Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 100 / Wednesday, May 22, 1996 / Notices 25627

Preliminary Results of Review

For the period January 1, 1993

through December 31, 1993, we

preliminarily determine the net subsidy

to be zero or de minimis for Delta

Enterprises and Super Iron Foundry,

and 5.45 percent ad valorem for all

other companies. In accordance with 19

CFR 355.7, any rate less than 0.5 percent

ad valorem is de minimis.

If the final results of this review

remain the same as these preliminary

results, the Department intends to

instruct the U.S. Customs Service to

assess the following countervailing

duties:

Manufacturer/Exporter Rate

(percent)

Delta Enterprises ...................... 0.00

Super Iron Foundry ................... 0.00

All Other Companies ................ 5.45

The Department also intends to

instruct the U.S. Customs Service to

collect a cash deposit of estimated

countervailing duties of zero percent of

the f.o.b. invoice price on all shipments

of the subject merchandise from Delta

Enterprises and Super Iron Foundry,

and 5.13 percent of the f.o.b. invoice

price on all shipments of the subject

merchandise from all other companies.

Public Comment

Parties to the proceeding may request

disclosure of the calculation

methodology and interested parties may

request a hearing not later than 10 days

after the date of publication of this

notice. Interested parties may submit

written arguments in case briefs on

these preliminary results within 30 days

of the date of publication. Rebuttal

briefs, limited to arguments raised in

case briefs, may be submitted seven

days after the time limit for filing the

case brief. Parties who submit argument

in this proceeding are requested to

submit with the argument (1) a

statement of the issue and (2) a brief

summary of the argument. Any hearing,

if requested, will be held seven days

after the scheduled date for submission

of rebuttal briefs. Copies of case briefs

and rebuttal briefs must be served on

interested parties in accordance with 19

CFR 355.38(e).

Representatives of parties to the

proceeding may request disclosure of

proprietary information under

administrative protective order no later

than 10 days after the representative’s

client or employer becomes a party to

the proceeding, but in no event later

than the date the case briefs, under 19

CFR § 355.38(c), are due. The

Department will publish the final

results of this administrative review

including the results of its analysis of

issues raised in any case or rebuttal brief

or at a hearing.

This administrative review and notice

are in accordance with section 751(a)(1)

of the Act (19 U.S.C. 1675(a)(1)) and 19

CFR § 355.22.

Dated: May 14, 1996.

Paul L. Joffe,

Acting Assistant Secretary for Import

Administration.

[FR Doc. 96–12871 Filed 5–21–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P

National Institute of Standards and

Technology

[Docket No. 950314073–6067–02]

RIN 0693–ZA07

Approval of Federal Information

Processing Standards Publication

161–2, Electronic Data Interchange

(EDI)

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards

and Technology (NIST), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is

to announce that the Secretary of

Commerce has approved a revision of

Federal Information Processing

Standard (FIPS) 161–1, Electronic Data

Interchange (EDI), which will be

published as FIPS Publication 161–2.

This revision reflects changes in the

development of voluntary industry

standards for Electronic Data

Interchange (EDI), including the

planned alignment of the X12 and UN/

EDIFACT families of standards, and

provides updated guidance to Federal

agencies in the selection of EDI

standards. The revision adopts the HL7

standards for EDI as an alternative for

certain healthcare applications. It also

establishes a Federal EDI Standards

Management Committee to harmonize

the development of EDI transaction set

and message standards among Federal

agencies, and the setting of

governmentwide implementation

conventions for EDI applications used

by Federal agencies. FIPS PUB 161–2

supersedes FIPS PUB 161–1 in its

entirety. The announcement section of

FIPS 161–2 is provided in this notice.

On April 3, 1995, notice was

published in the Federal Register (60

FR 16854–16857) that a revision of

Federal Information Processing

Standard (FIPS) 161–1, Electronic Data

Interchange (EDI), was being proposed

for Federal use.

The written comments submitted by

interested parties and other material

available to the Department relevant to

this standard were reviewed by NIST.

On the basis of this review, NIST

recommended that the Secretary

approve the revised standard as Federal

Information Processing Standards

Publication (FIPS PUB) 161–2, and

prepared a detailed justification

document for the Secretary’s review in

support of that recommendation.

The detailed justification document

which was presented to the Secretary,

and which includes an analysis of the

written comments received, is part of

the public record and is available for

inspection and copying in the

Department’s Central Reference and

Records Inspection Facility, Room 6020,

Herbert C. Hoover Building, 14th Street

between Pennsylvania and Constitution

Avenues NW., Washington, DC 20230.

EFFECTIVE DATE: FIPS PUB 161 was

effective September 30, 1991.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may

purchase copies of the announcement

section of FIPS 161–2 from the National

Technical Information Service (NTIS).

