Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 39 / Tuesday, February 28, 1995 / Notices 10835

such other communications-based

applications as file transfers and

electronic data interchange transactions.

Thus far, all that is reasonably certain is

that some data that is generated

internally by e-mail systems or created

by message originators—e.g., the

identities of message originators,

identities of receivers, the date and time

of origination, and/or the date and time

of receipt—must be bound to the

message in the RDR. That is a relatively

small set of data elements. However,

two important questions surround it.

The first is which of those elements

should be mandatory and which

optional, and the second is whether

those mandatory elements should apply

to all applications.

Comments are desired on both of

these questions, as well as on the

mandatory descriptive elements that

should apply to voice-mail, scanned

image documents, compound

documents, and multimedia documents.

7. Optional Elements

Optional elements may be associated

with records such as e-mail messages

that are common across many Federal

agencies, or they may be associated with

common descriptive characteristics

such as case number or client number,

or they may be unique to a particular

agency. Some common elements may be

candidates for standardization, but that

is not an issue in this context.

What is of principal concern with

respect to the RDR is the production of

optional elements by the information

creation software, and their acceptance

by the record management system. The

data element identification standard

discussed above should cover the aspect

of identifying each optional element

that is present in an RDR, but questions

remain concerning the number of

optional elements that a record

management system must be able to

accept, and what specifications should

apply to information creation software

for the creation of the optional elements.

Comments are solicited on these, and

any other aspects of optional data

elements in RDRs.

Dated: February 22, 1995.

Samuel Kramer,

Associate Director.

[FR Doc. 95–4855 Filed 2–27–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–CN–M

Visiting Committee on Advanced

Technology

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards

and Technology, DOC.

ACTION: Notice of partially closed

meeting.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal

Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app.

2, notice is hereby given that the

National Institute of Standards and

Technology Visiting Committee on

Advanced Technology will meet on

Tuesday, March 14, 1995, from 10:45

a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on Wednesday,

March 15, 1995, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00

a.m. The Visiting Committee on

Advanced Technology is composed of

nine members appointed by the Director

of the National Institute of Standards

and Technology who are eminent in

such fields as business, research, new

product development, engineering,

labor, education, management

consulting, environment, and

international relations. The purpose of

this meeting is to review and make

recommendations regarding general

policy for the Institute, its organization,

its budget, and its programs within the

framework of applicable national

policies as set forth by the President and

the Congress. On Tuesday, March 14,

1995, presentations will be given on the

Board on Assessment of NIST Programs’

annual report; the Applied Technology

Program focus report on Materials

Processing for Heavy Manufacturing; the

National Quality Award’s pilot

programs in healthcare and education;

and national and international

standards. A discussion on the

Institute’s budget, including funding of

the Applied Technology Program and

staffing of management positions at

NIST, scheduled to begin at 10:45 a.m.

and to end at 11:45 a.m. on March 14,

1995, will be closed. On Wednesday,

March 15, 1995, the committee members

will tour the molecular measurement

laboratory.

DATES: The meeting will convene March

14, 1995, at 8:30 a.m. and will adjourn

at 10:00 a.m. on March 15, 1995.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in

Lecture Room A, Administration

Building, National Institute of Standards

and Technology, Gaithersburg,

Maryland.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Chris E. Kuyatt, Visiting Committee

Executive Director, National Institute of

Standards and Technology,

Gaithersburg, MD 20899, telephone

number (301) 975–6090.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Assistant Secretary for Administration,

with the concurrence of the General

Counsel, formally determined on

February 7, 1995, that portions of the

meeting of the Visiting Committee on

Advanced Technology which involve

examination and discussion of the

budget for the Institute may be closed in

accordance with Section 552(b)(9)(B) of

Title 5, United States Code, since the

meeting is likely to disclose financial

information that may be privileged or

confidential.

Dated: February 22, 1995.

Samuel Kramer,

Associate Director.

[FR Doc. 95–4856 Filed 2–27–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–13–M

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 021495C]

New Bedford Harbor Trustee Council;

Scoping Meetings

AGENCIES: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce; and Office of Environmental

Policy and Compliance, U.S.

Department of the Interior (DOI).

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

environmental impact statement (EIS);

request for comments.

