Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 108 / Tuesday, June 5, 2001 / Notices 30177

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Kenneth M. Pusateri,

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[FR Doc. 01–14009 Filed 6–4–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3670–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Federal Student Financial Assistance

Programs under Title IV of the Higher

Education Act of 1965, as Amended

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice inviting proposals for

participation in experimental sites.

SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education

invites institutions of higher education

to propose new ways of administering

the student financial assistance

programs authorized by Title IV of the

Higher Education Act of 1965, as

amended (HEA). Under section 487A(b)

of the HEA, if the Secretary approves an

institution as an experimental site as a

part of this student aid reform initiative,

the institution may receive waivers from

specific Title IV statutory or regulatory

requirements that would bias

experimental results. The Secretary

cannot waive provisions in the areas of

need analysis, award rules, and grant

and loan maximum award amounts.

However, the Secretary anticipates

approving experiments in a wide variety

of other areas.

Instructions for Submitting a

Proposal: Elements to be included in the

proposal are described in this notice.

Proposals should be submitted

electronically by electronic mail or in

hard copy to the address below. All

proposals should clearly designate a

contact person, and the telephone

number and the e-mail address of the

contact person.

DATES: Proposals may be submitted in

response to this notice at any time after

June 4, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Barbara A. Mroz, U.S.

Department of Education, 400 Maryland

Avenue, SW (Room 3925, ROB–3),

Washington, DC, 20202–5232.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jacqulyn S. Bannister, U.S. Department

of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue,

SW (Room 3925, ROB–3), Washington,

DC, 20202–5232, telephone: (202) 708–

7438 or via internet:

Jackie.Bannister@ed.gov.

If you use a telecommunications

device for the deaf (TDD), you may call

the Federal Information Relay Service

(FIRS) at 1–888–877–8339.

Individuals with disabilities may

obtain this document in an alternative

format (e.g. Braille, large print,

audiotape, or computer diskette) by

contacting the Alternate Format Center

at (202) 260–9895.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Over the past few years, the

Department of Education has

undertaken a series of initiatives to

simplify regulations and administrative

processes for the student financial

assistance programs. The Experimental

Sites Initiative, authorized by section

487A(b) of the HEA, is one such

initiative. Through this initiative, the

Secretary seeks to improve service to

students and free institutions of higher

education from administrative burdens

by testing new ways to administer

certain SFA statutory and regulatory

requirements.

Initially, Congress gave the

Department authority under section

487A(d) of the HEA of 1992 to treat

select institutions as experimental sites.

The first group of experiments became

effective July 1, 1996. During the

coming months, the Secretary will

continue this initiative to give

institutions of higher education

flexibility to test different procedures to

carry out the intent of certain SFA

statutory and regulatory requirements.

Thus, with this notice, the Secretary

invites proposals to reinvent the

administration of student financial

assistance programs authorized by

section 487A(b), Regulatory

Improvement and Streamlining

Experiments. One purpose of this

initiative, as well as the Department’s

continuing dialogue with the higher

education community, is to help the

Secretary develop a set of proposals for

amendments to the law or regulations

pertaining to the administration of

student financial aid programs.

The invitation for proposals in this

notice is a part of the Secretary’s

continuing effort to reform Title IV

program administration in partnership

with the higher education community.

The community has given the

Department the benefit of its views in a

variety of ways over the last several

years. The community’s views have

been integrated in the reforms that the

Department has undertaken to date. For

example, in the Higher Education

Amendments of 1998, two of the areas

of experimentation—Thirty Day Delay

for First Time First Year Borrowers and

Multiple Disbursement for Single Term

Loans—were included in

reauthorization for a broader group of

institutions. Institutions with default

rates at or below 10% are eligible for the

exemption from these requirements to

withhold funds for thirty days for first

time, first year borrowers and/or making

multiple disbursements for single term

loans. In addition, the Department has

expanded the Federal Work Study

(FWS) payment provisions and the

means for certification of FWS time

records. It is the Secretary’s hope that in

the proposals invited by this notice, the

community will again address

important issues of program

administration that remain to be

resolved.

