60768 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 245 / Friday, December 22, 2017 / Notices 

1The regulation at 20 CFR 655.211(c)(2) states 

that the monthly AEWR is calculated based on the 

ECI for wages and salaries ‘‘for the preceding 

October–October period.’’ This regulatory language 

was intended to identify the Bureau of Labor 

Statistics’ October publication of ECI for wages and 

salaries, which presents data for the September– 

September period. Accordingly, the most recent 12- 

month change in the ECI for private sector workers 

published on October 31, 2017 by the Bureau of 

Labor Statistics was used for establishing the 

monthly AEWR under the regulations. See https:// 

www.bls.gov/news.release/eci.htm. The ECI for 

private sector workers was used rather than the ECI 

for all civilian workers given the characteristics of 

the H–2A herder workforce. 

Department of Labor (Department) is 

issuing this notice to announce the 2018 

Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) for 

the employment of temporary or 

seasonal nonimmigrant foreign workers 

(H–2A workers) to perform herding or 

production of livestock on the range. 

AEWRs are the minimum wage rates 

the Department has determined must be 

offered and paid by employers to H–2A 

workers and workers in corresponding 

employment so that the wages and 

working conditions of similarly 

employed U.S. workers will not be 

adversely affected. In this notice, the 

Department announces the annual 

update of the AEWR for workers 

engaged in the herding or production of 

livestock on the range, as required by 

the methodology established in the 

Temporary Agricultural Employment of 

H–2A Foreign Workers in the Herding or 

Production of Livestock on the Range in 

the United States, 80 FR 62958, 63067– 

63068 (Oct. 16, 2015); 20 CFR 655.211. 

DATES: The rates take effect January 1, 

2018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

William W. Thompson, II, 

Administrator, Office of Foreign Labor 

Certification, Box #12–200, Employment 

& Training Administration, U.S. 

Department of Labor, 200 Constitution 

Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210. 

Telephone number: 202–513–7350 (this 

is not a toll-free number). 

Individuals with hearing or speech 

impairments may access the telephone 

number above via TTY by calling the 

toll-free Federal Information Relay 

Service at 1–877–889–5627. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. 

Citizenship and Immigration Services of 

the Department of Homeland Security 

will not approve an employer’s petition 

for the admission of H–2A 

nonimmigrant temporary and seasonal 

agricultural workers in the U.S. unless 

the petitioner has received from the 

Department an H–2A labor certification. 

The labor certification provides that: (1) 

There are not sufficient U.S. workers 

who are able, willing, and qualified and 

who will be available at the time and 

place needed to perform the labor or 

services involved in the petition; and (2) 

the employment of the foreign worker(s) 

in such labor or services will not 

adversely affect the wages and working 

conditions of workers in the U.S. 

similarly employed. 8 U.S.C. 

1101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(a), 1184(c)(1), and 

1188(a); 8 CFR 214.2(h)(5); 20 CFR 

655.100. 

Adverse Effect Wage Rate for 2018 

The Department’s H–2A regulations 

covering the herding or production of 

livestock on the range (H–2A Herder 

Rule) at 20 CFR 655.210(g) and 

655.211(a)(1) provide that employers 

must offer, advertise in recruitment, and 

pay each worker employed under 20 

CFR 655.200–655.235 a wage that is at 

least the highest of: (i) The monthly 

AEWR, (ii) the agreed-upon collective 

bargaining wage, or (iii) the applicable 

minimum wage imposed by Federal or 

State law or judicial action. Further, 

when the monthly AEWR is adjusted 

during a work contract, and is higher 

than both the agreed-upon collective 

bargaining wage and the applicable 

minimum wage imposed by Federal or 

State law or judicial action in effect at 

the time the work is performed, the 

employer must pay that adjusted 

monthly AEWR upon publication by the 

Department in the Federal Register. 20 

CFR 655.211(a)(2). 

As provided in 20 CFR 655.211(c) of 

the H–2A Herder Rule, the methodology 

for establishing the monthly AEWR for 

range occupations in all states is based 

on the rate of $7.25/hour multiplied by 

48 hours per week, and then multiplied 

by 4.333 weeks per month. Beginning 

with calendar year 2017, the monthly 

AEWR is adjusted annually based on the 

Employment Cost Index (ECI) for wages 

and salaries published by the Bureau of 

Labor Statistics for the preceding annual 

period. 

In setting the AEWR for 2017, ETA 

applied the required ECI adjustment of 

2.4 percent, resulting in a monthly wage 

of $1544.07. The H–2A Herder Rule at 

20 CFR 655.211(d) applied a two-year 

transition to the full monthly AEWR, 

with the wage in 2017 set at 90 percent 

of the full monthly AEWR, i.e., 

$1,389.67/month. For calendar year 

2018, the Department is setting the 

national monthly AEWR at 100 percent 

of the full wage calculated using the H– 

2A Herder Rule methodology. The 12- 

month change in the ECI for wages and 

salaries of private industry workers 

between September 2016 and September 

2017 was 2.6 percent. To set the AEWR 

for 2018, ETA used that ECI percentage 

to adjust what would have been the full 

monthly AEWR for calendar year 2017 

if the 2017 rate had not been reduced to 

90 percent of the wage due to the 

transition period.1

Thus, the national monthly AEWR 

rate for all range occupations in the H– 

2A program in 2018 is calculated by 

multiplying the full AEWR for calendar 

year 2017 by the 2018 ECI adjustment 

($1544.07 × 1.026 = $1,584.22). 

Accordingly, any employer certified or 

seeking certification for range workers 

must pay each worker a wage that is at 

least the highest of the monthly AEWR 

of $1,548.22, the agreed-upon collective 

bargaining wage, or the applicable 

minimum wage imposed by Federal or 

State legislation or judicial action, at the 

time work is performed on or after the 

effective date of this notice. 

Signed in Washington, DC. 

Rosemary Lahasky, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary, Employment and 

Training Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2017–27530 Filed 12–21–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–FP–P 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Office of Workers’ Compensation 

Programs 

Meeting of the Advisory Board on 

Toxic Substances and Worker Health 

Subcommittee on the Site Exposure 

Matrices (SEM) 

AGENCY: Office of Workers’ 

Compensation Programs, Department of 

Labor. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: Announcement of meeting of 

the Subcommittee on the Site Exposure 

Matrices of the Advisory Board on Toxic 

Substances and Worker Health 

(Advisory Board) for the Energy 

Employees Occupational Illness 

Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA). 

DATES: The subcommittee will meet via 

teleconference on January 16, 2018, 

from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern 

Time. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

press inquiries: Ms. Amy Louviere, 

Office of Public Affairs, U.S. 

Department of Labor, Room S–1028, 200 

Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 

20210; telephone (202) 693–4672; email 

Louviere.Amy@dol.gov. For further 

information you may contact Douglas 

Fitzgerald, Designated Federal Officer, 

at fitzgerald.douglas@dol.gov, or Carrie 

Rhoads, Alternate Designated Federal 

Officer, at rhoads.carrie@dol.gov, U.S. 

Department of Labor, 200 Constitution 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 245 / Friday, December 22, 2017 / Notices 60769 

Avenue NW, Suite S–3524, Washington, 

DC 20210, telephone (202) 343–5580. 

This is not a toll-free number. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Advisory Board is mandated by Section 

3687 of EEOICPA. The Secretary of 

Labor established the Board under this 

authority and Executive Order 13699 

(June 26, 2015). The purpose of the 

Advisory Board is to advise the 

Secretary with respect to: (1) The Site 

Exposure Matrices (SEM) of the 

Department of Labor; (2) medical 

guidance for claims examiners for 

claims with the EEOICPA program, with 

respect to the weighing of the medical 

evidence of claimants; (3) evidentiary 

requirements for claims under Part B of 

EEOICPA related to lung disease; and 

(4) the work of industrial hygienists and 

staff physicians and consulting 

physicians of the Department of Labor 

and reports of such hygienists and 

physicians to ensure quality, objectivity, 

and consistency. The Advisory Board 

sunsets on December 19, 2024. This 

subcommittee is being assembled to 

gather and analyze data and continue 

working on advice under Area #1, the 

Site Exposure Matrices. 

The Advisory Board operates in 

accordance with the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act (FACA) (5 U.S.C. App. 

2) and its implementing regulations (41 

CFR part 102–3). 

Agenda: The tentative agenda for the 

Subcommittee on the Site Exposure 

Matrices meeting includes: Developing 

comments on DOL responses to Board 

recommendations; continuing 

discussions on items related to SEM 

from recent Board meeting as necessary. 

OWCP transcribes Advisory Board 

subcommittee meetings. OWCP posts 

the transcripts on the Advisory Board 

web page, http://www.dol.gov/owcp/ 

energy/regs/compliance/Advisory

Board.htm, along with written 

comments and other materials 

submitted to the subcommittee or 

presented at subcommittee meetings. 

Public Participation, Submissions, and 

Access to the Public Record 

Subcommittee meeting: The 

subcommittee will meet via 

teleconference on Tuesday, January 16, 

2018, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

Eastern Time. Advisory Board 

subcommittee meetings are open to the 

public. The teleconference number and 

other details for listening to the meeting 

will be posted on the Advisory Board’s 

website no later than 72 hours prior to 

the meeting. This information will be 

posted at http://www.dol.gov/owcp/ 

energy/regs/compliance/Advisory

Board.htm. 

Requests for special accommodations: 

Please submit requests for special 

accommodations to participate in the 

subcommittee meeting by email, 

telephone, or hard copy to Ms. Carrie 

Rhoads, OWCP, Room S–3524, U.S. 

Department of Labor, 200 Constitution 

Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210; 

telephone (202) 343–5580; email 

EnergyAdvisoryBoard@dol.gov. 

Submission of written comments for 

the record: You may submit written 

comments, identified by the 

subcommittee name and the meeting 

date of January 11, 2018, by any of the 

following methods: 

• Electronically: Send to: Energy

AdvisoryBoard@dol.gov (specify in the 

email subject line, ‘‘Subcommittee on 

the Site Exposure Matrices’’). 

• Mail, express delivery, hand 

delivery, messenger, or courier service: 

Submit one copy to the following 

address: U.S. Department of Labor, 

Office of Workers’ Compensation 

Programs, Advisory Board on Toxic 

Substances and Worker Health, Room 

S–3522, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, 

Washington, DC 20210. Due to securityrelated procedures, receipt of 

submissions by regular mail may 

experience significant delays. 

Comments must be received by 

January 11, 2017. OWCP will make 

available publically, without change, 

any written comments, including any 

personal information that you provide. 

Therefore, OWCP cautions interested 

parties against submitting personal 

information such as Social Security 

numbers and birthdates. 

Electronic copies of this Federal 

Register notice are available at http://

www.regulations.gov. This notice, as 

well as news releases and other relevant 

information, are also available on the 

Advisory Board’s web page at http://

www.dol.gov/owcp/energy/regs/ 

compliance/AdvisoryBoard.htm. 

Signed at Washington, DC, on December 

12, 2017. 

Julia Hearthway, 

Director, Office of Workers’ Compensation 

Programs. 

[FR Doc. 2017–27394 Filed 12–21–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–24–P 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Alan T. Waterman Award Committee; 

Notice of Meeting 

In accordance with the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92– 

463, as amended), the National Science 

Foundation (NSF) announces the 

following meeting: 

NAME AND COMMITTEE CODE: Alan T. 

Waterman Award Committee (#1172). 

DATE AND TIME: January 30, 2018; 8:30 

a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

PLACE: National Science Foundation, 

2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 

W19000, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. 

TYPE OF MEETING: Closed. 

CONTACT PERSON: Sherrie B. Green, 

Program Manager, NSF, 2415 

Eisenhower Avenue, Suite W17126, 

Alexandria, VA 22314; Telephone: (703) 

292–8040. 

PURPOSE OF MEETING: To provide advice 

and recommendations in the selection 

of the Alan T. Waterman Award 

recipient. 

AGENDA: To review and evaluate 

nominations as part of the selection 

process for awards. 

REASON FOR CLOSING: The nominations 

being reviewed include information of a 

personal nature where disclosure would 

constitute unwarranted invasions of 

personal privacy. These matters are 

exempt under 5 U.S.C. 552b(c), (6) of 

the Government in the Sunshine Act. 

Dated: December 19, 2017. 

Crystal Robinson, 

Committee Management Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2017–27586 Filed 12–21–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7555–01–P 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Proposal Review Panel for Ocean 

Sciences; Notice of Meeting 

In accordance with the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92– 

463, as amended), the National Science 

Foundation (NSF) announces the 

following meeting: 

NAME AND COMMITTEE CODE: Proposal 

Review Panel for Ocean Sciences 

(#10752)—JOIDES Resolution Science 

Operator (JRSO), Texas A&M (Site 

Visit). 

DATE AND TIME: February 28–March 2, 

2018, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. 

PLACE: JOIDES Resolution Science 

Operator (JRSO), Texas A&M University, 

1000 Discovery Drive, Texas A&M 

University West Campus, College 

Station, TX 77845, Conference Room 

C126. 

TYPE OF MEETING: Part-open. 

CONTACT PERSON: James F. Allan, 

Program Director, Ocean Drilling, 

Division of Ocean Sciences; National 

Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower 

Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314; 

Telephone: (703) 292–8144. 

PURPOSE OF MEETING: Site visit to 

provide advice and recommendations 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES