This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains notices to the public of the proposed

issuance of rules and regulations. The

purpose of these notices is to give interested

persons an opportunity to participate in the

rule making prior to the adoption of the final

rules.

Proposed Rules Federal Register

704

Vol. 61, No. 7

Wednesday, January 10, 1996

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Commodity Credit Corporation

7 CFR Part 1485

Agreements for the Development of

Foreign Markets for Agricultural

Commodities

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation

(CCC).

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit

Corporation (CCC) is proposing to

amend its regulations implementing the

Market Promotion Program (MPP)

authorized by Section 203 of the

Agricultural Trade Act of 1978, 7 U.S.C.

5623. Specifically, the proposed rule

would extend the period of time

following the expiration of the

marketing year during which

participants may pay for approved

market development activities and still

be entitled to receive reimbursement

from CCC. This period would be

extended from 30 days to 4 months. The

proposed rule is part of an effort by CCC

to increase program flexibility and ease

administrative requirements on program

participants.

DATES: Comments on the proposed rule

should be submitted in writing to the

address below by February 9, 1996 to be

assured of consideration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sharon L. McClure, Director, Marketing

Operations Staff, Foreign Agricultural

Service, United States Department of

Agriculture, 14th and Independence

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250–

1042, (202) 720–5521.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Executive Order 12866

This proposed rule is issued in

conformance with Executive Order

12866. Based on information compiled

by the Department, it has been

determined that this proposed rule:

(1) Would have an annual effect on

the economy of less than $100 million;

(2) Would not adversely affect in a

material way the economy, a sector of

the economy, productivity, competition,

jobs, the environment, public health or

safety, or State, local, or tribal

governments or communities;

(3) Would not create a serious

inconsistency or otherwise interfere

with an action taken or planned by

another agency;

(4) Would not alter the budgetary

impact of entitlements, grants, user fees,

or loan programs or rights and

obligations of recipients thereof; and

(5) Would not raise novel legal or

policy issues arising out of legal

mandates, the President’s priorities, or

principles set forth in Executive Order

12866.

The Department of Agriculture is

committed to carrying out its statutory

and regulatory mandates in a manner

that best serves the public interest.

Therefore, where legal discretion

permits, the Department actively seeks

to promulgate regulations that promote

economic growth, create jobs, are

minimally burdensome and are easy for

the public to understand, use or comply

with. In short, the Department is

committed to issuing regulations that

maximize net benefits to society and

minimize costs imposed by those

regulations.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

It has been determined that the

Regulatory Flexibility Act is not

applicable to this proposed rule since

CCC is not required by 5 U.S.C. 553 or

any other provision of law to publish a

notice of rulemaking with respect to the

subject matter of this rule.

Paperwork Reduction Act

The proposed rule does not impose

any new reporting or recordkeeping

requirements. The information

collection requirements of participating

in the MPP were approved for use by

the Office of Management and Budget

under OMB control number 0551–0027.

Executive Order 12372

This proposed rule is not subject to

the provisions of Executive Order 12372

which requires intergovernmental

consultation with state and local

officials. See the Notice related to 7 CFR

part 3015, subpart V, published at 46 FR

29115 (June 24, 1983).

Executive Order 12778

This proposed rule has been reviewed

under the Executive Order 12778, Civil

Justice Reform. The proposed rule

would have pre-emptive effect with

respect to any state or local laws,

regulations, or policies which conflict

with such provisions or which

otherwise impede their full

implementation. The proposed rule

would not have retroactive effect.

Administrative proceedings are not

required before parties may seek judicial

review.

Background

On February 1, 1995, the CCC

published final rules at 60 FR 6352

governing the MPP. These new rules

were applicable beginning with a

participant’s 1995 marketing year.

Following publication, CCC participated

with interested parties in five

information sessions designed to

familiarize participants with the new

regulations and offer participants an

additional opportunity to identify any

problem areas. At these sessions, there

was considerable discussion concerning

the requirement that participants must

have completely paid for approved

activities not later that 30 days

following the end of a participant’s

activity plan in order to receive

reimbursement, 7 CFR 1485.16(h)(3). As

a result of these discussions, CCC

recognized that this requirement is too

restrictive and does not allow sufficient

time for a participant to receive and pay

an invoice submitted by a third party,

particularly for those activities that are

conducted near the end of an activity

plan year. In addition, the current

requirement may, inadvertently, impose

a requirement on participants to prepay

invoices. This is not a practice CCC

wishes to endorse since it is not a

common business practice and may also

jeopardize the financial integrity of the

program. This proposed rule would

amend the current requirement in 7 CFR

1485.16(h) by allowing participants to

transfer funds to pay for activities not

later than 4 months following the end of

the activity plan year and still be

entitled to receive reimbursement from

CCC.

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 1485

Agricultural commodities, Exports.
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 7 / Wednesday, January 10, 1996 / Proposed Rules 705

1See Promoting Wholesale Competition Through

Open Access Non-discriminatory Transmission

Services by Public Utilities; Recovery of Stranded

Costs by Public Utilities and Transmitting Utilities,

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Supplemental

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 60 FR 17662 (April

7, 1995), IV FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 32,514 (1995)

(Open Access Proceeding).