Invitation for Proposals

The Secretary invites institutions of

higher education that administer one or

more Title IV programs to submit one or

more proposals to participate as

experimental sites under section

487A(b) of the HEA. This section

authorizes the Secretary to select

institutions for voluntary participation

in experiments to test new ways of

administering the student financial

assistance programs. The Secretary is

further authorized to exempt a

participating institution from many

Title IV statutory or regulatory

requirements while conducting the

experiment, except areas prohibited in

section 487A(b)(3)(C).

The Secretary establishes no

regulatory requirements for the

proposals invited by this notice. It is the

Secretary’s hope that this approach will

encourage institutions to develop truly

innovative strategies that relieve

unnecessary burden, maintain program

accountability, and provide the

Department with data to improve Title

IV program administration. The

Secretary will consider the outcome of

these experimental strategies when

making changes in Title IV program

regulations or, if appropriate, legislative

proposals.

Statutory and Regulatory Provisions

That May Not Be Waived

The Secretary may waive any statute

or regulatory requirement except those

requirements relating to needs analysis,

award rules, and grant and loan

maximum award amounts. Section

487A(b)(3)(C).

Submission of Proposals

An institution that administers a Title

IV program, or a group of these

30178 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 108 / Tuesday, June 5, 2001 / Notices

institutions (consortium), may submit a

proposal in response to this notice at

any time by mailing (including

electronic mail) or faxing the proposal

to Barbara A. Mroz or Jacqulyn

Bannister at 202/708–9485. Each

proposal to participate in this initiative

should include: the name, address, and

web site address, if any, of the

institution, or members of the

consortium seeking to participate, the

OPE Identification number, and the

name, title, mailing and e-mail

addresses, and telephone number of a

contact person for the institution, or

consortium.

The Secretary emphasizes that the

Department seeks to approve proposals

for innovative approaches in a variety of

different areas relating to the

administration of student financial

assistance programs. The Secretary also

encourages institutions to collaborate in

the development of proposals and to

submit proposals as a group of

institutions (consortium).

To aid in the Department’s review of

proposals, the Secretary suggests the

proposal answer the following questions

in detail:

• What problem experienced by the

institution or its students, or both, does

the proposal address?

• What is the institution’s

hypothesis?

• What is the institution’s

experimental design/proposed solution

to that problem?

• From which specific statutory or

regulatory requirements does the

institution seek relief in order to test its

proposed solution?

• What alternative actions does the

institution propose to achieve the

underlying purpose of the requirements

from which relief is sought and how

will it measure outcomes?

• How will the institution evaluate its

success?

• For what period is the experiment

proposed?

Cited below are the areas of

experimentation previously approved

and currently being conducted. The

higher education community selected

the problems addressed by these

experiments because they have been the

subject of considerable commentary. In

other words, the participants identified

most of the provisions being modified

through these experiments as common

problems. A few of the experiments

were specifically proposed to address a

particular problem or a particular

population. In either case, participating

institutions have identified solutions

that they believe will better address the

needs of their student population while

maintaining the fundamental legislative

intent. A report on this initiative,

including a description of each

experiment, can be found on SFA’s

Information for Financial Aid

Professionals (IFAP) site at: http://

www.ifap.ed.gov.

Current Areas of Experimentation

1. Overaward Tolerance.

2. Entrance Loan Counseling.

3. Exit Loan Counseling.

4. Multiple Disbursement for Single

Term Loans.

5. Thirty-Day Delay for First Time,

First Year Borrowers.

6. Loan Fees in Cost of Attendance.

7. Loan Proration for Graduating

Borrowers.

8. Credit Title IV Aid to Institutional

Charges.

9. Credit Title IV Aid to Prior Term

Charges.

10. Academic Term (Definition).

11. Federal Work Study Time

Records.

12. Federal Work Study Payment to

Students.

13. Ability to Benefit.

With this notice, the Secretary

encourages proposals for new

experiments, in areas other than those

listed above. In addition, the Secretary

may develop area(s) of experimentation

or modify current experiments and

invite participation to test the impact

requirements have on different types of

institutions and/or populations served.

