48768 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 166 / Tuesday, August 31, 2021 / Notices 

The meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. 

and end at approximately 4:00 p.m. 

with a one-hour break for lunch. The 

purpose of the open meeting is for the 

members of the ERISA Advisory 

Council to discuss potential 

recommendations for the Secretary of 

Labor on the issues of: (1) Gaps in 

Retirement Savings Based on Race, 

Ethnicity and Gender, and (2) 

Understanding Brokerage Windows in 

Self-Directed Retirement Plans. 

Descriptions of these topics are 

available on the ERISA Advisory 

Council’s web page at https://

www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/about-ebsa/ 

about-us/erisa-advisory-council. 

Instructions for public access to the 

teleconference meeting will be available 

on the ERISA Advisory Council’s web 

page at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ 

ebsa/about-ebsa/about-us/erisaadvisory-council prior to the meeting. 

Organizations or members of the 

public wishing to submit a written 

statement may do so on or before 

Thursday, September 23, 2021, to 

Christine Donahue, Executive Secretary, 

ERISA Advisory Council. Statements 

should be transmitted electronically as 

an email attachment in text or pdf 

format to donahue.christine@dol.gov. 

Statements transmitted electronically 

that are included in the body of the 

email will not be accepted. Relevant 

statements received on or before 

Thursday, September 23, 2021, will be 

included in the record of the meeting 

and made available through the 

Employee Benefits Security 

Administration Public Disclosure Room. 

No deletions, modifications, or 

redactions will be made to the 

statements received as they are public 

records. 

Individuals or representatives of 

organizations wishing to address the 

ERISA Advisory Council should 

forward their requests to the Executive 

Secretary no later than Thursday, 

September 23, 2021, via email to 

donahue.christine@dol.gov or by 

telephoning (202) 693–8641. Oral 

presentations will be limited to ten 

minutes, time permitting, but an 

extended statement may be submitted 

for the record. 

Individuals who need special 

accommodations should contact the 

Executive Secretary no later than 

Thursday, September 23, 2021, via 

email to donahue.christine@dol.gov or 

by telephoning (202) 693–8641. 

For more information about the 

meeting, contact the Executive Secretary 

at the address or telephone number 

above. 

Signed at Washington, DC, this 25th day of 

August, 2021. 

Ali Khawar, 

Acting Assistant Secretary, Employee Benefits 

Security Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2021–18745 Filed 8–30–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–29–P 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Mine Safety and Health Administration 

[OMB Control No. 1219–0121] 

Proposed Extension of Information 

Collection; Safety Standards for Roof 

Bolts in Metal and Nonmetal Mines and 

Underground Coal Mines 

AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health 

Administration, Labor. 

ACTION: Request for public comments. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as 

part of its continuing effort to reduce 

paperwork and respondent burden, 

conducts a pre-clearance request for 

comment to provide the general public 

and Federal agencies with an 

opportunity to comment on proposed 

collections of information in accordance 

with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995. This request helps to ensure that: 

Requested data can be provided in the 

desired format; reporting burden (time 

and financial resources) is minimized; 

collection instruments are clearly 

understood; and the impact of collection 

requirements on respondents can be 

properly assessed. Currently, the Mine 

Safety and Health Administration 

(MSHA) is soliciting comments on the 

information collection for Safety 

Standards for Roof Bolts in Metal and 

Nonmetal Mines and Underground Coal 

Mines. 

DATES: All comments must be received 

on or before November 1, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comment 

as follows. Please note that late, 

untimely filed comments will not be 

considered. 

Electronic Submissions: Submit 

electronic comments in the following 

way: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: 

https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments 

for docket number MSHA–2021–0027. 

Comments submitted electronically, 

including attachments, to https://

www.regulations.gov will be posted to 

the docket, with no changes. Because 

your comment will be made public, you 

are responsible for ensuring that your 

comment does not include any 

confidential information that you or a 

third party may not wish to be posted, 

such as your or anyone else’s Social 

Security number or confidential 

business information. 

• If your comment includes 

confidential information that you do not 

wish to be made available to the public, 

submit the comment as a written/paper 

submission. 

Written/Paper Submissions: Submit 

written/paper submissions in the 

following way: 

• Mail/Hand Delivery: Mail or visit 

DOL–MSHA, Office of Standards, 

Regulations, and Variances, 201 12th 

Street South, Suite 4E401, Arlington, 

VA 22202–5452. 

• MSHA will post your comment as 

well as any attachments, except for 

information submitted and marked as 

confidential, in the docket at https://

www.regulations.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jessica Senk, Director, Office of 

Standards, Regulations, and Variances, 

MSHA, at 

MSHA.information.collections@dol.gov 

(email); (202) 693–9440 (voice); or (202) 

693–9441 (facsimile). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

Section 103(h) of the Federal Mine 

Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine 

Act), 30 U.S.C. 813(h), authorizes 

MSHA to collect information necessary 

to carry out its duty in protecting the 

safety and health of miners. Further, 

section 101(a) of the Mine Act, 30 U.S.C. 

811, authorizes the Secretary of Labor 

(Secretary) to develop, promulgate, and 

revise as may be appropriate, improved 

mandatory health or safety standards for 

the protection of life and prevention of 

injuries in coal and metal and nonmetal 

mines. 

Accidents involving falls of roof, face, 

and rib in underground mines or falls of 

highwall in surface mines, historically, 

have been among the leading causes of 

miners’ injuries and deaths. Prevention 

or control of falls of roof, face, and rib 

is uniquely difficult because of the 

variety of conditions encountered in 

mines that can affect the stability of 

various types of strata and the changing 

nature of the forces affecting ground 

stability at any given operation and 

time. Roof and rock bolts and 

accessories are integral parts of ground 

control systems and are used to prevent 

the fall of roof, face, and rib. 

Advancements in the technology of roof 

and rock bolts and accessories have 

aided in reducing the hazards associated 

with falls of roof, face, and rib. 

The American Society for Testing and 

Materials (ASTM) publication 

‘‘Standard Specification for Roof and 

Rock Bolts and Accessories’’ is a 


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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 166 / Tuesday, August 31, 2021 / Notices 48769 

consensus standard used throughout the 

United States. It contains specifications 

for the chemical, mechanical, and 

dimensional requirements for roof and 

rock bolts and accessories used for 

ground support systems. The ASTM 

standard for roof and rock bolts and 

accessories is updated periodically to 

reflect advances in technology. 

Title 30 Code of Federal Regulations, 

parts 56 and 57 Subpart B–Ground 

Control, sections 56.3203 and 57.3203, 

and part 75 Subpart C–Roof Support, 

section 75.204, address the quality of 

roof and rock bolts and accessories and 

their installation. MSHA’s objective in 

these regulations is to ensure the quality 

and effectiveness of roof and rock bolts 

and accessories and, as technology 

evolves, to allow for the use of new 

materials which are proven to be 

reliable and effective in controlling the 

mine roof, face, and rib. 

Title 30 CFR 56.3203(a), 57.3203(a), 

and 75.204(a) require: (1) That mine 

operators obtain a certification from the 

manufacturer that roof and rock bolts 

and accessories are manufactured and 

tested in accordance with the applicable 

ASTM specifications, and (2) that the 

manufacturer’s certification is made 

available to an authorized representative 

of the Secretary. 

Title 30 CFR 56.3203(h) and 

57.3203(h) require that if the mine 

operator uses other tensioned and nontensioned fixtures and accessories for 

ground control that are not addressed by 

the applicable ASTM standard listed in 

sections 56.3203(a) and 57.3203(a), test 

methods must be established by the 

mine operator and used to verify their 

ground control effectiveness. Title 30 

CFR 56.3203(i) and 57.3203(i) require 

the mine operator to certify that the tests 

developed under sections 56.3203(h) 

and 57.3203(h) were conducted and 

such certifications be made available to 

an authorized representative of the 

Secretary. 

