1320 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 8 / Thursday, January 11, 2018 / Proposed Rules 

be changed in light of comments 

received. All comments submitted will 

be available for examination in the 

public docket both before and after the 

closing date for comments. A report 

summarizing each substantive public 

contact with FAA personnel concerned 

with this rulemaking will be filed in the 

docket. 

Availability of NPRMs 

An electronic copy of this document 

may be downloaded through the 

internet at www.regulations.gov. 

You may review the public docket 

containing the proposal, any comments 

received and any final disposition in 

person at the Docket Office (see 

ADDRESSES section for address and 

phone number) between 9:00 a.m. and 

5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. An informal 

docket may also be examined during 

normal business hours at the office of 

the Operations Support Group, Eastern 

Service Center, Federal Aviation 

Administration, 1701 Columbia Ave., 

College Park, GA 30337. 

Background 

R–4403A was established by a final 

rule published in the Federal Register 

on March 29, 2016 (81 FR 17379) Docket 

No. 2017–0370, as part of the expansion 

of the former restricted area R–4403. R– 

4403A was designated to contain 

hazards associated with rocket engine 

testing. The current time of designation, 

‘‘Intermittent, 1000 to 0300 local time, 

as activated by NOTAM at least 24 

hours in advance,’’ allows for up to 17 

hours of daily use. However, NASA’s 

Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage 

test program will require activation of 

R–4403A for periods of 24 to 48 hours 

which will exceed the current time 

designation for the restricted area. 

The current boundaries and altitudes 

of R–4403A are sufficient to contain the 

hazards from hydrogen flaring profiles 

associated with propulsion testing and 

are not affected by this proposal. 

Additionaly, the need for on-going 

single rocket engine testing in R–4403A 

remains at approximately 20–40 times 

per year. On average, NASA activates R– 

4403A for 7 hours for each event. If 

technical difficulties or other conditions 

require, R–4403A has been activated for 

up to 12 hours. However, the SLS Core 

Stage testing program entails the 

simultaneous testing of four rocket 

engines. The flaring of hydrogen fuel 

will require NASA to activate R–4403A 

for up to 48 hours because SLS Core 

Stage testing cannot confine the 

hydrogen flare stack hazards within the 

existing 17-hour daily window available 

for R–4403A. This requirement is 

expected to occur 2–3 times per year. 

The Proposal 

The FAA proposes an amendment to 

14 CFR part 73 to change the time of 

designation for restricted area R–4403A, 

Stennis Space Center, MS, from 

‘‘Intermittent, 1000 to 0300 local time, 

as activated by NOTAM at least 24 

hours in advance,’’ to ‘‘Intermittent by 

NOTAM at least 24 hours in advance.’’ 

This change is required to provide the 

additional restricted area activation time 

needed to accommodate NASA’s SLS 

Core Stage engine testing program. The 

current boundaries and designated 

altitude for R–4403A remain unchanged 

by this proposal. 

Regulatory Notices and Analyses 

The FAA has determined that this 

proposed regulation only involves an 

established body of technical 

regulations for which frequent and 

routine amendments are necessary to 

keep them operationally current. It, 

therefore: (1) Is not a ‘‘significant 

regulatory action’’ under Executive 

Order 12866; (2) is not a ‘‘significant 

rule’’ under Department of 

Transportation (DOT) Regulatory 

Policies and Procedures (44 FR 11034; 

February 26, 1979); and (3) does not 

warrant preparation of a regulatory 

evaluation as the anticipated impact is 

so minimal. Since this is a routine 

matter that will only affect air traffic 

procedures and air navigation, it is 

certified that this proposed rule, when 

promulgated, will not have a significant 

economic impact on a substantial 

number of small entities under the 

criteria of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. 

Environmental Review 

This proposal will be subjected to an 

environmental analysis in accordance 

with FAA Order 1050.1F, 

‘‘Environmental Impacts: Policies and 

Procedures,’’ prior to any FAA final 

regulatory action. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 73 

Airspace, Prohibited areas, Restricted 

areas. 

The Proposed Amendment 

In consideration of the foregoing, the 

Federal Aviation Administration 

proposes to amend 14 CFR part 73 as 

follows: 

PART 73—SPECIAL USE AIRSPACE 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 73 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(f), 106(g); 40103, 

40113, 40120; E.O. 10854, 24 FR 9565, 3 CFR, 

1959–1963 Comp., p. 389. 

