Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 12 / Thursday, January 18, 2001 / Notices 4801

• Fax a signed copy of the

Application for Federal Assistance (ED

424) after following these steps:

1. Print ED 424 from the eAPPLICATION system.

2. Make sure that the institution’s

Authorizing Representative signs this

form.

3. Before faxing this form, submit

your electronic application via the eAPPLICATION system. You will receive

an automatic acknowledgement, which

will include a PR/Award number (an

identifying number unique to your

application).

4. Place the PR/Award number in the

upper right hand corner of ED 424.

5. Fax ED 424 to the Application

Control Center within three working

days of submitting your electronic

application. We will indicate a fax

number in e-APPLICATION at the time

of your submission.

• We may request that you give us

original signatures on all other forms at

a later date. You may access the

electronic grant application for the

Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers

Program at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.

We have included additional

information about the e-APPLICATION

pilot project (see Parity Guidelines

between Paper and Electronic

Applications) in the application

package.

For Applications Contact: Education

Publications Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box

1398, Jessup, MD 20794–1398.

Telephone (toll free): 1–877–433–7827.

FAX: (301) 470–1244. If you use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD), you may call (toll free): 1–877–

576–7734.

You may also contact ED Pubs via its

Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/

edpubs.html.

Or you may contact ED Pubs at its email address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.

If you request an application from ED

Pubs, be sure to identify this

competition as follows: CFDA number

84.128G.

Individuals with disabilities may

obtain a copy of the application package

in an alternative format by contacting

the Grants and Contracts Services Team

(GCST), U.S. Department of Education,

400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3317,

Switzer Building, Washington, DC

20202–2550. Telephone: (202) 205–

8351. If you use a telecommunications

device for the deaf (TDD), you may call

the Federal Information Relay Service

(FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339. However,

the Department is not able to reproduce

in an alternative format the standard

forms included in the application

package.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mary E. Chambers, U.S. Department of

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,

room 3322, Switzer Building,

Washington, DC 20202–2647.

Telephone (202) 205–8435. If you use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD), you may call the Federal

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–

800–877–8339.

Individuals with disabilities may

obtain a copy of this document in an

alternative format (e.g., Braille, large

print, audiotape, or computer diskette)

on request to the contact person listed

in the preceding paragraph.

Electronic Access to This Document

You may view this document, as well

as other Department of Education

documents published in the Federal

Register, in text or Adobe Portable

Document Format (PDF) on the Internet

at either of the following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm

http://www.ed.gov/news.html

To use the PDF you must have Adobe

Acrobat Reader, which is available free

at either of the previous sites. If you

have questions about using PDF, call the

U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO),

toll free, at 1–888–293–6498; or in the

Washington, DC, area at (202) 512–1530.

Note: The official version of this document

is the document published in the Federal

Register. Free Internet access to the official

edition of the Federal Register and the Code

of Federal Regulations is available on GPO

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

index.html

Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 774.

Dated: January 12, 2001.

Judith E. Heumann,

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and

Rehabilitative Services.

[FR Doc. 01–1528 Filed 1–17–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Recognition of Accrediting Agencies,

State Agencies for the Approval of

Public Postsecondary Vocational

Education, and State Agencies for the

Approval of Nurse Education

AGENCY: National Advisory Committee

on Institutional Quality and Integrity,

Department of Education (The Advisory

Committee).

What Is the Purpose of This Notice?

The purpose of this notice is to invite

written comments on accrediting

agencies whose applications to the

Secretary for initial or renewed

recognition will be reviewed at the

Advisory Committee meeting to be held

on May 23–25, 2001. The notice also

invites written comments on agencies

submitting interim reports that will be

reviewed at the May meeting. Further,

the notice invites written comments on

one Federal agency seeking degreegranting authority.

Where Should I Submit My Comments?

Please submit your written comments

by March 5, 2001 to Carol Griffiths,

Chief, Accrediting Agency Evaluation,

Accreditation and State Liaison. You

may contact her at the U.S. Department

of Education, 1990 K Street, NW, 7th

Floor, Room 7105, Washington, DC

20006–8509, telephone: (202) 219–7011.

Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the Federal Information

Relay Service at 1–800–877–8339.

What Is the Authority for the Advisory

Committee?

The National Advisory Committee on

Institutional Quality and Integrity is

established under Section 114 of the

Higher Education Act (HEA), as

amended, 20 U.S.C. 1011c. One of the

purposes of the Advisory Committee is

to advise the Secretary of Education on

the recognition of accrediting agencies

and State approval agencies.

