Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 75 / Tuesday, April 18, 2000 / Notices 20845

legislation to the Congress proposing the

MSP and the EPP, based on its analysis

of current and future national security

sealift requirements and the likely

composition of the privately-owned

U.S.-flag merchant fleet. The Congress

found that, ‘‘Without remedial action,

there simply will be no U.S. fleet to

conduct foreign commerce, and the

United States may have difficulty

manning our Ready Reserve Force (RRF)

and will have to rely on foreign-flag

shipping for all imports and exports and

for the sustainment of future military

operations’’ (Senate Report 104–167).

Public Law (P.L.) 104–239, the Maritime

Security Act of 1996, was enacted on

October 8, 1996, to ‘‘assure the

continued presence of an active,

privately owned, U.S.-flag and U.S.-

crewed merchant shipping fleet to meet

national and foreign commerce needs

and to provide sustainment sealift

capability in time of war or national

emergency.’’ P.L. 104–239 establishes

the MSP fleet ‘‘* * * of active,

militarily useful, privately-owned

vessels to meet national defense and

other security requirements and

maintain a United States presence in

international commercial shipping.’’

As authorized through FY 2005, the

MSP provides financial assistance to

vessel operators to partially offset the

higher costs of U.S.-flag operation in

international trade. In return, MSP

participants must commit enrolled

vessels and associated intermodal

resources to a DoD-approved EPP. The

VISA program is the element of the MSP

which assures DoD access to the U.S.

commercial fleet by providing

intermodal sealift and total logistical

support to DoD in a time of war,

national emergency, or whenever the

Secretary of Defense determines it is

necessary for national security. The

VISA program enables DoD to secure

space to transport military supplies and

equipment. Today, MSP vessels

constitute the vast majority (70 percent)

of VISA sealift capacity.

MARAD is seeking empirical

information from vessel operators and

other affected parties in the maritime

and transportation industries, such as

shippers, maritime labor, DoD and other

Federal agencies to assess the MSP’s

impact on DoD sealift capability and the

U.S. merchant fleet. Information is

requested on the following issues: (1)

Whether the MSP and the VISA

programs have accomplished the goals

of ‘‘ensuring the availability of a U.S.

maritime fleet for wartime or national

emergencies and * * * to retain a pool

of qualified mariners to serve on these

vessels’’; (2) The effectiveness of the

MSP as a mechanism to retain vessels

under U.S. registry; (3) The effect of the

MSP’s fixed financial assistance of $2.1

million per ship annually on the

international competitiveness of MSP

carriers; (4) The impact of the MSP

payment as an economic incentive for

carriers to replace existing vessels with

newer ships; (5) Whether other factors

have greater impact on carriers’ fleet

replacement decisions, and, if so, what

these are; (6) The aspects of the MSP or

VISA program that affect carriers’

willingness to participate; (7) The

appropriateness of the compensation

levels for carriage of contingency

cargoes; (8) The impact of statutory

restrictions—i.e., Section 656 (cargo

movements in domestic noncontiguous

trade) and Section 804 (prohibition on

operating competing foreign-flag

vessels) of the Merchant Marine Act,

1936, as amended; the cap on the

amount of cargo preference that can be

carried on MSP vessels; the requirement

to operate 320 days a year; Section 2

citizenship requirements, and trust

arrangements; (9) The external factors

that have a significant effect on program

impact; (10) MSP participant plans if

the MSP is not authorized beyond 2005;

and (11) The aspects of program

implementation that need to be changed

to accomplish program objectives.

MARAD is also soliciting comments as

to whether other complementary

programs, policies, or Federal

Government actions would meet the

statutory objectives of P.L. 104–239.

You may submit written comments by

hand or mail by the close of business on

June 15, 2000 to the Docket

Management Facility, U.S. DOT

Dockets, Room PL–401, Department of

Transportation, 400 7th St., SW,

Washington, DC 20590–0001.

Comments should refer to docket

number MARAD–2000–7247. You may

also send comments electronically via

the Internet at http://dmses.dot.gov/

submit. All comments will become part

of this docket and will be available for

inspection and copying at the above

address between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.,

E.D.T., Monday through Friday, except

federal holidays. An electronic version

of this document and all documents

entered into this docket is available on

the World Wide Web at http://

dms.dot.gov. The Maritime

Administration, as a matter of

discretion, will consider any comments

submitted and take such action with

respect thereto as may be deemed

appropriate.

Dated: April 13, 2000.

By order of the Maritime Administrator.

Joel C. Richard,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–9683 Filed 4–17–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–81–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Special Programs

Administration

Office of Hazardous Materials Safety;

Notice of Applications for Exemptions

AGENCY: Research and Special Programs

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: List of Applicants for

Exemptions.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

procedures governing the application

for, and the processing of, exemptions

from the Department of Transportation’s

Hazardous Materials Regulations (49

CFR part 107, subpart B), notice is

hereby given that the Office of

Hazardous Materials Safety has received

the applications described herein. Each

mode of transportation for which a

particular exemption is requested is

indicated by a number in the ‘‘Nature of

Application’’ portion of the table below

as follows: 1—Motor vehicle, 2—Rail

freight, 3—Cargo vessel, 4—Cargo

aircraft only, 5—Passenger-carrying

aircraft.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before May 18, 2000.

ADDRESS COMMENTS TO: Records Center,

Research and Special Programs,

Administration, U.S. Department of

Transportation, Washington, DC 20590.

Comments should refer to the

application number and be submitted in

triplicate. If confirmation of receipt of

comments is desired, include a selfaddressed stamped postcard showing

the exemption application number.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Copies of the applications (See Docket

Number) are available for inspection at

the New Docket Management Facility,

PL–401, at the U.S. Department of

Transportation, Nassif Building, 400 7th

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590 or at

http://dms.dot.gov.

This notice of receipt of applications

for new exemptions is published in

accordance with Part 107 of the Federal

hazardous materials transportation law

(49 U.S.C. 5117(b); 49 CFR 1.53(b)).

Issued in Washington, DC, on April 12,

2000.

J. Suzanne Hedgepeth,

Director, Office of Hazardous Materials

Exemptions and Approvals.

20846 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 75 / Tuesday, April 18, 2000 / Notices

NEW EXEMPTIONS

Application

No. Docket No. Applicant Regulation(s) affected Nature of exemption thereof

12440–N ...... RSPA–00–7212 Luxfer Inc., Riverside, CA .... 49 CFR 173.301(h),

173.302(a), 178.46(a)(4),

178.46(c)(i).

To authorize the manufacture, marking and

sale of non-DOT specification cylinders

for use in transporting various Division

2.2 materials. (Modes 1, 2, 3, 4.)

12442–N ...... RSPA–00–7208 Cryogenic Vessel Alternatives, La Porte, TX.49 CFR 178.338 .................. To authorize the transportation in commerce of liquid nitrogen, cryogenic liquid,

Division 2.2 in insulated portable tanks

by cargo vessel for delivery to oil and

gas production facilities. (Modes 1, 3.)

12443–N ...... RSPA–00–7209 ChemCentral/Charlotte,

Charlotte, NC.

49 CFR 174.67(i) & (j) ......... To authorize rail cars containing Class 8

hazardous materials to remain attached

to unloading connectors without the

physical presence of an unloader. (Mode

2.)

12444–N ...... RSPA–00–7210 ST Services, Dallas, TX ....... 49 CFR 174.67(i) & (j) ......... To authorize rail cars containing Class 3

hazardous material to remain attached to

unloading connectors without the physical presence of an unloader. (Mode 2.)

12446–N ...... RSPA–00–7211 Japan Defense Agency,

Redstone Arsenal, AL.

49 CFR 173.301(i) ............... To authorize the transportation in commerce of foreign high pressure gas cylinders containing Division 2.2 material.

(Modes 1, 2.)

12449–N ...... RSPA–00–7213 Indesin S.A. de C.V., Estado

de, MX.

49 CFR 173.315 .................. To authorize the manufacture, marking and

sale of a non-DOT specification pressure

vessel for use in transporting compressed gases classed in Division 2.1

and 2.2. (Modes 1, 2, 3.)

12450–N ...... RSPA–00–7214 Indesin S.A. de C.V., Estado

de, MX.

49 CFR 173.315 .................. To authorize the manufacture, marking and

sale of a non-DOT specification pressure

vessel for use in transporting chlorine,

Division 2.3. (Modes 1, 2, 3.)

[FR Doc. 00–9637 Filed 4–17–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–60–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Special Programs

Administration

Office of Hazardous Materials Safety;

Notice of Applications for Modification

of Exemption

AGENCY: Research and Special Programs

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: List of applications for

modification of exemptions.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

procedures governing the application

for, and the processing of, exemptions

from the Department of Transportation’s

Hazardous Materials Regulations (49

CFR part 107, subpart B), notice is

hereby given that the Office of

Hazardous Materials Safety has received

the applications described herein. This

notice is abbreviated to expedite

docketing and public notice. Because

the sections affected, modes of

transportation, and the nature of

application have been shown in earlier

Federal Register publications, they are

not repeated here. Requests for

modifications of exemptions (e.g. to

provide for additional hazardous

materials, packaging design changes,

additional mode of transportation, etc.)

are described in footnotes to the

application number. Application

numbers with the suffix ‘‘M’’ denote a

modification request. These

applications have been separated from

the new applications for exemptions to

facilitate processing.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before May 3, 2000.

ADDRESS COMMENTS TO: Records Center,

Research and Special Programs

Administration, U.S. Department of

Transportation, Washington, DC 20590.

Comments should refer to the

application number and be submitted in

triplicate. If confirmation of receipt of

comments is desired, include a selfaddressed stamped postcard showing

the exemption number.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Copies of the applications are available

for inspection in the Records Center,

Nassif Building, 400 7th Street SW,

Washington, DC or at http://

dms.dot.gov.

This notice of receipt of applications

for modification of exemptions is

published in accordance with part 107

of the Federal hazardous materials

transportation law (49 U.S.C. 5117(b);

49 CFR 1.53(b)).

Issued in Washington, DC, on April 12,

2000.

J. Suzanne Hedgepeth,

Director, Office of Hazardous Materials,

Exemptions and Approvals.

Application

No. Docket No. Applicant

Modification

of

exemption

3216–M ....... ................................ DuPont SHE Excellence Center, Wilmington, DE1 .................................................................. 3216

6658–M ....... ................................ Mason & Hanger Corp. (USDOE/Pantex Plant), Amarillo, TX2 ............................................... 6658

11316–M ..... ................................ TRW Automotive, Queen Creek, AZ 3 ....................................................................................... 11316

1916–M ....... RSPA–1997–2740 CP Industries, Inc., McKeesport, PA4 ....................................................................................... 11916