Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 213 / Friday, November 4, 2005 / Proposed Rules 67099 

amend its regulations governing the 

disposal of high-level radioactive wastes 

in a proposed geologic repository at 

Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The proposed 

rule would implement the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency’s 

(EPA’s) proposed standards for doses 

that could occur after 10,000 years but 

within the period of geologic stability. 

The comment period for EPA’s 

proposed standards currently expires on 

November 21, 2005 (extended 30 days 

from October 21, 2005); the comment 

period for NRC’s proposed rule 

currently expires on November 7, 2005. 

A letter was received from U.S. 

Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign 

from the State of Nevada requesting that 

the comment period for NRC’s proposed 

rule be extended to a total of 180 days, 

or at least past the date of EPA’s 30-day 

extension. Another letter representing 

several citizen and environmental 

groups requested that the deadline for 

comments be extended to 180 days. In 

addition, a letter from the Agency for 

Nuclear Projects, on behalf of the State 

of Nevada, requested that NRC extend 

its comment period for an additional 30 

days, consistent with EPA’s 30-day 

extension of its comment period. 

Given the interrelationship between 

these two proposed rules, and for 

consistency with the ongoing EPA 

rulemaking process, NRC has decided to 

extend the comment period for its 

rulemaking an additional 30 days to 

December 7, 2005, for a total comment 

period of 90 days. In vacating the 

compliance period in NRC’s rule at 10 

CFR part 63, the United States Court of 

Appeals for the District of Columbia 

Circuit has made clear that it is ‘‘NRC’s 

obligation under the [Energy Policy Act 

of 1992] to maintain licensing criteria 

that are consistent with the public 

health and safety standards promulgated 

by EPA.’’ See Nuclear Energy Institute, 

Inc. v. EPA, 373 F.3d 1251, 1299 (D.C. 

Cir. 2004). Thus NRC’s proposed rule, 

for the most part, simply implements 

EPA’s proposed standards for doses that 

could occur after 10,000 years but 

within the period of geologic stability, 

and its final rule will need to implement 

any changes EPA may make with 

respect to its standards. NRC’s proposed 

rule provides further detail for 

implementing the EPA standard in only 

two specific areas: A value to represent 

climate change after 10,000 years; and a 

requirement that calculations of 

radiation doses for workers use the same 

weighting factors that EPA is proposing 

for calculating individual doses to 

members of the public. A lengthy period 

of time should not be needed by 

potential commenters to address these 

issues. Hence the NRC’s 30-day 

extension is believed to be appropriate. 

DATES: The comment period has been 

extended and now expires on December 

7, 2005. Comments received after this 

date will be considered if it is practical 

to do so, but NRC is able to assure 

consideration only for comments 

received on or before this date. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by any one of the following methods. 

Please include the following number 

(RIN 3150–AH68) in the subject line of 

your comments. Comments on 

rulemakings submitted in writing or in 

electronic form will be made available 

to the public in their entirety on the 

NRC rulemaking Web site. Personal 

information will not be removed from 

your comments. 

Mail comments to: Secretary, U.S. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 

Washington, DC 20555–0001, Attn: 

Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff. 

E-mail comments to: SECY@nrc.gov. If 

you do not receive a reply e-mail 

confirming that we have received your 

comments, contact us directly at (301) 

415–1966. You may also submit 

comments via the NRC’s rulemaking 

Web site at http://ruleforum.llnl.gov. 

Address questions about our rulemaking 

Web site to Carol Gallagher (301) 415–

5905; e-mail cag@nrc.gov. Comments 

can also be submitted via the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal at http:// 

www.regulations.gov. 

Hand deliver comments to: 11555 

Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 

20852, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. 

Federal workdays. (Telephone (301) 

415–1966.) 

Fax comments to: Secretary, U.S. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission at (301) 

415–1101. 

Publicly available documents related 

to this rulemaking may be examined 

and copied for a fee at the NRC’s Public 

Document Room, Public File Area O1 

F21, One White Flint North, 11555 

Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. 

Selected documents, including 

comments, can be viewed and 

downloaded electronically via the NRC 

rulemaking Web site at http:// 

ruleforum.llnl.gov. 