Will This Be My Only Opportunity To

Submit Written Comments?

Yes, this notice announces the only

opportunity you will have to submit

written comments. However, a

subsequent Federal Register notice will

announce the meeting and invite

individuals and/or groups to submit

requests to make oral presentations

before the Advisory Committee on the

agencies that the Committee will

review. That notice, however, does not

offer a second opportunity to submit

written comment.

What Happens to the Comments That I

Submit?

We will review your comments, in

response to this notice, as part of our

evaluation of the agencies’ compliance

with the Secretary’s Criteria for

Recognition of Accrediting Agencies.

The Criteria are regulations found in 34

CFR part 602 (for accrediting agencies)

and in 34 CFR part 603 (for State

approval agencies).

We will also respond to your

comments, as appropriate, in the staff

analyses we present to the Advisory

Committee at its May 2001 meeting.

Therefore, in order for us to give full

consideration to your comments, it is

important that we receive them by

March 5, 2001. In all instances, your

comments about agencies seeking initial

4802 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 12 / Thursday, January 18, 2001 / Notices

or continued recognition must relate to

the Criteria for the Recognition. In

addition, your comments for any agency

whose interim report is scheduled for

review must relate to the issues raised

and the Criteria for Recognition cited in

the Secretary’s letter that requested the

interim report. You may obtain a copy

of the Secretary’s letter by calling (202)

219–7011.

What Happens to Comments Received

After the Deadline?

We will treat any negative comments

received after the deadline as

complaints. If such comments, upon

investigation, reveal that the accrediting

agency is not acting in accordance with

the Criteria for Recognition, we will take

action either before or after the meeting,

as appropriate. We will also notify the

commentors of the disposition of those

comments.

What Agencies Are on the Agenda for

the Meeting?

The Secretary of Education recognizes

accrediting agencies and State approval

agencies for public postsecondary

vocational education and nurse

education if the Secretary determines

that they meet the Criteria for

Recognition. Recognition means that the

Secretary considers the agency to be a

reliable authority as to the quality of

education offered by institutions or

programs that are encompassed within

the scope of recognition he grants to the

agency. The following agencies will be

reviewed during the May 2001 meeting

of the Advisory Committee:

Nationally Recognized Accrediting

Agencies

Petition for Initial Recognition

1. Teacher Education Accreditation

Council (Requested scope of

recognition: The accreditation of

professional education programs in

institutions offering baccalaureate and

graduate degrees for the preparation of

teachers and other professional

personnel for elementary and secondary

schools).

Petitions for Renewal of Recognition

1. Accrediting Council for

Independent Colleges and Schools

(Requested scope of recognition: The

accreditation of private postsecondary

institutions offering business and

business-related programs and the

accreditation and preaccreditation

(‘‘Recognized Candidate’’) of junior and

senior colleges of business (including

senior colleges with master’s degree

programs), as well as independent,

freestanding institutions offering only

graduate business and business-related

programs at the master’s degree level).

2. American College of NurseMidwives, Division of Accreditation

(Current scope of recognition: The

accreditation and preaccreditation

(‘‘Preaccreditation’’) of basic certificate

and graduate nurse-midwifery

education programs for registered

nurses, as well as the accreditation and

preaccreditation of pre-certification

nurse-midwifery education programs)

(Requested scope of recognition: The

current scope of recognition plus the

accreditation of midwifery education

programs for non-nurses at the postbaccalaureate or higher academic level

that lead to certificates or graduate

degrees).

3. American Council on

Pharmaceutical Education (Requested

scope of recognition: The accreditation

and preaccreditation (‘‘Precandidate’’

and ‘‘Candidate’’) of professional degree

programs in pharmacy leading to the

degrees of Baccalaureate in Pharmacy

and Doctor of Pharmacy).

4. Association for Clinical Pastoral

Education, Inc., Accreditation

Commission (Requested scope of

recognition: The accreditation of

clinical pastoral education (CPE) centers

and CPE and supervisory CPE

programs).

5. American Dental Association,

Commission on Dental Accreditation

(Requested scope of recognition: The

accreditation of predoctoral dental

education programs (programs leading

to the D.D.S. or D.M.D. degree); dental

auxiliary education programs (dental

assisting, dental hygiene and dental

laboratory technology); and advanced

dental educational programs (general

practices residency, advanced general

dentistry, and the specialties of dental

public health, endodontics, oral

pathology, orthodontics, oral and

maxillofacial surgery, pedodontics,

periodontics, and prosthodontics)).

6. American Occupational Therapy

Association, Accreditation Council for

Occupational Therapy Education

(Current scope of recognition: The

accreditation of entry-level professional

occupational therapy educational

programs awarding baccalaureate

degrees, post-baccalaureate certificates,

professional master’s degrees, and

combined baccalaureate/master’s

degrees, and also for the accreditation of

occupational therapy assistant programs

leading to an associate degree or

certificate) (Requested scope of

recognition: The current scope of

recognition plus the accreditation of

entry-level doctoral degree professional

occupational therapy educational

programs and the accreditation of

programs offered principally through

distance education).

7. Council on Chiropractic Education,

Commission on Accreditation

(Requested scope of recognition: The

accreditation of Doctor of Chiropractic

programs and single-purpose

institutions offering the Doctor of

Chiropractic program).

8. Commission on Opticianry

Accreditation (Requested scope of

recognition: The accreditation of twoyear programs for the ophthalmic

dispenser and one-year programs for the

ophthalmic laboratory technician).

9. Joint Review Committee on

Education in Radiologic Technology

(Requested scope of recognition: The

accreditation of educational programs

for radiographers and radiation

therapists).

10. Joint Review Committee on

Educational Programs in Nuclear

Medicine Technology (Requested scope

of recognition: The accreditation of

higher education programs for the

nuclear medicine technologist).

11. Southern Association of Colleges

and Schools, Commission on Colleges

(Requested scope of recognition: The

accreditation and preaccreditation

(‘‘Candidate for Accreditation’’) of

degree-granting institutions of higher

education in Alabama, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North

Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee,

Texas, and Virginia).

12. Western Association of Schools

and Colleges, Accrediting Commission

for Senior Colleges and Universities

(Requested scope of recognition: The

accreditation and preaccreditation

(‘‘Candidate for Accreditation’’) of

senior colleges and universities in

California, Hawaii, the United States

territories of Guam and American

Samoa, the Republic of Palau, the

Federated States of Micronesia, the

Commonwealth of the Northern

Marianna Islands, and the Republic of

the Marshall Islands).

Interim Reports (An interim report is

a follow-up report on an accrediting

agency’s compliance with specific

criteria for recognition that was

requested by the Secretary when the

Secretary granted renewed recognition

to the agency.)

1. American Physical Therapy

Association, Commission on

Accreditation in Physical Therapy

Education.

2. American Psychological

Association, Committee on

Accreditation.

3. Commission on Collegiate Nursing

Education.

4. National Accrediting Commission

of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences.

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 12 / Thursday, January 18, 2001 / Notices 4803

5. National Association of Nurse

Practitioners in Women’s Health,

Council on Accreditation.

6. Transnational Association of

Christian Colleges and Schools,

Accreditation Commission.

State Agencies Recognized for the

Approval of Public Postsecondary

Vocational Education

Interim Report

1. Kansas Board of Regents.

Federal Agency Seeking DegreeGranting Authority

In accordance with the Federal policy

governing the granting of academic

degrees by Federal agencies (approved

by a letter from the Director, Bureau of

the Budget, to the Secretary, Health,

Education, and Welfare, dated

December 23, 1954), the Secretary is

required to establish a review committee

to advise the Secretary concerning any

legislation that may be proposed that

would authorize the granting of degrees

by a Federal agency. The review

committee forwards its recommendation

concerning a Federal agency’s proposed

degree-granting authority to the

Secretary, who then forwards the

committee’s recommendation and the

Secretary’s recommendation to the

Office of Management and Budget for

review and transmittal to the Congress.

The Secretary uses the Advisory

Committee as the review committee

required for this purpose. Accordingly,

the Advisory Committee will review the

following institution at this meeting:

Proposed Master’s Degree-Granting

Authority

1. U.S. Marine Corps University,

Quantico, VA (request to award a

master’s degree in Strategic Studies).

Where Can I Inspect Petitions and

Third-Party Comments Before and After

the Meeting?

Subject to the provisions of 5 U.S.C.

522, petitions, interim reports, and

those third-party comments received in

advance of the meeting, will, upon

written request, be made available, on

appointment, for inspection and

copying at the U.S. Department of

Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 7th

Floor, Room 7105, Washington, DC

20006–8509, telephone (202) 219–7011

until May 4, 2001. They will be

available again after the May 23–25

Advisory Committee meeting.