Selection of Participants

In selecting participants to test

alternative approaches, the Secretary

may consider the—

1. Department of Education’s capacity

to oversee and monitor participation in

this initiative.

2. Institution’s financial

responsibility, administrative capability,

program review findings, audits, etc. as

outlined in the regulations and in the

Student Financial Aid Handbook:

Institutional Eligibility and

Participation section.

3. Necessity of including a diverse

group of participating institutions vis-avis size, mission, and geographic

distribution.

As part of the selection process, the

Department will screen the prospective

participants to ensure eligibility. A

review of the Department’s files on the

institution will be conducted to

determine if the institution meets

eligibility requirements and has a

demonstrated record of program

compliance.

Review Process

The Secretary is prepared to review

proposals as soon as they are received.

However, early submission (at least

sixty days from the date of this notice)

is encouraged for consideration of

proposals for the 2001–2002 award year.

The Secretary will review each

proposal submitted in response to this

notice. In reviewing proposals, the

Secretary will be guided by the statutory

purpose of section 487A(b), namely, to

inform future policy choices relating to

the administration of Title IV programs.

The Secretary may approve a proposal

as submitted, reject it, or, if a proposal

is not fully approvable but has merit,

work with the institution to refine it.

However, consultation with Congress is

a precondition to granting waivers. After

a proposal is approved, the participating

institution’s Title IV Program

Participation Agreement (PPA) will be

amended to reflect the terms of the

experiment, including the obligations

undertaken by the institution, the

requirements from which the institution

is relieved, the length of the experiment,

and the right of either the institution or

the Department to terminate the

experiment.

Generally, approved experiments will

be conducted for five years. The

Secretary may extend this period if

continuation is in the interest of the

Title IV programs and additional

experimental data is needed. On the

other hand, the Secretary may terminate

any experiment if the experiment is no

longer providing useful data or is

otherwise no longer serving the interest

of the Title IV programs.

Reporting Requirements

Participating institutions will report

annually (a specified date following

each academic year the experiment is in

effect) to the Department on the results

of their experiment(s) using

performance measures agreed upon by

the institution and the Secretary.

Institutions should gather both

qualitative and quantitative information

from their participation and include it

in the annual report. The qualitative

information should describe improved

service to students, and reduced

institutional burden and costs. The

Department also notes that quantitative

measures are essential for reaching

informed decisions relative to change.

Thus, the Secretary will work with the

participating institution(s) to develop a

standard report format designed to

capture data based information to

evaluate the experiment.

Note: The Secretary’s decision on

institutional proposals will be final. There is

no formal appeal process.

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 108 / Tuesday, June 5, 2001 / Notices 30179

Electronic Access to This Document

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Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/

index.html.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1094a.

Dated: May 31, 2001.

Greg Woods,

Chief Operating Officer, Student Financial

Assistance.

[FR Doc. 01–14059 Filed 6–4–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. ER01–1619–000]

Duke Energy Mohave, LLC; Notice of

Issuance of Order

May 30, 2001.

On March 23, 2001, Duke Energy

Mohave, LLC (Duke Mohave) filed an

application seeking authority to sell

firm and non-firm energy, capacity, and

ancillary services at market-based rates

and to reassign transmission capacity

under the terms of its proposed FERC

Electric Tariff No. 1. Duke Mohave also

sought certain blanket approvals and

waivers of the Commission’s

regulations. In particular, Duke Mohave

requested that the Commission grant

blanket approval under 18 CFR part 34

of all future issuances of securities and

assumptions of liabilities by Duke

Mohave. On May 18, 2001, the

Commission issued an Order

Conditionally Accepting For Filing

Market-Based Rate Tariff (Order), in the

above-docketed proceeding.

The Commission’s May 18, 2001

Order granted the request for blanket

approval under Part 34, subject to

conditions found in Ordering

Paragraphs (D), (E), and (G).