§ 73.44 Mississippi [Amended] 

■ 2. § 73.44 is amended as follows: 

* * * * * 

R–4403A Stennis Space Center, MS 

[Amended] 

By removing the words ‘‘Time of 

Designation. Intermittent, 1000 to 0300 

local time, as activated by NOTAM at 

least 24 hours in advance,’’ and adding 

in their place: 

Time of designation. Intermittent by 

NOTAM at least 24 hours in advance. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on January 8, 

2018. 

Rodger A. Dean, Jr., 

Manager, Airspace Policy Group. 

[FR Doc. 2018–00370 Filed 1–10–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION 

39 CFR Part 3050 

[Docket No. RM2018–2; Order No. 4347] 

Periodic Reporting Requirements 

AGENCY: Postal Regulatory Commission. 

ACTION: Advance notice of proposed 

rulemaking. 

SUMMARY: The Commission is noticing a 

recent filing requesting that the 

Commission initiate an informal 

rulemaking proceeding to consider 

revisions to the periodic reporting 

requirements codified at 39 CFR part 

3050. This document informs the public 

of the filing, invites public comment, 

and takes other administrative steps. 

DATES: Comments are due: March 7, 

2018; Reply Comments are due: April 6, 

2018. 

ADDRESSES: Submit comments 

electronically via the Commission’s 

Filing Online system at http://

www.prc.gov. Those who cannot submit 

comments electronically should contact 

the person identified in the FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT section by 

telephone for advice on filing 

alternatives. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

David A. Trissell, General Counsel, at 

202–789–6820. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

I. Introduction 

II. Background 

III. Invitation To Comment 

IV. Ordering Paragraphs 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 8 / Thursday, January 11, 2018 / Proposed Rules 1321 

1United States Postal Service Petition for 

Rulemaking on Periodic Reporting, December 27, 

2017 (Petition). 

2 Docket No. RM2008–4, Order No. 203, Notice of 

Final Rule Prescribing Form and Content of 

Periodic Reports, April 16, 2009. 

3 Id. at 4. The Postal Service also requests that the 

Quarter 4 Billing Determinants report be 

incorporated into the annual Billing Determinants 

report rather than submitted as a standalone filing. 

Id. The Postal Service states that eliminating the 

standalone filing would help the Postal Service 

more effectively allocate scarce time and resources. 

Id. 

4 Id. The Postal Service also requests updating 

Table 2 to reflect the name change of Standard Mail 

to USPS Marketing Mail. Id. Attachment 1 at 2. 

I. Introduction 

On December 27, 2017, the Postal 

Service filed a request for the 

Commission to consider revisions to the 

periodic reporting requirements 

codified in 39 CFR part 3050.1 The 

Commission initiates this rulemaking to 

seek comments and facilitate the 

Commission’s examination of these 

periodic reporting requirements. 

II. Background 

The Postal Accountability and 

Enhancement Act (PAEA) granted the 

Commission enhanced information 

gathering and reporting responsibilities. 

See 39 U.S.C. 3652(e)(1). The PAEA 

provides that the Commission shall 

prescribe the content and form of the 

public reports the Postal Service files 

with the Commission under section 

3652. In Docket No. RM2008–4, the 

Commission approved its current 

periodic reporting requirements.2

On December 27, 2017, the Postal 

Service filed a request for the 

Commission to consider revisions to the 

periodic reporting requirements. First, 

the Postal Service requests that the 

Commission adjust the deadlines for the 

quarterly Revenue, Pieces, and Weight 

(RPW) report; the Quarterly Statistics 

Report (QSR); the quarterly Billing 

Determinants report, and the monthly 

National Consolidated Trial Balance and 

the Revenue and Expense Summary 

(Trial Balance) report, to align the 

deadlines with other financial reporting 

deadlines. Petition at 1. The Postal 

Service states that revising the 

regulations so these deadlines align 

with other financial reporting deadlines 

will avoid potential restatements of the 

earlier filed reports once the data for the 

later filed reports are finalized. Id. at 3. 

Specifically, the Postal Service wants 

to move the deadline for the RPW and 

QSR reports so that the quarterly and 

year-end report deadlines are the same 

as the Form 10–Q and Form 10–K report 

due dates. Id. at 2–3. In addition, the 

Postal Service requests that the 

deadlines for the quarterly Billing 

Determinants reports be extended to 60 

days after the end of Quarters 1, 2, and 

3, and 90 days after the year-end for 

Quarter 4.3 The Postal Service also 

requests that the Commission revise the 

periodic reporting rules so that the Trial 

Balance reports and the Monthly 

Summary Financial reports have the 

same deadline. Id. at 5–6. 

Second, the Postal Service requests 

that the Commission modify the format 

of the Monthly Summary Financial 

Report to make the report more 

consistent with the Postal Service’s 

quarterly and annual financial reports. 

Id. at 1. The Postal Service states that 

the term ‘‘Operating Revenue’’ as it is 

used in Tables 1 and 2 of the Monthly 

Summary Financial Report does not 

correspond with its usage in its Form 

10–K statements. Id. at 7. The Postal 

Service requests revisions to Tables 1 

and 2 of the Monthly Summary 

Financial Report so that the items and 

amounts reported for total operating 

revenue reconcile on both tables and the 

breakdown for revenue more closely 

aligns with the format in its other 

financial reports.4

Third, the Postal Service requests that 

the Commission consider eliminating or 

modifying any reporting requirements 

that have become unnecessary or 

irrelevant since the current periodic 

reporting rules were first implemented 

in 2009. Petition at 1. The Postal Service 

requests that the Commission consider 

eliminating or modifying these 

requirements to avoid imposing 

‘‘unnecessary or unwarranted 

administrative effort and expense’’ on 

the Postal Service. Id. (citing 39 U.S.C. 

3652(e)(1)). 

III. Invitation To Comment 

Interested persons are invited to 

provide written comments to facilitate 

the Commission’s examination of the 

periodic reporting requirements. In 

addition to the specific revisions 

requested in the Postal Service’s 

petition, the Commission also invites 

comments on whether specific periodic 

reporting requirements should be 

eliminated or modified or whether 

updates or enhancements to the 

requirements should be made. 

Comments are due no later than 

March 7, 2018. Reply comments are due 

no later than April 6, 2018. All 

comments and suggestions received will 

be available for review on the 

Commission’s website, http://

www.prc.gov. 

Pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 505, Lauren A. 

D’Agostino is appointed to serve as an 

officer of the Commission (Public 

Representative) to represent the 

interests of the general public in the 

above-captioned docket. 

IV. Ordering Paragraphs 

It is ordered: 

1. The Commission establishes Docket 

No. RM2018–2 to consider revisions to 

the periodic reporting requirements. 

2. Comments are due no later than 

March 7, 2018. Reply comments are due 

no later than April 6, 2018. 

3. Pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 505, the 

Commission appoints Lauren A. 

D’Agostino to serve as an officer of the 

Commission (Public Representative) to 

represent the interests of the general 

public in this docket. 

4. The Secretary shall arrange for 

publication of this notice in the Federal 

Register. 

By the Commission. 

Stacy L. Ruble, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2018–00320 Filed 1–10–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7710–FW–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

48 CFR Parts 812, 813, and 852 

RIN 2900–AP58 

Revise and Streamline VA Acquisition 

Regulation To Adhere to Federal 

Acquisition Regulation Principles 

(VAAR Case 2014–V005—Parts 812, 

813) 

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. 

ACTION: Proposed rule. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans 

Affairs (VA) is proposing to amend and 

update its VA Acquisition Regulation 

(VAAR) in phased increments to revise 

or remove any policy superseded by 

changes in the Federal Acquisition 

Regulation (FAR), to remove procedural 

guidance internal to VA into the VAAM, 

and to incorporate any new agency 

specific regulations or policies. These 

changes seek to streamline and align the 

VAAR with the FAR and remove 

outdated and duplicative requirements 

and reduce burden on contractors. The 

VAAM incorporates portions of the 

removed VAAR as well as other internal 

agency acquisition policy. VA will 

rewrite certain parts of the VAAR and 

VAAM, and as VAAR parts are 

rewritten, will publish them in the 

Federal Register. To minimize the 

number of rules published, VA will 

combine related topics. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before March 12, 2018 to be 

considered in the formulation of the 

final rule. 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with PROPOSALS