Specific ordering information from

NTIS for this standard is set out in the

Where to Obtain Copies Section of the

standard.

Documents defining both the X12 and

EDIFACT families of standards are

available from DISA, Inc. or from its

named contractor. DISA, Inc. serves as

the secretariat for Accredited Standards

Committee (ASC) X12 and the Pan

American EDIFACT Board (PAEB) and

its address and phone number are as

follows: Data Interchange Standards

Association, Inc. (DISA, Inc.), 1800

Diagonal Road, Suite 200, Alexandria,

VA 22314–2852. Telephone (703) 548–

7005.

HL7 documents are available from:

Health Level Seven, Inc., 3300

Washtenaw Avenue, Suite 227, Ann

Arbor, MI 48104. Telephone (313) 677–

7777.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Roy Saltman, telephone (301) 975–3376,

National Institute of Standards and

Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.

Dated: May 16, 1996.

Samuel Kramer,

Associate Director.

Federal Information Processing

Standards Publication 161–2, 1996

Month Day, Announcing the Standard

for Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

Federal Information Processing

Standards Publications (FIPS PUBS) are

issued by the National Institute of

Standards and Technology (NIST) after

approval by the Secretary of Commerce

pursuant to Section 5131 of the

Information Technology Management
25628 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 100 / Wednesday, May 22, 1996 / Notices

Reform Act of 1996 and the Computer

Security Act of 1987, Public Law 104–

106.

1. Name of Standard. Electronic Data

Interchange (EDI) (FIPS PUB 161–2).

2. Category of Standard. Electronic

Data Interchange.

3. Explanation.

3.1. Definition and Use of EDI. EDI is

the computer-to-computer interchange

of strictly formatted messages that

represent documents other than

monetary instruments. EDI implies a

sequence of messages between two

parties, either of whom may serve as

originator or recipient. The formatted

data representing the documents may be

transmitted from originator to recipient

via telecommunications or physically

transported on electronic storage media.

In EDI, the usual processing of

received messages is by computer only.

Human intervention in the processing of

a received message is typically intended

only for error conditions, for quality

review, and for special situations. For

example, the transmission of binary or

textual data is not EDI as defined here

unless the data are treated as one or

more data elements of an EDI message

and are not normally intended for

human interpretation as part of on-line

data processing.

An example of EDI is a set of

interchanges between a buyer and a

seller. Messages from buyer to seller

could include, for example, request for

quotation (RFQ), purchase order,

receiving advice and payment advice;

messages from seller to buyer could

include, similarly, bid in response to

RFQ, purchase order acknowledgment,

shipping notice and invoice. These

messages may simply provide

information, e.g., receiving advice or

shipping notice, or they may include

data that may be interpreted as a legally

binding obligation, e.g., bid in response

to RFQ or purchase order.

EDI is being used also for an

increasingly diverse set of concerns, for

example, for interchanges between

healthcare providers and insurers, for

travel and hotel bookings, for education

administration, and for government

regulatory, statistical and tax reporting.

3.2. Standards Required for EDI. From

the point of view of the standards

needed, EDI may be defined as an

interchange between computers of a

sequence of standardized messages

taken from a predetermined set of

message types. Each message is

composed, according to a standardized

syntax, of a sequence of standardized

data elements. It is the standardization

of message formats using a standard

syntax, and the standardization of data

elements within the messages, that

makes possible the assembling,

disassembling, and processing of the

messages by computer.

Implementation of EDI requires the

use of a family of interrelated standards.

Standards are required for, at minimum:

(a) the syntax used to compose the

messages and separate the various parts

of a message, (b) types and definitions

of application data elements, most of

variable length, (c) the message types,

defined by the identification and

sequence of data elements forming each

message, and (d) the definitions and

sequence of control data elements in

message headers and trailers.

Additional standards may define: (e)

a set of short sequences of data elements

called data segments, (f) the manner in

which more than one message may be

included in a single transmission, and

(g) the manner of adding protective

measures for integrity, confidentiality,

and authentication into transmitted

messages.

3.3. Limited Coverage of this

Standard. This FIPS covers only EDI. It

does not cover other forms of electronic

interchange, for example, systems of

interchange that do not consist of

messages taken from a predetermined

set. Additionally, an interchange

application including only one or two

predetermined message types using only

fixed-length data elements is excluded

from coverage of this FIPS. This FIPS

also is not intended to cover

transmissions from medical, laboratory,

or environment-sensing

instrumentation.