(D) Within 30 days of the date of

issuance of this order, any person

desiring to be heard or to protest the

Commission’s blanket approval of

issuances of securities or assumptions of

liabilities by Duke Mohave should file a

motion to intervene or protest with the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,

888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC

20426, in accordance with Rules 211

and 214 of the Commission’s Rules of

Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.211

and 385.214.

(E) Absent a request to be heard

within the period set forth in Ordering

Paragraph (D) above, Duke Mohave is

hereby authorized to issue securities

and assume obligations or liabilities as

guarantor, indorser, surety, or otherwise

in respect of any security of another

person; provided that such issue or

assumption is for some lawful object

within the corporate purposes of Duke

Mohave, compatible with the public

interest, and reasonably necessary or

appropriate for such purposes.

(G) The Commission reserves the right

to modify this order to require a further

showing that neither the public nor

private interests will be adversely

affected by continued Commission

approval of Duke Mohave’s issuances of

securities or assumptions of liabilities.

***

Notice is hereby given that the

deadline for filing motions to intervene

or protests, as set forth above, is June 18,

2001.

Copies of the full text of the Order are

available from the Commission’s Public

Reference Branch, 888 First Street, N.E.,

Washington, D.C. 20426. The Order may

also be viewed on the Internet at http:/

/www.ferc.fed.us/online/rims.htm (call

202–208–2222 for assistance).

Comments, protests, and interventions

may be filed electronically via the

internet in lieu of paper. See, 18 CFR

385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions

on the Commission’s web site at http:/

/www.ferc.fed.us/efi/doorbell.htm.

David P. Boergers,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–14063 Filed 6–4–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. EG01–218–000–000, et al.]

Biomasse Italia S.p.A., et al.; Electric

Rate and Corporate Regulation Filings

May 29, 2001.

Take notice that the following filings

have been made with the Commission:

1. Biomasse Italia S.p.A.

[Docket No. EG01–218–000]

Take notice that on May 23, 2001,

Biomasse Italia S.p.A. (Biomasse Italia)

with its principal office at Corso d’Italia

19, Rome 00198, Italy filed with the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

(Commission) an application for

determination of exempt wholesale

generator status pursuant to Part 365 of

the Commission’s regulations.

Biomasse Italia is a company

organized under the laws of Italy.

Biomasse Italia will be engaged, directly

or indirectly through an affiliate as

defined in Section 2(a)(11)(B) of the

Public Utility Holding Company Act of

1935, exclusively in owning, or both

owning and operating an electric

generating facility consisting of a 20

MW Power Plant in Crotone, Italy;

selling electric energy at wholesale and

engaging in project development

activities with respect thereto.

Comment date: June 19, 2001, in

accordance with Standard Paragraph E

at the end of this notice. The

Commission will limit its consideration

of comments to those that concern the

adequacy or accuracy of the application.

2. Rail Energy of Montana, LLC

[Docket No. ER01–1557–001]

Take notice that on May 23, 2001, Rail

Energy of Montana (REM), a Montana

limited liability company, tendered for

filing to accept an amendment to its

petition for acceptance of Rail Energy of

Montana Rate Schedule FERC No. 1; the

granting of certain blanket approvals,

including the authority to sell electricity

at market-based rates; waiver of certain

Commission regulations; and waiver of

notice requirement.

REM intends to engage in wholesale

electric energy and capacity sales. REM

is owned by Commercial Energy of

Montana and Montana Rail Link.

Comment date: June 13, 2001, in

accordance with Standard Paragraph E

at the end of this notice.

3. Florida Keys Electric Cooperative

Association, Inc.

[Docket No. ER01–1590–001]

Take notice that on May 23, 2001,

Florida Keys Electric Cooperative

Association, Inc. (FKEC) tendered for

filing a compliance filing consisting of

FKEC’s First Revised FERC Rate

Schedule No. 1 containing a new nonfirm transmission rate applicable to the

City Electric System, Key West, Florida

for the period April 1, 2001 through

March 31, 2002. This non-firm

transmission rate was approved by the

Commission effective April 1, 2001

conditioned on this compliance filing