SUMMARY: NMFS, acting as

Administrative Trustee, and DOI

announce the intention of the New

Bedford Harbor Trustee Council

(Council) to prepare an EIS for a

proposed plan to address the restoration

of natural resources that have been

injured by the release of hazardous

substances, including polychlorinated

biphenyls (PCBs), in the New Bedford

Harbor environment. The Council also

announces its initiation of a public

process to determine the scope of issues

under consideration. The purpose of

this notice is to inform the public of this

process and of the opportunity to

participate in the development of the

restoration plan/EIS. All persons

affected by, or otherwise interested in,

the proposed restoration plan are

invited to participate in determining the

scope of significant issues to be

considered in the EIS by submitting

written comments or by attending

scoping meetings. The scoping process

will identify and prioritize alternatives

for potential restoration activities.

DATES: The Council will hold scoping

meetings in each of the affected

communities within the New Bedford

Harbor environment. The scoping

meetings are scheduled as follows:

1. February 28, 1995, 6:30 p.m.–9

p.m., New Bedford, MA

2. March 1, 1995, 6:30 p.m.–9 p.m.,

North Dartmouth, MA
10836 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 39 / Tuesday, February 28, 1995 / Notices

3. March 8, 1995, 6:30 p.m.–9 p.m.,

Acushnet, MA

4. March 9, 1995, 6:30 p.m.–9 p.m.,

Fairhaven, MA

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at

the following locations:

1. New Bedford—New Bedford

Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill,

New Bedford, MA 02740

2. North Dartmouth—University of

Massachusetts/Dartmouth, Old Westport

Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02714

3. Acushnet— Acushnet Elementary

School, 80 Middle Road, Acushnet, MA

02743

4. Fairhaven—Hastings Middle

School, 30 School Street, Fairhaven, MA

02719

Additional meetings will be

announced as they are scheduled.

Public hearings will be scheduled upon

completion of the Draft EIS. Send

written comments on the scoping

process and scope of the EIS to Jack

Terrill, Coordinator, New Bedford

Harbor Trustee Council, National

Marine Fisheries Service, 1 Blackburn

Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930–2298, or

fax number 508–281–9301.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jack

Terrill, Coordinator, 508–281–9136.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

New Bedford Harbor is an urban tidal

estuary on the western shore of

Buzzards Bay, MA, situated between the

City of New Bedford on the west and the

towns of Fairhaven and Acushnet on the

east, with the Acushnet River flowing

into the harbor from the north. The area

contains approximately 6 square miles

(15.54 square kilometers) of open water,

tidal creeks and salt marshes.

New Bedford Harbor is an active port

frequented by both commercial and

recreational fishing vessels, as well as

merchant vessels delivering produce for

distribution throughout the Northeast.

For many years, the commercial

landings of predominantly scallops and

groundfish species resulted in either the

highest or second highest value of any

port in the country. Historically,

approximately 300 to 400 commercial

fishing vessels have landed in the port

each year. Located along the shores of

the harbor are support services for the

fishing industry (ice, fuel, provisions,

etc.) and manufacturing facilities, as

well as residential neighborhoods.

Also situated along the shore were

electronic manufacturers which were

major users of PCBs from the time their

operations commenced in the late

1940’s until 1977, when the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

banned the use and manufacture of

PCBs. These industries discharged

wastewaters containing PCBs directly

into the Acushnet River estuary and

Buzzards Bay and indirectly via the

municipal wastewater treatment system.

PCBs are considered to be human

carcinogens that can be introduced

through the eating of contaminated fish

and shellfish. PCBs found at high

concentration may be released into the

air for further deposit on surfaces

affecting vegetation. PCBs are

concentrated in fish and shellfish

through the process of biomagnification

in which fish and shellfish eat smaller

organisms such as plankton, and the

PCBs within the smaller organisms are

retained in the tissue of the larger

organism. Subsequent exposure further

accumulates the PCBs in these tissues.

PCBs can also have adverse effects on

natural resources particularly birds and

higher mammals. Birds exposed to PCBs

have exhibited reproductive failure and

birth defects. Some shellfish species

will die after exposure to even small

concentrations of PCBs. Some fish

species can have relatively high

concentrations without serious effect

but pose a danger when eaten by other

natural resources such as birds.