3.4. The Long-Range Goal for EDI

Standards. There are several different

EDI standards in use today, but the

achievement of a single universallyused family of EDI standards is a longrange goal. A single universally-used

family of standards would make use of

EDI more efficient and minimize

aggregate costs of use. Specifically, it

would (a) minimize needs for training of

personnel in use and maintenance of

EDI standards, (b) eliminate duplication

of functionality and the costs of

achieving that duplication now existing

in different systems of standards, (c)

minimize requirements for different

kinds of translation software, and (d)

allow for a universal set of data

elements that would ease the flow of

data among different but interconnected

applications, and thereby maximize

useful information interchange.

This FIPS PUB recognizes the reality

that some families of EDI standards

were developed to provide solutions to

immediate needs, and that inclusion of

the goal of universality in their

development would have unacceptably

delayed their availability. However, a

future is envisioned in which the

benefits of universality outweigh the

sunk costs in specialized solutions,

leading first to cooperation among

standards developers, then to

harmonization of standards, and

eventually to a single universally

accepted family of EDI standards.

3.5. Adoption of Specific Families of

Standards. This FIPS PUB adopts, with

specific conditions specified below, the

families of EDI standards known as X12,

UN/EDIFACT and HL7. This FIPS PUB

does not mandate the implementation of

EDI systems within the Federal

Government; rather it requires the use of

the identified families of standards with

specified constraints when Federal

departments or agencies implement EDI

systems.

The UN/EDIFACT standards may be

used for any application, domestic or

international. The X12 standards may be

used for any domestic application. The

HL7 standards are adopted as an

alternative for certain healthcare

applications, specifically for

transmission of patient records and of

clinical, epidemiological, and regulatory

data. HL7 standards are not to be used

for healthcare insurance administrative

applications, such as for enrollments,

claims, and claim payments, or for any

aspect of the Government procurement

cycle, such as for registration of

vendors, RFQ, purchase order, shipping

notice, or payment advice.

The cross-use of data elements is

encouraged. A data element received

through one system of EDI standards, or

through a non-EDI interchange, may be

re-transmitted as a data element in any

of the approved systems of EDI

standards.

The adopted standards were

developed by the following

organizations: the X12 standards by

Accredited Standards Committee X12

on Electronic Data Interchange (ASC

X12), accredited by the American

National Standards Institute (ANSI); the

HL7 standards by Health Level Seven,

Inc., an ANSI-accredited standards

developer; and the UN/EDIFACT

standards by the United Nations (UN)

Economic Commission for Europe—

Working Party (Four) on Facilitation of

International Trade Procedures (UN/

ECE/WP.4). Technical input from the

United States in the development of

UN/EDIFACT at the UN is through the

Pan American EDIFACT Board (PAEB).

The PAEB is separate from ASC X12,

and it serves as the coordinating body

for national standards organizations of

North, Central, and South America.

3.6. Status of this FIPS PUB Revision.

FIPS PUB 161–2 supersedes FIPS PUB

161–1 in its entirety. FIPS PUB 161–2
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 100 / Wednesday, May 22, 1996 / Notices 25629

contains editorial changes, updated

references to documents and

organizations, and new guidance to

agencies on the selection of national and

international standards and

implementation conventions. This

guidance is based on recent voluntary

industry standards activities and on the

Federal Government initiative that

commenced with the Presidential

Memorandum of October 26, 1993

entitled ‘‘Streamlining Procurement

Through Electronic Commerce.’’

4. Approving Authority. Secretary of

Commerce.

5. Maintenance Agency. U.S.

Department of Commerce, National

Institute of Standards and Technology

(NIST), Computer Systems Laboratory.

6. Cross Index and Related

Documents.

6.1. Cross Index.

—FIPS PUB 146–2, Profiles for Open

Systems Internetworking

Technologies, May 1995.

6.2. Related Documents.

—ASC X12W/95–137, The ASC X12

Plan for Technical Migration to and

Administrative Alignment With UN/

EDIFACT (amended), 5/8/95.

—NIST Special Publication 500–224,

Stable Implementation Agreements

for Open System Environment,

Version 8, Edition 1, 12/94.

—NIST Special Publication 800–9, Good

Security Practices for Electronic

Commerce, Including Electronic Data

Interchange, 12/93/.

—Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) Circular A–119 (revised),

Federal Participation in the

Development and Use of Voluntary

Standards, 10/93.

—UN/ECE/WP.4—Recommendation No.

25 on the Use of the UN/EDIFACT

Standard, 9/95.

6.3. Sources of Documents. For the

source of cited NIST publications,

including FIPS PUBS, see Section 13.

For the source of X12, UN/EDIFACT

and HL7 documents, see Subsection

10.1.

7. Objectives. The primary objectives

of this standard are:

a. to ease the interchange of data sent

electronically by use of common

standards that allow for automated

message processing;

b. to promote the achievement of the

benefits of EDI: reduced paperwork,

fewer transcription errors, faster

response time for procurement and

customer needs, reduced inventory

requirements, more timely payment of

vendors, and closer coordination of data

being processed on different computers

for the same application;

c. to promote migration to a

universally used family of EDI

standards, in order to further

Government efficiency and to minimize

the cost of EDI implementation by

preventing duplication of effort.