Authority: 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2.

Dated: January 11, 2001.

A. Lee Fritschler,

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary

Education.

[FR Doc. 01–1473 Filed 1–17–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Management of Certain Plutonium

Residues and Scrub Alloy Stored at

the Rocky Flats Environmental

Technology Site

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Amended Record of Decision.

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy

(DOE) has decided to revise its approach

to managing approximately 315 kg of

plutonium fluoride residues (containing

approximately 142 kg of plutonium) that

currently are stored at the Rocky Flats

Environmental Technology Site (Rocky

Flats Site). In an earlier Record of

Decision (63 FR 66136, December 1,

1998), DOE decided that these

plutonium fluoride residues would be

shipped to the Savannah River Site

(SRS) for processing and storage

pending disposition. Due to the opening

of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

in New Mexico on March 26, 1999, and

other circumstances, including delays in

securing shipping container certification

required prior to transporting the

plutonium fluoride residues to SRS,

DOE has now decided to prepare the

plutonium fluoride residues

appropriately and ship them to WIPP for

disposal. This will help avoid delays in

meeting the closure schedule for the

Rocky Flats Site.

ADDRESSES: The potential

environmental impacts of alternative

approaches for management of these

residues are analyzed in the Final

Environmental Impact Statement on

Management of Certain Plutonium

Residues and Scrub Alloy Stored at the

Rocky Flats Environmental Technology

Site (hereinafter referred to as the

Residues EIS) (DOE/EIS–0277F, August

1998) and were part of the basis for

three prior Records of Decision issued

for the plutonium-bearing residues at

the Rocky Flats Site. Copies of the

Residues EIS; the first and second

Records of Decision (63 FR 66136,

December 1, 1998, and 64 FR 8068,

February 18, 1999, respectively); the

first Amended Record of Decision (64

FR 47780, September 1, 1999); and this

Amended Record of Decision and the

Supplement Analysis (referenced

herein) can be accessed from the DOE’s

NEPA Web site at http://

www.tis.eh.doe.gov/nepa, under NEPA

Analyses, or can be obtained by

contacting the Center for Environmental

Management Information, P.O. Box

23769, Washington, DC 20026–3769,

telephone 1–800–736–3282 (in

Washington, DC: 202–863–5084).

For further information concerning

the management of plutonium residues

and scrub alloy currently stored at the

Rocky Flats Site, contact: Dr. W. Eric

Huang, Program Manager, Rocky Flats

Office (EM–33), Office of Site Closure,

Environmental Management, U.S.

Department of Energy, 19901

Germantown Road, Germantown, MD

20874, Telephone: 301–903–4630.

For further information concerning

DOE’s National Environmental Policy

Act (NEPA) process, contact: Ms. Carol

Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA

Policy and Compliance (EH–42), U.S.

Department of Energy, 1000

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20585, Telephone (202)

586–4600, or leave a message at 1–800–

472–2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

In August 1998, DOE issued the

Residues EIS that assessed the potential

environmental impacts of processing

certain plutonium residues and scrub

alloy stored at the Rocky Flats Site near

Golden, Colorado, in preparation for

disposal or other disposition. These

materials were produced in conjunction

with nuclear weapons activities

conducted by DOE during the Cold War

and the materials are no longer needed.

Currently, DOE is cleaning up and

disposing of (where appropriate) such

materials. The plutonium residues

analyzed in the Residues EIS included

approximately 315 kg of plutonium

fluoride residues containing

approximately 45 percent plutonium by

weight (approximately 142 kg of

plutonium). In the Residues EIS, the

plutonium fluoride residues were

included as part of a category called

‘‘wet residues,’’ having an average of

approximately 7 percent plutonium by

weight. (Residues EIS Table 2–1.)

The Residues EIS analyzed three

alternative technologies and a no-action

alternative for processing plutonium

fluoride residues stored at the Rocky

Flats Site. The selected alternative for

the plutonium fluoride residues in the

first Record of Decision in 1998 was the

preferred alternative in the Residues

EIS, which is Purex processing and

storage at SRS pending disposition

(italicized below).

• Alternative 1. Dissolving the

plutonium fluoride residues in acid and

precipitating the plutonium with oxalic

acid, at the Rocky Flats Site. The