Between 1974 and 1982, a number of

environmental studies were conducted

to assess the magnitude and extent of

contamination by PCBs and heavy

metals in New Bedford Harbor. These

studies showed PCB contamination in

marine sediment over a 985–acre area to

range from a few parts per million

(ppm) to over 100,000 ppm. Portions of

western Buzzards Bay are also

contaminated with sediment PCB

concentrations in excess of 50 ppm.

Water-column concentrations were

found in excess of Federal ambient

water quality criteria (0.030 ppm based

on chronic impacts to marine

organisms). Fish and shellfish PCB

concentrations were found in excess of

the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

tolerance limit (2 ppm for edible tissue).

To reduce the potential for human

exposure to PCBs, the Massachusetts

Department of Public Health closed

much of the New Bedford Harbor area

to fishing or fishing for selected species

with the establishment of three closure

areas on September 25, 1979. New

Bedford Harbor was added to EPA’s

Superfund National Priorities List in

July 1982 and was simultaneously

identified as the Commonwealth of

Massachusetts’ priority Superfund site.

Executive Order 12580 and the

National Contingency Plan, which is the

implementing regulation for the

Comprehensive Environmental

Response, Compensation, and Liability

Act (CERCLA), designates the

Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce,

Defense, Energy, and Interior to be

Federal Trustees for natural resources.

Federal Trustees are designated because

of their statutory responsibilities for

protection and/or management of

natural resources, or management of

federally owned land. In addition, the

governors of each state are required to

designate a state Trustee. The Trustees’

responsibilities include assessing

damages from the release of hazardous

substances, pursuing recoveries of both

damages and costs, and using the sums

to restore, replace, or acquire the

equivalent of the resources that were

injured by the release.

In 1983, the Federal and state trustees

filed complaints in Federal District

Court in Boston alleging causes of action

under CERCLA against the electronics

manufacturers for injuries to natural

resources under their trusteeship that

had resulted from releases of hazardous

substances, including PCBs. The

eventual outcome of the complaints was

monetary settlement agreements with

defendants to: (1) Fund the cleanup of

the harbor by EPA, (2) restore the

natural resources by the Trustees, and

(3) reimburse the governments for funds

expended.

The Council was created as a result of

the settlement agreements. There are

three natural resource trustees on the

Council representing Commerce, DOI,

and the Commonwealth of

Massachusetts. The Secretary of

Commerce has delegated trustee

responsibility to NOAA, with NMFS

having responsibility for restoration.

The Secretary of the Interior has

delegated trustee responsibility to the

Regional Office of Policy and

Compliance. The Governor of

Massachusetts has delegated trustee

responsibility to the Executive Office of

Environmental Affairs. These are the

only Trustees having identified trust

responsibilities for natural resources

present in the New Bedford Harbor

environment.

The Trustees are required to develop

a restoration plan before settlement

money can be spent on restoration

projects. Such a plan will include a

range of projects including near-term

restoration efforts though restoration

may continue for 10 to 15 years or more.

The Trustees primary task is to

determine how best to restore the

injured natural resources and the

Trustees are seeking the assistance of

the public in this process. There are

many projects that can be done to

restore the injured natural resources but

there are also limited funds with which

to accomplish this. By incorporating the

public in the process and by developing

a formal restoration plan, there is greater

likelihood of success and acceptance.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 39 / Tuesday, February 28, 1995 / Notices 10837

Federal actions require adherence to

the National Environmental Policy Act.

This Act requires the development of an

environmental assessment or an EIS

which analyzes the effects of the

proposed Federal action(s) on the

environment. This notice initiates the

process of developing an EIS.

Alternatives developed though this

process will be included in the EIS as

well as an analysis of their potential

impacts on the environment.

The Trustees have scheduled four

meetings to initiate this process. The

purpose of these meetings is to

introduce the public to the Trustee

Council, define the Council’s role and

responsibilities, explain what

restoration means and the legal

requirements that must be followed:

Describe and seek comment on the

Trustee Council’s goals, objectives, and

project selection criteria; and provide

guidance and receive comment on how

restoration projects should be presented

for consideration.

