Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 71 / Wednesday, April 15, 2009 / Rules and Regulations 17399 

navigation areas found in § 165.13 of 

this part apply to the regulated 

navigation area described in paragraph 

(b). 

(2) All vessels of 100 gross tons and 

greater are not permitted to transit the 

regulated area without permission from 

the District Commander or his 

representative. To seek permission to 

transit the area, mariners can contact 

Sector North Carolina at telephone 

number (252) 247–4570. 

(3) Any vessel transiting the regulated 

area must do so at a no-wake speed 

during the effective period. The Coast 

Guard vessels enforcing this section can 

be contacted on Marine Band Radio, 

VHF–FM channel 16 (156.8 MHz). Upon 

being hailed by a U.S. Coast Guard 

vessel by siren, radio, flashing light or 

other means, the operator of a vessel 

shall proceed as directed. If permission 

is granted, all persons and vessels must 

comply with the instructions of the 

District Commander or his 

representative and proceed at the 

minimum speed necessary to maintain a 

safe course while within the zone. 

(d) Enforcement. The U.S. Coast 

Guard may be assisted in the patrol and 

enforcement of the zone by Federal, 

State, and local agencies. 

(e) Enforcement period. This section 

will be enforced from 5 a.m. on April 

16, 2009, through 8 p.m. on June 5, 

2009. 

Dated: April 6, 2009. 

F.M. Rosa, Jr., 

Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, 

Fifth Coast Guard District. 

[FR Doc. E9–8610 Filed 4–14–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–15–P 

POSTAL SERVICE 

39 CFR Part 111 

New Standards for Letter-Sized 

Booklets 

AGENCY: Postal ServiceTM. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: The Postal Service adopts 

new Mailing Standards of the United 

States Postal Service, Domestic Mail 

Manual (DMM®) to reflect changes to 

the construction and sealing of lettersized booklets mailed at automation, 

presorted machinable or carrier route 

letter prices. We also adopt a definition 

of booklets and clarify weight standards 

for letter-sized mail. 

DATES: Effective Date: September 8, 

2009. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Krista Finazzo, 202–268–7304; Bill 

Chatfield, 202–268–7278; or Susan 

Thomas, 202–268–7268. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

December 29, 2008, a proposed rule was 

published in the Federal Register (73 

FR 79430–79435), that provided 

information on changes to tab 

placement and construction of folded 

self-mailers and booklets. The proposed 

rule followed two years of collaborative 

work with mailers to analyze and test a 

wide variety of letter-size booklets and 

other letter-size mailpiece designs. In 

response to the proposed rule, the Postal 

Service received more than 900 

comments. 

On February 3, 2009, a revision to our 

original proposal was announced in the 

DMM Advisory and PCC Insider 

indicating that the design and tab 

placement changes for folded selfmailers would become optional 

recommendations instead of 

requirements. Current standards for 

folded self-mailers will remain in effect 

and we will continue to work with the 

mailing community to test various 

folded self-mailer designs. Mailers’ 

Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) 

member associations that have an 

interest in folded self-mailers will 

coordinate the opportunity to 

participate in our research. We will 

publish recommendations regarding 

folded self-mailers in September 2009. 

An additional proposed rule for folded 

self-mailers will be published upon 

completion of the test of mailersupplied sample pieces. 

Changes for Booklets 

General 

This final rule includes the new 

required DMM standards for design, 

preparation, and sealing of machinable 

and automation letter-size booklets. We 

also describe in this final rule, 

recommended upgrades to the new 

requirements. We base these 

recommendations on observations of a 

wide variety of booklets tested and 

observed over the past several years. 

Following these recommendations will 

minimize mailpiece damage and 

maximize the efficient processing of 

booklets. 

Definition 

Booklets consist of bound sheets or 

pages. Binding methods that are 

compatible with machinable processing 

include perfect binding, permanent 

fastening with at least two staples in the 

manufacturing fold (saddle stitched), 

pressed glue, or another binding method 

that creates a nearly uniformly thick 

mailpiece. Spiral bindings are not 

machinable so booklets prepared with 

spiral bindings do not qualify for 

automation prices. Large booklets may 

be folded to letter-size for mailing if the 

final mailpiece remains uniform in 

thickness. 

Physical Characteristics 

The maximum height for all 

machinable and automation booklets is 

six inches and the maximum length can 

vary between 9 and 101⁄2 inches, 

depending on the booklet design. The 

minimum thickness for booklets is 0.009 

inch and the maximum thickness is 0.25 

inch regardless of size. Thickness is 

measured at the spine of the mailpiece. 

The current maximum weight of 3 

ounces has not changed and is 

applicable to all mailpieces prepared 

without envelopes. However, to 

improve machinability we recommend 

reducing the length of 3-ounce booklets 

to a final trim size of 9 inches. 

Cover stock requirements vary with 

40-pound minimum basis weight for 

folded booklet designs and 60- or 70- 

pound minimum basis weight for pieces 

longer than 9 inches. Lighter-weight 

paper tends to be easily damaged in 

processing equipment. The use of paper 

that is 10 pounds heavier than the 

required minimum basis weight is 

recommended for better processing 

performance. We strongly recommend 

using a minimum of 70-pound paper as 

cover stock on mailpiece designs that 

approach maximum booklet 

dimensions. References to paper 

weights are for book-grade paper unless 

otherwise specified. A paper grade 

conversion table is included in DMM 

Exhibit 201.3.2 for reference. 

The bottom edge of booklets must be 

a bound edge or fold unless the 

mailpiece is prepared as an oblong 

booklet. Oblong booklets must be 

prepared with a spine on the leading 

edge. Booklets with a spine on the 

trailing edge are nonmachinable. 

Tabs used to seal booklets must not 

have perforations. Generally, booklets 

need three 11⁄2-inch tabs as closures. For 

larger or heavier booklets, we 

recommend 2-inch paper tabs. Glue 

spots or a continuous glue line may be 

used to seal some booklet designs. 

Booklets that do not comply with the 

new standards will not be eligible for 

machinable or automation letter prices. 

Nonmachinable booklets will be 

assessed a surcharge (for First-Class 

Mail®), pay nonmachinable prices (for 

Standard Mail®), or pay nonbarcoded 

prices (for Periodicals). 

Overview of Comments 

We received more than 900 customer 

comments in response to the proposed 

standards. Of these, 79 noted concerns 


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17400 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 71 / Wednesday, April 15, 2009 / Rules and Regulations 

about booklet design changes. Many 

commenters expressed concerns about 

multiple issues. Below we describe all 

comments and not those exclusively 

about booklets. 

There were 442 comments concerning 

tabs without perforations. Of these, 287 

were form letters or parts of form letters 

stating that tabs without perforations 

would make mailpieces hard to open for 

the elderly and infirm. Six came from 

manufacturers of tabs. Two mail 

preparers claim that mail with solid tabs 

went unread. At the request of a group 

of mail owners, one mail preparer 

completed a 6-month study of response 

rates to mailpieces prepared with three 

solid tabs. No appreciable change in 

response rate occurred. 

Booklets with tabs that fail during 

high-speed processing sustain damage 

and cause damage to other mailpieces. 

Our tests revealed that tabs with 

perforations are easily broken, often do 

not maintain their integrity, and are 

damaged in transport prior to entering 

the mailstream. To minimize tab failure, 

tabs used to seal booklets claiming 

automation or machinable prices may 

not be perforated. Solid tabs made of 

plastic, vinyl, translucent paper, opaque 

paper, or cellophane tape is acceptable. 

Tab placement generated 401 

responses. Commenters cited the lack of 

machinery capable of applying two tabs 

on the leading edge and one tab on the 

trailing edge of each booklet, the cost of 

upgrading existing tabbing equipment, 

and the amount of extra space required 

to install upgrades as reasons why they 

objected to the proposed standards for 

tab placement. Three commenters stated 

that the tabbing systems they purchased 

would become obsolete because they 

can only apply tabs on the top open 

edges. There were 170 mailers 

concerned about tab size. They objected 

to the introduction of minimum tab 

sizes that exceed one inch because their 

equipment couldn’t apply tabs larger 

than one inch. 

We realize that using different size 

tabs on booklets, adding an additional 

tab to the leading edge, and affixing 

them in locations that were until now 

optional, will require some adjustments 

to customer manufacturing processes. 

Some customers are already producing 

and mailing booklets with the tabbing 

configurations required by the new 

standards despite the obstacles 

mentioned. In addition, at least one 

manufacturer of tabbing machines is 

advertising a unit with the capability of 

tabbing mail in the proposed locations. 

Mailer and controlled tests 

demonstrate that using 11⁄2-inch tabs to 

seal booklets in place of the smaller 1- 

inch tabs improved the productivity of 

processing. Sorting booklets sealed with 

11⁄2-inch tabs still reduced machine 

throughput compared to processing 

other letter-size pieces. To improve 

productivity and processing, 11⁄2-inch 

tabs are required. We will continue to 

monitor booklet processing 

performance. 

The increase in the number of tabs 

required to seal booklets generated 179 

comments. Remarks focused on the 

absence of notification, with some 

commenters stating that the mailings 

they present now are not generating 

error reports from the plants that 

process them. As booklet volumes 

increase in the mailstream, processing 

operations must divert these mailings to 

manual or flat mail operations to avoid 

mailpiece damage and machine down 

time. The USPS generated numerous 

irregularity reports concerning poorly 

prepared booklets over the past several 

years. These reports have documented 

instances of jammed machines and torn 

mailpieces. Our experiences processing 

booklets as live mailpieces and in a 

variety of controlled and customersupplied mailpiece tests show that the 

new standards are needed. Customers 

who observed their own booklets being 

tested acknowledged that although their 

mail is currently being charged 

automation or machinable prices, it 

cannot be machine sorted. 

A number of commenters stated that 

we did not justify the amount of added 

workload applying additional tabs 

would impose on the customer. Testing 

demonstrated that the machine 

throughput when processing booklets 

with two 1-inch tabs on the top edge 

was half the throughput for booklets 

with two 11⁄2-inch tabs on the lead edge 

and one tab on the trailing edge, and 

almost one fourth the throughput for 

enveloped letter mail. Therefore, we 

believe this warrants the changes. 

Many commenters objected to the 

definition of a folded self-mailer. The 

definition of folded self-mailers will be 

refined in conjunction with a 

subsequent phase of testing customersupplied samples and will be published 

at a later date as part of the changes to 

folded self-mailer standards indicated 

by test results. 

Only 31 customers expressed 

concerns about standards for static 

charge and coefficient of friction. Some 

commenters wanted to know where to 

buy paper that conformed to the 

standards while others asked how mail 

would be tested for these characteristics 

in the acceptance units. We recommend 

this requirement while further methods 

are explored to measure these standards. 

We recommend testing your mailpieces 

for static charge and coefficient of 

friction when possible. 

Forty-nine commenters asked that we 

delay changing standards for booklets 

and folded self-mailers until the 

economy turns around. We believe that 

implementing standards for booklets 

will improve the processing and cost 

effective handling of these pieces. 

However, we will work with the mailing 

community to further refine standards 

for folded self-mailers. 

Some commenters wondered how 

they could determine if their mailpiece 

was made of high tear strength paper. 

Paper distributors generally recognize 

which of their products have high tear 

strength, and most papers sold in office 

supply stores have adequate tear 

strength. High tear strength paper has 

properties like a high fiber length, a low 

degree of beating, and for machine-made 

papers, fiber orientation. Mailpieces 

made of high tear strength paper can be 

sorted on automated processing 

equipment without tearing or shattering. 

Some commenters objected to the 

increase in required paper grade for the 

covers of booklets. Paper values 

published in the DMM varied by 

product. Our new booklet illustrations 

and descriptions are based on bookgrade paper. Paper grades are printed on 

the packaging of reams, boxes, and rolls 

of paper. 

The maximum weight of automation 

letters was a concern for some 

customers. The proposal did not change 

the maximum allowable weight for 

booklets. According to current standards 

in DMM 201.3.14.4, letters that weigh 

more than 3 ounces must be prepared in 

a sealed envelope, therefore booklets 

weighing more than 3 ounces must be 

prepared in sealed envelopes. Our 

standards reflect this required mailpiece 

characteristic. 

Based on the results of continued 

testing, a modification to the standards 

was published in the Federal Register 

on December 29, 2008, increasing the 

amount of acceptable tab overhang from 

1/32 of an inch to 1/16 of an inch. 

The Postal Service adopts the 

following changes to Mailing Standards 

of the United States Postal Service, 

Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), 

incorporated by reference in the Code of 

Federal Regulations. See 39 CFR 111.1. 

List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 111 

Administrative practice and 

procedure, Postal Service. 

■ Accordingly, 39 CFR part 111 is 

amended as follows. 

PART 111—[AMENDED] 

■ 1. The authority citation for 39 CFR 

part 111 continues to read as follows: 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with RULES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 71 / Wednesday, April 15, 2009 / Rules and Regulations 17401 

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

401, 403, 404, 414, 416, 3001–3011, 3201– 

3219, 3403–3406, 3621, 3622, 3626, 3632, 

3633, and 5001. 