Publicly available documents created 

or received at the NRC after November 

1, 1999, are available electronically at 

the NRC’s Electronic Reading Room at 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/ADAMS/ 

index.html. From this site, the public 

can gain entry into the NRC’s 

Agencywide Document Access and 

Management System (ADAMS), which 

provides text and image files of NRC’s 

public documents. If you do not have 

access to ADAMS or if there are 

problems in accessing the documents 

located in ADAMS, contact the NRC 

Public Document Room Reference staff 

at 1–800–397–4209, (301) 415–4737, or 

by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Timothy McCartin, Office of Nuclear 

Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 

Washington, DC 20555–0001, telephone 

(301) 415–7285, e-mail tjm3@nrc.gov; 

Janet Kotra, Office of Nuclear Material 

Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission, Washington, 

DC 20555–0001, telephone (301) 415–

6674, e-mail jpk@nrc.gov; or Frank 

Cardile, Office of Nuclear Material 

Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission, Washington, 

DC 20555–0001, telephone (301) 415–

6185, e-mail fpc@nrc.gov. 

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 1st day 

of November, 2005. 

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Luis A. Reyes, 

Executive Director for Operations. 

[FR Doc. 05–22121 Filed 11–3–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2005–22364; Directorate 

Identifier 2005–NE–26–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Turbomeca 

Arriel 1B, 1D and 1D1 Turboshaft 

Engines 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a 

new airworthiness directive (AD) for 

Turbomeca Arriel 1B, 1D and 1D1 

turboshaft engines. This proposed AD 

would require inspecting the 2nd stage 

nozzle guide vanes (NGV2) for wall 

thickness. This proposed AD results 

from one instance of a fractured 2nd 

stage turbine blade followed by an 

uncommanded engine shutdown. We 

are proposing this AD to detect and 

prevent perforation of the NGV2 that 

could cause fracture of a turbine blade 

that could result in an uncommanded 

engine in-flight shutdown. 

DATES: We must receive any comments 

on this proposed AD by January 3, 2006. 

67100 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 213 / Friday, November 4, 2005 / Proposed Rules 

ADDRESSES: Use one of the following 

addresses to comment on this proposed 

AD. 

• DOT Docket Web site: Go to 

http://dms.dot.gov and follow the 

instructions for sending your comments 

electronically. 

• Government-wide rulemaking Web 

site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov 

and follow the instructions for sending 

your comments electronically. 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility; 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 

Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, 

Room PL–401, Washington, DC 20590–

0001. 

• Fax: (202) 493–2251. 

• Hand Delivery: Room PL–401 on 

the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 

400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, 

DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

Contact Turbomeca S.A., 40220 

Tarnos, France; telephone 33 05 59 74 

40 00, fax 33 05 59 74 45 15, for the 

service information identified in this 

proposed AD. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Christopher Spinney, Aerospace 

Engineer, Engine Certification Office, 

FAA, Engine and Propeller Directorate, 

12 New England Executive Park, 

Burlington, MA 01803–5299; telephone 

(781) 238–7175; fax (781) 238–7199. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to send us any written 

relevant data, views, or arguments 

regarding this proposal. Send your 

comments to an address listed under 

ADDRESSES. Include ‘‘Docket No. FAA–

2005–22364; Directorate Identifier 

2005–NE–26–AD’’ in the subject line of 

your comments. We specifically invite 

comments on the overall regulatory, 

economic, environmental, and energy 

aspects of the proposed AD. We will 

consider all comments received by the 

closing date and may amend the 

proposed AD in light of those 

comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http:// 

dms.dot.gov, including any personal 

information you provide. We will also 

post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact with FAA 

personnel concerning this proposed AD. 

Using the search function of the DMS 

web site, anyone can find and read the 

comments in any of our dockets, 

including the name of the individual 

who sent the comment (or signed the 

comment on behalf of an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). You may 

review the DOT’s complete Privacy Act 

Statement in the Federal Register 

published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 

19477–78) or you may visit http:// 

dms.dot.gov. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the docket that 

contains the proposal, any comments 

received, and any final disposition in 

person at the Docket Management 

Facility Docket Offices between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. The Docket 

Office (telephone (800) 647–5227) is on 

the plaza level of the Department of 

Transportation Nassif Building at the 

street address stated in ADDRESSES. 

Comments will be available in the AD 

docket shortly after the docket office 

receives them. 

Discussion 

The Direction Generale de L’Aviation 

Civile (DGAC), which is the 

airworthiness authority for France, 

notified us that an unsafe condition 

might exist on certain Turbomeca S.A. 

Arriel 1B, 1D and 1D1 turboshaft 

engines. The affected engines are those 

modified to TU 202, except those having 

NGV2 vanes with serial numbers or 

specific marks identified in Turbomeca 

Mandatory Service Bulletin (MSB) No. 

292 72 0231, Update No. 5, dated July 

22, 2004. The DGAC advises that in 

order to detect and prevent a possible 

perforation of the NGV2, they are 

requiring inspection of the NGV2 for 

wall thickness. Perforation of the NGV2 

could cause an aerodynamic wake 

upstream of the 2nd stage turbine. Such 

a wake could lead to the fracture of a 

2nd stage turbine blade followed by an 

uncommanded engine in-flight 

shutdown. On a single-engine 

helicopter, this in-flight shutdown 

could lead to an emergency landing by 

autorotation or an accident. 

