Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 242 / Monday, December 18, 1995 / Proposed Rules 65051

program approval criteria of 30 CFR

732.15. If the amendment is deemed

adequate, it will become a part of the

Wyoming program.

1. Written Comments

Written comments should be specific,

pertain only to the issues proposed in

this rulemaking, and include

explanations in support of the

commenter’s recommendations.

Comments received after the time

indicated under ‘‘DATES’’ or at

locations other than the Casper Field

Office will not necessarily be

considered in the final rulemaking or

included in the administrative record.

2. Public Hearing

Persons wishing to testify at the

public hearing should contact the

person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT by 4:00 p.m.,

m.s.t., January 2, 1996. Any disabled

individual who has need for a special

accommodation to attend a public

hearing should contact the individual

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. The location and time of the

hearing will be arranged with those

persons requesting the hearing. If no one

requests an opportunity to testify at the

public hearing, the hearing will not be

held.

Filing of a written statement at the

time of the hearing is requested as it

will greatly assist the transcriber.

Submission of written statements in

advance of the hearing will allow OSM

officials to prepare adequate responses

and appropriate questions.

The public hearing will continue on

the specified date until all persons

scheduled to testify have been heard.

Persons in the audience who have not

been scheduled to testify, and who wish

to do so, will be heard following those

who have been scheduled. The hearing

will end after all persons scheduled to

testify and persons present in the

audience who wish to testify have been

heard.

3. Public Meeting

If only one person requests an

opportunity to testify at a hearing, a

public meeting, rather than a public

hearing, may be held. Persons wishing

to meet with OSM representatives to

discuss the proposed amendment may

request a meeting by contacting the

person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. All such meetings

will be open to the public and, if

possible, notices of meeting will be

posted at the locations listed under

ADDRESSES. A written summary of each

meeting will be made a part of the

administrative record.

IV. Procedural Determinations

1. Executive Order 12866

This rule is exempted from review by

the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) under Executive Order 12866

(Regulatory Planning and Review).

2. Executive Order 12778

The Department of the Interior has

conducted the reviews required by

section 2 of Executive Order 12778

(Civil Justice Reform) and has

determined that this rule meets the

applicable standards of subsections (a)

and (b) of that section. However, these

standards are not applicable to the

actual language of State regulatory

programs and program amendments

since each program is drafted and

promulgated by a specific State, not by

OSM. Under sections 503 and 505 of

SMCRA (30 U.S.C. 1253 and 1255) and

the Federal regulations at 30 CFR

730.11, 732.15, and 732.17(h)(10),

decisions on proposed State regulatory

programs and program amendments

submitted by the States must be based

solely on a determination of whether the

submittal is consistent with SMCRA and

its implementing Federal regulations

and whether the other requirements of

30 CFR Parts 730, 731, and 732 have

been met.

3. National Environmental Policy Act

No environmental impact statement is

required for this rule since section

702(d) of SMCRA (30 U.S.C. 1292(d))

provides that agency decisions on

proposed State regulatory program

provisions do not constitute major

Federal actions within the meaning of

section 102(2)(C) of the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42

U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)).

4. Paperwork Reduction Act

This rule does not contain

information collection requirements that

require approval by OMB under the

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.

3507 et seq.).

5. Regulatory Flexibility Act

The Department of the Interior has

determined that this rule will not have

a significant economic impact on a

substantial number of small entities

under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5

U.S.C. 601 et seq.). The State submittal

that is the subject of this rule is based

upon counterpart Federal regulations for

which an economic analysis was

prepared and certification made that

such regulations would not have a

significant economic effect upon a

substantial number of small entities.

Accordingly, this rule will ensure that

existing requirements previously

promulgated by OSM will be

implemented by the State. In making the

determination as to whether this rule

would have a significant economic

impact, the Department relied upon the

data and assumptions for the

counterpart Federal regulations.

List of Subjects in 30 CFR Part 950

Intergrovernmental relations, Surface

mining, Underground mining

Dated: December 7, 1995.

Russell F. Price,

Acting Regional Director, Western Regional

Coordinating Center.

[FR Doc. 95–30649 Filed 12–15–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–05–M

POSTAL RATE COMMISSION

[Docket No. RM95–4; Order No. 1094]

39 CFR Part 3001

Rules of Practice and Procedure

AGENCY: Postal Rate Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rulemaking; extension

of time.

SUMMARY: The Commission is extending

the time for the filing of comments on

draft rules of practice and procedure

published at 60 FR 54981–89.

DATES: Comments on the draft rules of

practice and procedure must be

submitted on or before January 8, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Comments and

correspondence should be sent to

Margaret P. Crenshaw, Secretary of the

Commission, 1333 H Street, N.W., Suite

300, Washington, D.C. 20268–0001

(telephone 202/789–6840).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Stephen L. Sharfman, Legal Advisor,

Postal Rate Commission, 1333 H Street,

N.W., Suite 300, Washington, D.C.

20268–0001 (telephone 202/789–6820).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

October 27, 1995, Order No. 1084, a

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, was

published at 60 FR 54981–89. This

Notice presented draft rules that were

founded on rules initially proposed by

the United States Postal Service in a

Petition filed April 13, 1995. However,

the Commission’s draft rules

incorporated views expressed and

suggestions made in comments filed by

twenty-one participants. The deadline

established for comments on the

Commission’s draft rules was December

26, 1995. Notice is hereby given that the

deadline for filing comments on the

draft rules is extended to January 8,

1996.
65052 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 242 / Monday, December 18, 1995 / Proposed Rules

The Commission is concerned that the

initial deadline for filing comments,

December 26, 1995, falls at an

inconvenient time, in the midst of the

holiday season. As a courtesy to those

planning to file comments on the draft

rules and in the interest of obtaining

comments based on a thorough review

of the draft rules, the Commission has

conferred this extension. It is Ordered:

1. Comments addressing the draft

rules published at 60 FR 54981–89 are

now due on January 8, 1996.

2. The Secretary shall publish this

Notice and Order in the Federal

Register.

Issued by the Commission on December 12,

1995.

Margaret P. Crenshaw,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 95–30640 Filed 12–15–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7710–FW–P

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 73

[MM Docket No. 95–141; RM–8642]

Radio Broadcasting Services;

Frederiksted, VI and Culebra and

Carolina, PR

AGENCY: Federal Communications

Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule; dismissal.

SUMMARY: The Commission dismisses

the petition for rule making filed by Jose

J. Arzuaga, proposing the allotment of

Channel 298B1 at Frederiksted, Virgin

Islands, as its third local FM

transmission service (RM–8642). See 60

FR 46563, September 7, 1995. We also

dismiss petitioner’s counterproposal to

allotment Channel 293B in lieu of

Channel 298B1 at Frederiksted, Virgin

Islands, and to allot Channel 298B1 at

Culebra, Puerto Rico. The petitioner has

abandoned his interest in a Class B1

allotment at Frederiksted, Virgin

Islands, and there are no other timely

expressions of interest for the channel.

In addition, petitioner’s counterproposal

is not consistent with the Commission’s

technical requirements. With this

action, this proceeding is terminated.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sharon P. McDonald, Mass Media

Bureau, (202) 418–2180.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a

synopsis of the Commission’s Report

and Order, MM Docket No. 95–141,

adopted November 30, 1995, and

released December 11, 1995. The full

text of this Commission decision is

available for inspection and copying

during normal business hours in the

FCC Reference Center (Room 239), 1919

M Street, NW., Washington, DC. The

complete text of this decision may also

be purchased from the Commission’s

copy contractors, International

Transcription Service, Inc., (202) 857–

3800, 2100 M Street, NW., Suite 140,

Washington, DC 20037.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73

Radio broadcasting.

Federal Communications Commission.

John A. Karousos,

Chief, Allocations Branch, Policy and Rules

Division, Mass Media Bureau.

[FR Doc. 95–30615 Filed 12–15–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712–01–F

47 CFR Parts 73 and 76

[MM Docket No. 95–176; FCC 95–484]

In the Matter of Closed Captioning and

Video Description of Video

Programming

AGENCY: Federal Communications

Commission.

ACTION: Notice of inquiry.

SUMMARY: This Notice of Inquiry solicits

comment on the current availability,

cost, and uses of closed captioning and

video description of television video

programming. This information will

provide the Commission a record on

these important services, which benefit

individuals with disabilities. It will also

enable the Commission to assess what

further actions may be appropriate to

promote these services.

DATES: Interested parties may file

comments on or before January 29,

1996, and reply comments on or before

February 14, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Federal Communications

Commission, Washington, D.C. 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Charles Logan, (202) 776–1653.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a

synopsis of the Commission’s Notice of

Inquiry in MM Docket No. 95–176, FCC

95–484, adopted December 1, 1995 and

released on December 4, 1995. The

complete text of this Notice is available

for inspection and copying during

normal business hours in the FCC

Reference Center (Room 239), 1919 M

Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., and also

may be purchased from the

Commission’s copy contractor,

International Transcription Service,

Inc., 2100 M Street, N.W., Suite 140,

Washington, DC 20037, (202) 857–3800.

Synopsis of Notice of Inquiry

1. The Notice seeks information on

the current availability, cost, and uses of

closed captioning and video

description, and also asks comment on

what further Commission actions may

be appropriate to promote these

services. It also seeks comment on the

appropriate means of promoting their

wider use in programming delivered by

television broadcasters, cable operators,

and other video programming providers.

I. Background

2. Captioning is similar to subtitles in

that it displays the audio portion of a

television signal as printed words on the

television screen. To assist viewers who

are hearing disabled, captions also

identify speakers, sound effects, music,

and laughter. Video description

provides audio descriptions of a

program’s key visual elements that are

inserted during the natural pauses in the

program’s dialogue.

3. Both the Senate and the House of

Representatives have passed bills (H.R.

1555 and S. 652), which, if enacted,

would require the Commission to adopt

regulations to ensure that video

programming is accessible to persons

with hearing disabilities through the

provision of closed captioning,

including requiring ‘‘video

programming providers or owners’’ to

maximize the accessibility of previously

published or exhibited programs by

adding closed captioning. Both bills

would allow the Commission to exempt

programs from these requirements in

certain circumstances, including

circumstances where the closed

captioning would impose an

unreasonable financial burden. The

House bill would require the

Commission to conduct an inquiry into

the current extent of closed captioning

as well as other issues. In addition, both

bills would require the Commission to

study the use of video description. The

House bill further provides that the

Commission may adopt regulation it

deems necessary to promote the

accessibility of video programming to

persons with visual impairments.

II. The Public Interest Benefits of

Closed Captioning and Video

Description

4. The Notice asks parties to elaborate

on the importance and nature of the

public interest benefits of closed

captioning and video description. It asks

parties to submit information regarding

the number of individuals with hearing

and vision disabilities in this country

who can benefit from these innovations,

including the basis for such estimates.