■ 2. Revise the following sections of 

Mailing Standards of the United States 

Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual 

(DMM) as follows: 

Mailing Standards of the United States 

Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual 

(DMM) 

* * * * * 

200 Commercial Mail Letters and 

Cards 

201 Physical Standards 

1.0 Physical Standards for 

Machinable Letters and Cards 

1.1 Physical Standards for 

Machinable Letters 

* * * * * 

1.1.3 All Machinable Letters 

[Revise the first sentence of 1.1.3 as 

follows:] 

All pieces of First-Class Mail and 

Standard Mail machinable letters must 

meet the standards for automationcompatible letters in 201.3.0. * * * 

* * * * * 

3.0 Physical Standards for 

Automation Letters and Cards 

[Revise text of 3.1 as follows:] 

3.1 Basic Standards Automation 

Letters and Cards 

Letters and cards claimed at any 

machinable, automation, or Standard 

Mail carrier route price, must meet the 

standards in 3.0. Unless prepared as a 

folded self-mailer, booklet, or postcard 

under 3.14 through 3.16, each 

machinable or automation letter must be 

a sealed envelope (the preferred 

method) or, if unenveloped, must be 

sealed or glued completely along all 

four sides. 

[Delete current 3.4 through 3.6 in their 

entirety.] 

[Renumber current 3.2 through 3.3 as 

new 3.3 through 3.4.] 

[Add new 3.2 as follows:] 

3.2 Paper Weight 

Mailpieces should be constructed 

from high tear strength paper stock. All 

references in 3.0 to paper basis weight 

are for book-grade paper unless 

otherwise stated. The conversion table 

in Exhibit 3.2 provides a paper basis 

weight cross-reference. 

Exhibit 3.2 Paper Basis Weight 

Conversion Table 

Note: Paper basis weight is based on the 

weight of 500 sheets of: 25 x 38 inch sheets 

of book-grade paper, 17 x 22 inch bond-grade 

paper, 20 x 26 inch sheets of cover-grade 

paper, 24 x 36 inch sheets of newsprint. For 

example, if 500 sheets of book-grade paper 

weigh 39 pounds, the paper is considered 39- 

pound book paper. 

Book wt. Bond wt. Cover wt. Newsprint wt. 

39 ......................................................................................................................................................... 15 21 35 

40 ......................................................................................................................................................... 16 22 36 

50 ......................................................................................................................................................... 20 27 45 

55 ......................................................................................................................................................... 22 30 50 

60 ......................................................................................................................................................... 24 33 55 

70 ......................................................................................................................................................... 28 40 64 

75 ......................................................................................................................................................... 30 41 68 

80 ......................................................................................................................................................... 31 44 73 

90 ......................................................................................................................................................... 36 50 82 

100 ....................................................................................................................................................... 40 56 91 

110 ....................................................................................................................................................... 44 60 100 

128 ....................................................................................................................................................... 50 70 116 

[Revise heading and introductory text 

of renumbered 3.3 as follows:] 

3.3 Dimensions and Shape 

Each machinable or automation lettersized piece must be rectangular (see 

1.1.1) and must meet the following 

standards (see 3.15 for booklets): 

* * * * * 

[Add new 3.5 as follows:] 

3.5 Maximum Weight, Machinable 

and Automation Letters and Cards 

The following maximum weight 

limits apply: 

a. Booklets and folded self-mailers— 

3 ounces. 

b. Machinable enveloped letters and 

cards—3.3 ounces. 

c. Automation enveloped letters and 

cards—3.5 ounces (see 3.6 for pieces 

over 3 ounces.) 

[Renumber current 3.14.4 as new 3.6 

and revise heading and text as follows:] 

3.6 Heavy Letter Mail (Over 3 Ounces) 

Heavy letter mail (letter-size pieces 

over 3 ounces) must be prepared in a 

sealed envelope, may not contain stiff 

enclosures, and must have an 11-digit 

delivery point POSTNET or an 

Intelligent Mail barcode with a routing 

code in the address block (see 202.5.0). 

* * * * * 

[Revise heading and text of 3.11 as 

follows:] 

3.11 Tabs, Tape, and Glue 

Tabs on booklets must be at least 11⁄2

inches in width. The tab placement 

standards in 3.15 are subject to 1⁄4-inch 

variance in either direction. Tabs may 

be made of opaque paper, translucent 

paper, vinyl or plastic, and must not 

contain perforations. Cellophane tape 

may also be used as a closure. The 

following standards also apply: 

a. Translucent paper tabs should be 

made of paper with a minimum of 40- 

pound basis weight. 

b. Opaque paper tabs should be made 

of a minimum of 60-pound basis weight 

paper with a tear strength of at least 56 

grams of force in the machine direction 

(MD) and 60 grams of force in the cross 

direction (CD). 

c. Tabs in the barcode clear zone must 

have a paper face meeting the standards 

for background reflectance and, if the 

barcode is not preprinted by the mailer, 

the standards for acceptance of waterbased ink. 

d. Vinyl tabs and cellophane tape 

closures are not acceptable within the 

barcode clear zone. 

e. Tabs must be tight against the edge 

of the mailpiece. A maximum 1⁄16-inch 

overhang is recommended. 

f. Glue spots may be used in lieu of 

tabs and must be placed within 3⁄4-inch 

of the open edges (see Exhibit 

201.3.11.f). 