For the reasons set forth in the

preamble, CCC proposes to amend 7

CFR part 1485 as follows:

PART 1485—AGREEMENTS FOR THE

DEVELOPMENT OF FOREIGN

MARKETS FOR AGRICULTURAL

COMMODITIES

1. The authority citation for Part 1485

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 5623, 5662–5664 and

sec. 1302, Pub. L. 103–66, 107 Stat. 330.

Subpart B—Market Promotion Program

2. In § 1485.16, paragraph (h) is

revised to read as follows:

§ 1485.16 Reimbursement rules.

* * * * *

(h) CCC will reimburse for

expenditures made after the conclusion

of participant’s activity plan year

provided:

(1) The activity was approved prior to

the end of the activity plan year;

(2) The activity was completed within

30 calendar days following the end of

the activity plan year; and

(3) all funds transferred to pay for the

activity within 4 months following the

end of the activity plan year.

Signed at Washington, D.C. on December

19, 1995.

Timothy J. Galvin,

Acting Administrator, Foreign Agricultural

Service and Vice President, Commodity Credit

Corporation.

[FR Doc. 95–326 Filed 1–9–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–05–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

18 CFR Chapter I

[Docket No. RM95–16–000]

Regulations for the Relicensing of

Hydroelectric Projects

January 4, 1996.

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission, DOE.

ACTION: Petition for rulemaking;

extension of time.

SUMMARY: On October 31, 1995, the

Commission issued a notice of National

Hydropower Association’s (NHA)

petition for rulemaking in the abovecaptioned docket (60 FR 56278,

November 8, 1995). Certain departments

and agencies of the Federal Government

are presently closed for all but

emergency matters due to a lack of

appropriated funds. The Commission

anticipates that a number of these

agencies may wish to file comments on

the petition. In order to accommodate

this unusual circumstance, notice is

hereby given that an extension of time

is granted.

DATES: Initial comments by all parties

shall be filed on or before February 5,

1996. Reply comments shall be due on

or before March 4, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission, 888 First Street, NE.,

Washington, DC 20426.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Barry Smoler, Office of the General

Counsel, (202) 208–1269.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 96–303 Filed 1–9–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

18 CFR Part 35

[Docket Nos. RM95–8–000 and RM94–7–

001]

Promoting Wholesale Competition

Through Open Access

Nondiscriminatory Transmission

Services by Public Utilities; Recovery

of Stranded Costs by Public Utilities

and Transmitting Utilities; Notice of

Technical Conference and Potential

Broadcast of Technical Conference

Concerning Independent System

Operators and Reform of Power Pools

Under the Federal Power Act

January 4, 1996.

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of Technical Conference

and Potential Broadcast of Technical

Conference.

SUMMARY: The Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission (Commission)

notifies interested persons that it will

hold a technical conference regarding

independent system operators (ISOs)

and power pools on January 24, 1996, at

9:30 A.M. The Commission has invited

specific persons with technical

expertise to participate in the

conference. Their names, and an agenda

for the conference, are attached. This

notice also provides interested persons

with the necessary information by

which they may seek to receive the

broadcast of the conference.

DATES: Persons interested in receiving

the broadcast of the conference for a fee

must notify Shirley Al-Jarani or Julia

Morelli at the Capitol Connection (703–

993–3100) by January 10, 1996. The

conference will be held on January 24,

1996, at 9:30 A.M.

ADDRESSES: The conference will be held

at the Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission, 888 First Street, N.E.,

Washington, D.C. 20426.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Karen A. Tomcala (Legal Issues), Office

of the General Counsel, Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888

First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C.

20426, (202) 208–0464

Carolyn A. Berry (Technical Issues),

Office of Economic Policy, Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888

First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C.

20426, (202) 208–2227

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In

addition to publishing the full text of

this document in the Federal Register,

the Commission also provides all

interested persons an opportunity to

inspect or copy the contents of this

document during normal business hours

in the Public Reference Room at 888

First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C.

20426.

The Commission Issuance Posting

System (CIPS), an electronic bulletin

board service, provides access to the

text of formal documents issued by the

Commission. CIPS is available at no

charge to the user and may be accessed

using a personal computer with a

modem by dialing (800) 856–3920 or

(202) 208–1397 if dialing locally. To

access CIPS, set your communications

software to 19200, 14400, 12000, 9600,

7200, 4800, 2400, or 1200 bps, full

duplex, no parity, 8 data bits and 1 stop

bit. The full text of this document will

be available on CIPS in ASCII and

WordPerfect 5.1 format. The complete

text on diskette in WordPerfect format

may also be purchased from the

Commission’s copy contractor, La Dorn

Systems Corporation, also located in the

Public Reference Room at 888 First

Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426.

At the Commission’s technical

conference on comparability for power

pools held December 5 and 6, 1995,

several speakers described proposals for

developing independent system

operators (ISOs) as one method to

address full competition and comply

with the Commission’s open access and

comparability requirements.1 Power

pools considering the formation of ISOs

include PJM, NEPOOL and NYPP.

To follow up on the issues raised

during the December technical

conference, the Commission will hold a