These meetings are the first step in

the restoration plan/EIS development

process. Meetings of the Trustee Council

are open to the public and the public is

invited to attend and participate. The

Trustees will be seeking public

participation through citizen advisors

who can play a continuing role in

restoration plan development. Once a

draft restoration plan/EIS is developed,

public hearings will be held on the

content before any such plan is

finalized.

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. and 9601

et seq.

Dated: February 21, 1995.

Gary Matlock,

Program Management Officer, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 95–4847 Filed 2–27–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

[I.D. 021795E]

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management

Council; Public Meeting

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery

Management Council (Council) will

hold a meetings on March 13 through

16, 1995 at the Holiday Inn DowntownSuperdome, 330 Loyola Street, New

Orleans, LA; telephone: 504–581–1600.

Council Meetings:

March 15, 1995

The Council will convene at 8:30 a.m.

and recess at 5:30 p.m., 8:45 a.m. to 4:00

p.m.—Receive public testimony on the

red grouper size limit and the harvest of

‘‘live rock’’ off Florida (NOTE:

Testimony cards must be turned in to

staff before the start of public

testimony);

4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.—Amendment 3

to the Fishery Management Plan for

Coral and Coral Reefs.

March 16, 1995

8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.—Receive

reports of the Mackerel Management

Committee;

9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.—Receive

reports of the Reef Fish Management

Committee;

11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.—Receive the

ICCAT Meeting Report, SAFMC Liaison

Report, Enforcement Reports, Directors’

Reports and Other Business;

(CLOSED SESSION—2:00 p.m. to 8:00

p.m.)—Consider appointment of

Scientific and Statistical Committee

(SSC) members; and

(CLOSED SESSION—3:00 p.m. to 5:00

p.m.)—Consider appointment of

Advisory Panel (AP) members.

Committee Meetings:

March 13, 1995

(CLOSED SESSION—10:00 a.m. to

5:30 p.m.)—Meetings of the AP

Selection Committee, the SSC Selection

Committee, and the Coral Management

Committee.

March 14, 1995

8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.—Meetings of

the Mackerel Management Committee

and Reef Fish Management Committee.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Wayne E. Swingle, Executive Director,

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management

Council, 5401 West Kennedy Boulevard,

Suite 331, Tampa, Florida 33609;

telephone: 813–228–2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

meeting is physically accessible to

people with disabilities. Requests for

sign language interpretation or other

auxiliary aids should be directed to Julie

Krebs at the address above by March 6,

1995.

Dated: February 22, 1995.

David S. Crestin,

Acting Director, Office of Fisheries

Conservation and Management, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 95–4848 Filed 2–27–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

[I.D. 022195B]

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management

Council; Public Meetings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery

Management Council (Council) and its

Demersal Species Committee,

Information and Education Committee,

and Coastal Migratory Committee will

hold public meetings on March 14–16,

1995, at the Holiday Inn City Centre,

1800 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA

19103; telephone 215–561–7500. On

March 14, the Demersal Species

Committee will meet from 10:00 a.m. to

4:00 p.m. and the Information and

Education Committee will meet from

4:00 to 5:00 p.m. On March 15, the

Council will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00

p.m. and the Coastal Migratory

Committee will meet from 2:00 to 5:00

p.m. On March 16, the Council will

meet from 8:00 a.m. until approximately

noon.

The following topics may be

discussed:

1. Recreational fishery measures for

summer flounder for 1995;

2. Discuss the Information and

Education Committee’s itinerary for the

remainder of 1995;

3. Possible adoption of Amendment 5

for Squid, Mackerel, and Butterfish;

4. Review Bluefish Fishery

Management Plan Amendment 1

scoping/informational process; and

5. Other fishery management matters.

The Council agenda may be revised,

and the meeting lengthened or

shortened based on the progress of the

meeting. The Council may go into

closed session to discuss personnel or

national security matters.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

David R. Keifer, Executive Director,

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management

Council, 300 S. New Street, Dover, DE

19901; telephone: (302) 674–2331.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

meeting is physically accessible to

people with disabilities. Requests for

sign language interpretation or other

auxiliary aids should be directed to

Joanna Davis on (302) 674–2331, at least

5 days prior to the meeting date.

Dated: February 22, 1995.

David S. Crestin,

Acting Director, Office of Fisheries

Conservation and Management, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 95–4850 Filed 2–27–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F