Relevant Service Information 

We have reviewed and approved the 

technical contents of Turbomeca MSB 

No. 292 72 0231, Update No. 5, dated 

July 22, 2004, that describes procedures 

for removing each vane of the NGV2, 

checking the vane thickness, and 

replacing the NGV2 if the vane 

thickness is below the defined criteria. 

The DGAC classified this MSB as 

mandatory and issued airworthiness 

directive No. F–2004–088 R1, dated 

August 4, 2004, in order to ensure the 

airworthiness of these NGV2 vanes in 

France. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of the Proposed AD 

These engines, manufactured in 

France, are type-certificated for 

operation in the United States under the 

provisions of section 21.29 of the 

Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR 

21.29) and the applicable bilateral 

airworthiness agreement. In keeping 

with this bilateral airworthiness 

agreement, the DGAC kept us informed 

of the situation described above. We 

have examined the DGAC’s findings, 

reviewed all available information, and 

determined that AD action is necessary 

for products of this type design that are 

certificated for operation in the United 

States. For this reason, we are proposing 

this AD, which would require 

inspection of the NGV2 wall thickness. 

The proposed AD would require you to 

use the service information described 

previously to perform these actions. 

Costs of Compliance 

There are about 2,000 Turbomeca 

Arriel 1B, 1D and 1D1 turboshaft 

engines of the affected design in the 

worldwide fleet. We estimate that this 

proposed AD would affect 571 engines 

installed on helicopters of U.S. registry. 

We also estimate that it would take 

about 0.5 work hours per engine to 

perform the proposed actions, and that 

the average labor rate is $65 per work 

hour. No parts are required. Based on 

these figures, we estimate the total cost 

of the proposed AD to U.S. operators to 

be $18,558. 

Authority for This Rulemaking 

Title 49 of the United States Code 

specifies the FAA’s authority to issue 

rules on aviation safety. Subtitle I, 

Section 106, describes the authority of 

the FAA Administrator. Subtitle VII, 

Aviation Programs, describes in more 

detail the scope of the Agency’s 

authority. 

We are issuing this rulemaking under 

the authority described in Subtitle VII, 

Part A, Subpart III, Section 44701, 

‘‘General requirements.’’ Under that 

section, Congress charges the FAA with 

promoting safe flight of civil aircraft in 

air commerce by prescribing regulations 

for practices, methods, and procedures 

the Administrator finds necessary for 

safety in air commerce. This regulation 

is within the scope of that authority 

because it addresses an unsafe condition 

that is likely to exist or develop on 

products identified in this rulemaking 

action. 

Regulatory Findings 

We have determined that this 

proposed AD would not have federalism 

implications under Executive Order 

13132. This proposed AD would not 

have a substantial direct effect on the 

States, on the relationship between the 

national Government and the States, or 

on the distribution of power and 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 213 / Friday, November 4, 2005 / Proposed Rules 67101 

responsibilities among the various 

levels of government. 

For the reasons discussed above, I 

certify that the proposed regulation: 

1. Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory 

action’’ under Executive Order 12866; 

2. Is not a ‘‘significant rule’’ under the 

DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures 

(44 FR 11034, February 26, 1979); and 

3. Would not have a significant 

economic impact, positive or negative, 

on a substantial number of small entities 

under the criteria of the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act. 

We prepared a regulatory evaluation 

of the estimated costs to comply with 

this proposed AD. See the ADDRESSES

section for a location to examine the 

regulatory evaluation. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39 

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation 

safety, Safety. 

The Proposed Amendment 

Under the authority delegated to me 

by the Administrator, the Federal 

Aviation Administration proposes to 

amend 14 CFR part 39 as follows: 

PART 39—AIRWORTHINESS 

DIRECTIVES 

1. The authority citation for part 39 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701. 

§ 39.13 [Amended] 

2. The FAA amends § 39.13 by adding 

the following new airworthiness 

directive: 

Turbomeca: Docket No. FAA–2005–22364; 

Directorate Identifier 2005–NE–26–AD. 

Comments Due Date 

(a) The Federal Aviation Administration 

(FAA) must receive comments on this 

airworthiness directive (AD) action by 

January 3, 2006. 

Affected ADs 

(b) None. 

Applicability 

(c) This AD applies to Turbomeca Arriel 

1B, 1D and 1D1 certain turboshaft engines, 

modified to TU 202. These engines are 

installed on, but not limited to, Eurocopter 

France AS350A, AS350B, AS350B1, and 

AS350B2 helicopters. 

Unsafe Condition 

(d) This AD results from one instance of a 

fractured 2nd stage turbine blade followed by 

an uncommanded engine shutdown. We are 

issuing this AD to detect and prevent 

perforation of the NGV2 that could cause 

fracture of a turbine blade that could result 

in an uncommanded engine in-flight 

shutdown. 

Compliance 

(e) You are responsible for having the 

actions required by this AD performed within 

the compliance times specified unless the 

actions have already been done. 

Inspect 2nd Stage Nozzle Guide Vanes 

(NGV2) 

(f) At the next shop visit or the next 

accessibility of the NGV2 after the effective 

date of this AD, whichever occurs first, check 

the thickness of the material on each NGV2 

using the Instructions to be Incorporated of 

Turbomeca Mandatory Service Bulletin 

(MSB) No. 292 72 0231, Update No. 5, dated 

July 22, 2004. Replace the NGV2 if the vane 

thickness is below the defined criteria. 

(g) Inspections carried out before the 

effective date of this AD, using an earlier 

update of MSB No. 292 72 0231, are 

acceptable alternatives to the requirements of 

this AD. 

(h) Information regarding NGV2’s that have 

already had the actions required by this AD 

done and are exempt from the inspections 

using paragraph (e) of this AD can be found 

in MSB No. 292 72 0231, Update No. 5, dated 

July 22, 2004. 

Definitions 

(i) For the purposes of this AD the 

following definitions apply: 

(1) A shop visit is defined as introduction 

of the engine into a shop for the purposes of 

deep maintenance and the separation of a 

major mating flange. 

(2) Accessibility of the NGV2 is defined as 

removal of the NGV2 from the engine 

regardless of the location or reason for 

removal. 

Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(j) The Manager, Engine Certification 

Office, has the authority to approve 

alternative methods of compliance for this 

AD if requested using the procedures found 

in 14 CFR 39.19. 

Related Information 

(k) DGAC airworthiness directive No. F–

20040–088 R1 also addresses the subject of 

this AD. 

Issued in Burlington, Massachusetts, on 

October 31, 2005. 

Francis A. Favara, 

Acting Manager, Engine and Propeller 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 05–22007 Filed 11–3–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION 

20 CFR Parts 404 and 416 

RIN 0960–AG29 

Age as a Factor in Evaluating Disability 

AGENCY: Social Security Administration. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking. 

SUMMARY: We are proposing to revise the 

definitions of the age categories we use 

as one of the criteria in determining 

disability under titles II and XVI of the 

Social Security Act (the Act). The 

proposed changes reflect our 

adjudicative experience, advances in 

medical treatment and healthcare, 

changes in the workforce since we 

originally published our rules for 

considering age in 1978, and current 

and future increases in the full 

retirement age under Social Security 

law. The proposed changes would not 

affect the rules under part 404 of our 

regulations for individuals age 55 or 

older who have statutory blindness. 

They also would not affect our other 

rules that are dependent on age, such as 

the age at which you can qualify for 

early retirement benefits or for Medicare 

as a retired individual. 

DATES: To be sure that your comments 

are considered, we must receive them 

no later than January 3, 2006. 

ADDRESSES: You may give us your 

comments by: using our Internet site 

facility (i.e., Social Security Online) at 

http://policy.ssa.gov/erm/rules.nsf/ 

Rules+Open+To+Comment or the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal at http:// 

www.regulations.gov; e-mail to 

regulations@ssa.gov; telefax to (410) 

966–2830, or letter to the Commissioner 

of Social Security, P.O. Box 17703, 

Baltimore, MD 21235–7703. You may 

also deliver them to the Office of 

Regulations, Social Security 

Administration, 100 Altmeyer Building, 

6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, 

Maryland 21235–6401, between 8 a.m. 

and 4:30 p.m. on regular business days. 

Comments are posted on our Internet 

site, or you may inspect them on regular 

business days by making arrangements 

with the contact person shown in this 

preamble. 

Electronic Version: The electronic file 

of this document is available on the date 

of publication in the Federal Register at 

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/ 

index.html. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Robert Augustine, Social Insurance 

Specialist, Office of Regulations, Social 

Security Administration, 6401 Security 

Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235–6401. 

Call (410) 965–0020 or TTY 1–800–325–

0778 for information about these 

proposed rules. For information on 

eligibility or filing for benefits, call our 

national toll-free number 1–(800) 772–

1213 or TTY 1–(800) 325–0778. You 

may also contact Social Security Online 

at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: