22080 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 2, 2001 / Proposed Rules

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Special Programs

Administration

49 CFR Part 107

[Docket No. RSPA–00–8439 (HM–208D)]

RIN 2137–AD53

Hazardous Materials: Temporary

Reduction of Registration Fees

AGENCY: Research and Special Programs

Administration (RSPA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking;

status.

SUMMARY: RSPA is issuing this

document to inform persons of the

status of a Notice of Proposed

Rulemaking (NPRM) which it published

in the Federal Register on December 7,

2000, proposing to: temporarily lower

the registration fees paid by persons

who transport or offer for transportation

in commerce certain categories and

quantities of hazardous materials;

charge not-for-profit organizations the

same registration fee as a small

business; and use the North American

Industry Classification System for size

criteria for determining if an entity is a

small business. Consistent with the

President’s fiscal year 2002 budget

request to Congress, RSPA is delaying

final action on these proposals pending

enactment of the Fiscal Year 2002

Department of Transportation

appropriations. Therefore, under the

existing regulations, for registration year

2001–2002, which begins July 1, 2001,

the registration fees remain $300

(including a $25 processing fee) for

small businesses and $2,000 (including

a $25 processing fee) for all other

businesses.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

David Donaldson, Office of Hazardous

Materials Planning and Analysis, (202)

366–4484, or Ms. Deborah Boothe,

Office of Hazardous Materials

Standards, (202) 366–8553, Research

and Special Programs Administration,

U.S. Department of Transportation, 400

Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC

20590.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

December 7, 2000 (65 FR 76889), RSPA

issued an NPRM proposing to

temporarily lower the registration fee for

all registrants for the next six

registration years (2001–2002 through

2006–2007) in order to eliminate an

unexpended balance (or surplus) in the

Hazardous Materials Emergency

Preparedness (HMEP) grants fund. The

HMEP grants program supports

hazardous material emergency response

planning and training activities by

States, local governments, and Indian

tribes and related activities. RSPA also

proposed to amend its reference to the

Small Business Administration (SBA)

small business criteria to reflect SBA’s

recent replacement of the Standard

Industrial Classification (SIC) code

system with the North American

Industry Classification System. In

addition, RSPA proposed to allow

payment by additional credit cards than

previously authorized.

On April 9, 2001 the President

submitted his fiscal year 2002 budget

request to Congress. In that budget

request, the President proposes to fund

a portion of RSPA’s hazardous materials

safety program budget from fees

collected through the Hazardous

Materials Registration program.

Consistent with the President’s budget

request to Congress, RSPA is delaying

final action on all proposals contained

in this rulemaking pending enactment

of the Fiscal Year 2002 Department of

Transportation appropriations.

Therefore, under the existing

regulations, for registration year 2001–

2002, which begins July 1, 2001, the

registration fees remain unchanged at

$300 (including a $25 processing fee) for

small businesses and $2,000 (including

a $25 processing fee) for all other

businesses. RSPA is also delaying action

on all other proposals contained in the

December 7, 2000 NPRM. RSPA

received 19 comments to the NPRM.

These comments will be considered in

any future rulemaking action published

under this docket. A copy of the 2001–

2002 registration form can be obtained

after May 1, 2001, from our web site at

http://hazmat.dot.gov/register.htm and

from our fax-on-demand service at 1–

800–467–4922 (extension 2; document

700) .

Issued in Washington, DC, on April 27,

2001.

Robert A. McGuire,

Associate Administrator for Hazardous

Materials Safety.

[FR Doc. 01–10953 Filed 5–1–01; 8:45 am]

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