through February 

28, 2010. Any vessel that has declared 

into the general category Delmarva 

Access Area scallop fishery, complied 

with all trip notification and observer 

requirements, and crossed the VMS 

demarcation line on the way to the area, 

may complete the trip. This closure is 

in effect for the remainder of the 2009 

scallop fishing year under current 

regulations. 

Classification 

This action is required by 50 CFR part 

648 and is exempt from review under 

Executive Order 12866. 

This action closes the Delmarva 

Scallop Access Area to all general 

category scallop vessels for the 

remainder of the 2009 fishing year. The 

regulations at § 648.59(e)(4)(ii) allow 

such action to ensure that general 

category scallop vessels do not take 

more than their allocated number of 

trips in the Delmarva Scallop Access 

Area. The Delamarva Scallop Access 

Area opened for the 2009 fishing year at 

0001 hours on March 1, 2009. Data 

indicating the general category scallop 

fleet has taken all of the Delmarva 

Scallop Access Area trips have only 

recently become available. To allow 

general category scallop vessels to 

continue to take trips in the Delmarva 

Scallop Access Area during the period 

necessary to publish and receive 

comments on a proposed rule would 

result in vessels taking much more than 

the allowed number of trips in the 

Delmarva Scallop Access Area. 

Excessive trips and harvest from the 

Delmarva Scallop Access Area would 

result in excessive fishing effort in the 

Delmarva Scallop Access Area, where 

effort controls are critical, thereby 

undermining conservation objectives of 

the FMP. Should excessive effort occur 

in the Delmarva Scallop Access Area, 

future management measures would 

need to be more restrictive. Based on the 

above, under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3), 

proposed rulemaking is waived because 

it would be impracticable and contrary 

to the public interest to allow a period 

for public comment. Furthermore, for 

the same reasons, there is good cause 

under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to waive the 

30-day delayed effectiveness period for 

this action. 

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

Dated: March 30, 2009. 

Alan D. Risenhoover, 

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–7460 Filed 3–30–09; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 


dwashington3 on PROD1PC60 with RULES