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17402 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 71 / Wednesday, April 15, 2009 / Rules and Regulations 

Exhibit 201.3.11.f Glue Spot 

Placement 

g. Continuous glue lines may be used 

as cover-to-cover seals and must be 

placed along the entire length of the 

open edge and end no more than 3⁄4- 

inch from the open ends (see Exhibit 

201.3.11.g). 

Exhibit 201.3.11.g Glue Line 

Placement 

* * * * * 

[Revise the title of 3.14 and 

restructure as follows:] 

3.14 Folded Self-Mailers 

[Add new 3.14.1 to read as follows:] 

3.14.1 General 

The standards in 3.14.2 for folded 

self-mailers are basic requirements. 

[Renumber current 3.14.1 as new 

3.14.2.] 

[Renumber current 3.14.2 as new 3.15 

and revise as follows:] 

3.15 Booklets 

3.15.1 Definition 

Booklets must have a bound edge. 

Sheets that are fastened with at least 

two staples in the manufacturing fold 

(saddle stitched), perfect bound, 

pressed-glued, or joined together by 

another binding method that produces 

an end where pages are attached 

together are considered booklets. 

Booklets are open on three sides before 

sealing, similar in design to a book. In 

general, booklets must be uniformly 

thick. Large bound booklets that are 

folded for mailing qualify for 

automation and machinable prices if the 

final mailpiece remains nearly uniform 

in thickness. 

3.15.2 Paper 

Booklet covers generally must be 

made with a minimum paper basis 

weight of 60-pounds or equivalent. 

Minimum basis weights are higher for 

some designs (see 3.15.4). 

3.15.3 Physical Standards for Booklets 

Booklets must be: 

a. Height: Not more than 6 inches or 

less than 3.5 inches high. 

b. Length: Not more than 10.5 inches 

or less than 5 inches long. See Exhibit 

3.15.4 for some booklet designs with 

shorter maximum lengths. 

c. Thickness: Not more than 0.25 inch 

or less than 0.009 inch thick. 

d. Weight: Not more than 3 ounces. 

e. Aspect ratio: Within 1.3 to 2.5 (see 

201.3.1). 

3.15.4 Booklet Design and Sealing 

Booklets may be designed with the 

spine or final fold at the bottom or on 

the leading edge. See Exhibit 3.15.4 for 

design and sealing standards. 

BILLING CODE 7710–12–P 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with RULESER15AP09.000</GPH> ER15AP09.001</GPH>
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 71 / Wednesday, April 15, 2009 / Rules and Regulations 17403 

[Renumber current 3.14.3 as new 

3.16.] 

[Renumber current 3.14.4 as new 3.6.] 

[Renumber current 3.15 as new 3.17.] 

* * * * * 

We will publish an appropriate 

amendment to 39 CFR part 111. 

Stanley F. Mires, 

Chief Counsel, Legislative. 

[FR Doc. E9–8532 Filed 4–14–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7710–12–C 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

40 CFR Part 35 

[EPA–HQ–OW–2006–0765; FRL–8792–3] 

RIN 2040–AE99 

Withdrawal of NPDES Voluntary Permit 

Fee Incentive for Clean Water Act 

Section 106 Grants; Allotment Formula 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: EPA is taking final action on 

withdrawal of a regulation revising the 

allotment formula contained in EPA’s 

Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 106 

Water Pollution Control grant 

regulations. The current regulations 

include a financial incentive for States 

to voluntarily collect adequate National 

Pollutant Discharge Elimination System 

(NPDES) permit fees. This final rule 

withdraws the financial incentive for 

States to voluntarily collect permit fees. 

DATES: This rule is effective on April 15, 

2009 without further notice. 

ADDRESSES: EPA has established a 

docket for this action under Docket ID 

No. EPA–HQ–OW–2006–0765. All 

documents in the docket are listed in 

the www.regulations.gov index. 

Although listed in the index, some 

information is not publicly available, 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with RULESER15AP09.002</GPH>