Title 30 CFR 75.204(f)(6) requires that 

the mine operator or a person 

designated by the operator certify by 

signature and date that the 

measurements required by paragraph 

(f)(5) of this section have been made. 

Paragraph (f)(5) requires that in working 

places from which coal is produced 

during any portion of a 24-hour period, 

the actual torque or tension on at least 

1 out of every 10 previously installed 

mechanically anchored tensioned roof 

bolts is measured from the outby corner 

of the last open crosscut to the face in 

each advancing section. This 

certification shall be maintained for at 

least 1 year and shall be made available 

to an authorized representative of the 

Secretary and representatives of miners. 

The certification requirements are 

necessary to ensure compliance with the 

requirements for roof and rock bolts and 

accessories. 

II. Desired Focus of Comments 

MSHA is soliciting comments 

concerning the proposed information 

collection related to Safety Standards 

for Roof Bolts in Metal and Nonmetal 

Mines and Underground Coal Mines. 

MSHA is particularly interested in 

comments that: 

• Evaluate whether the collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

Agency, including whether the 

information has practical utility; 

• Evaluate the accuracy of MSHA’s 

estimate of the burden of the collection 

of information, including the validity of 

the methodology and assumptions used; 

• Suggest methods to enhance the 

quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and 

• Minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, including through the 

use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology, 

e.g., permitting electronic submission of 

responses. 

Background documents related to this 

information collection request are 

available at https://regulations.gov and 

at DOL–MSHA located at 201 12th 

Street South, Suite 4E401, Arlington, 

VA 22202–5452. Questions about the 

information collection requirements 

may be directed to the person listed in 

the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION section of 

this notice. 

III. Current Actions 

This information collection request 

concerns provisions for Safety 

Standards for Roof Bolts in Metal and 

Nonmetal Mines and Underground Coal 

Mines. MSHA has updated the data 

with respect to the number of 

respondents, responses, burden hours, 

and burden costs supporting this 

information collection request from the 

previous information collection request. 

Type of Review: Extension, without 

change, of a currently approved 

collection. 

Agency: Mine Safety and Health 

Administration. 

OMB Number: 1219–0121. 

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit. 

Number of Respondents: 345. 

Frequency: On occasion. 

Number of Responses: 43,558. 

Annual Burden Hours: 420 hours. 

Annual Respondent or Recordkeeper 

Cost: $0. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized in the 

request for Office of Management and 

Budget approval of the proposed 

information collection request; they will 

become a matter of public record and 

will be available at https://

www.reginfo.gov. 

Jessica Senk, 

Certifying Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2021–18712 Filed 8–30–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–43–P 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Notice of Permit Applications Received 

Under the Antarctic Conservation Act 

of 1978 

AGENCY: National Science Foundation. 

ACTION: Notice of permit applications 

received. 

SUMMARY: The National Science 

Foundation (NSF) is required to publish 

a notice of permit applications received 

to conduct activities regulated under the 

Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978. 

NSF has published regulations under 

the Antarctic Conservation Act in the 

Code of Federal Regulations. This is the 

required notice of permit applications 

received. 

DATES: Interested parties are invited to 

submit written data, comments, or 

views with respect to this permit 

application by September 30, 2021 This 

application may be inspected by 

interested parties at the Permit Office, 

address below. 

ADDRESSES: Comments should be 

addressed to Permit Office, Office of 

Polar Programs, National Science 

Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, 

Alexandria, Virginia 22314 or 

ACApermits@nsf.gov 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Polly Penhale, ACA Permit Officer, at 

the above address, 703–292–8030. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

National Science Foundation, as 

directed by the Antarctic Conservation 

Act of 1978 (Public Law 95–541, 45 CFR 

671), as amended by the Antarctic 

Science, Tourism and Conservation Act 

of 1996, has developed regulations for 

the establishment of a permit system for 

various activities in Antarctica and 

designation of certain animals and 

certain geographic areas a requiring 

special protection. The regulations 

establish such a permit system to 

designate Antarctic Specially Protected 

Areas. 


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