8. Applicability.

8.1. Conditions of application. EDI

may be employed with any type of

operational data representable as a

sequence of data elements that is

needed to be transmitted or received on

a repetitive basis by a Federal agency in

the course of its activities. This standard

is applicable to the interchange of such

data on a particular subject within a

Federal agency, or between a Federal

agency and another organization (which

may be another Federal agency), if (1)

The data are to be transmitted

electronically or physically transported

between computers using EDI, and (2)

the necessary standard messages

meeting the data requirements of the

Federal agency for the subject of the

interchange have been developed and

approved, and are acceptable for use

under the conditions set forth in this

FIPS PUB.

8.2. Subject Matter. Examples of

applications (not necessarily the subject

of current standards) are:

a. vendor search and selection: price/

sales catalogs, bids, proposals, requests

for quotations, notices of contract

solicitation, debarment data, trading

partner profiles;

b. contract award: notices of award,

purchase orders, purchase order

acknowledgments, purchase order

changes;

c. product data: specifications,

manufacturing instructions, reports of

test results, safety data;

d. shipping, forwarding, and

receiving: shipping manifests, bills of

lading, shipping status reports,

receiving reports;

e. customs: release information;

manifest update;

f. payment information: invoices,

remittance advices, payment status

inquiries, payment acknowledgments;

g. inventory control: stock level

reports, resupply requests, warehouse

activity reports;

h. maintenance: service schedules and

activity, warranty data;

i. tax-related data: tax information and

filings;

j. insurance-related data: healthcare

claim; mortgage insurance application;

k. other government activities:

communications license application;

court conviction record; hazardous

material report; healthcare event report.

9. Coordination of Federal EDI

Standards Development and

Implementation.

9.1. Federal EDI Standards

Management Coordinating Committee.

There is established a Federal EDI

Standards Management Coordinating

Committee (FESMCC). The FESMCC is

established to support the goal of a

single face for the Federal Government

to its trading partners in the use of EDI.

9.1.1. A responsibility of the FESMCC

is the selection of implementation

conventions (ICs) to be used with EDI

interchanges between the Federal

Government and its trading partners.

EDI messages (also called transaction

sets) are approved by standards

committees with allowances for format

options, in order to widen the

applicability of the standards to

different uses. The purpose of ICs is to

select specific options in EDI standards

so that interchanges are completely

determined in format in advance of use.

9.1.2. The basic functions of the

FESMCC are:

(a) to adopt Government-wide ICs for

use with EDI standards; the goal is

adoption of one IC for each functional

application of a message or transaction

set within a given version/release of an

EDI standard;

(b) to coordinate Federal agency

participation in EDI standards bodies, to

assure adequate consideration of the

Government’s business needs and to

assure consistency of position; and

(c) to share EDI information among

agencies regrading current or planned

implementations to avoid duplicate

efforts and streamline the process.

9.1.3. Voting membership in the

FESMCC shall consist of, at minimum,

one representative from each

participating Federal Executive Branch

department and independent agency

using or planning to use EDI, plus a

representative from NIST. The FESMCC,

under its charter and operating rules

(see Subsection 9.1.5), may add

additional voting representatives,

including those from the other branches

of the Federal Government. The chair of

the FESMCC shall be elected by its

membership and approved by OMB.

9.1.4. The FESMCC shall establish a

secretariat in order to maintain an

official registry of approved and draft

ICs, provide controlled access to the

registry including electronic remote

access capability, provide a point of

contact for publicizing draft ICs and

receiving comments on them, provide a

single point for submission of work

requests to standards bodies, and for

related functions.

9.1.5. The FESMCC shall establish a

charter and operating rules to assist it in

carrying out its identified functions.

9.2. Functional Work Groups.

9.2.1. The FESMCC may establish

Functional Work Groups (FWGs) to

consider and recommend ICs in subject
25630 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 100 / Wednesday, May 22, 1996 / Notices

areas. Examples of subject areas are

procurement, finance, logistics, and

healthcare. Requirements for voting

membership shall be established by the

FESMCC under its charter and operating

rules. The voting members shall elect a

chair.

9.2.2. Each FWG shall recommend, to

the full FESMCC, ICs that it has

developed and approved as meeting

Federal Government and trading partner

business requirements. FWGs should

consult with appropriate industry

groups in the development of ICs.

9.3. Agency Responsibilities.

9.3.1. Agencies shall register ICs that

they are using with the FESMCC

secretariat.

9.3.2. Agencies using X12, UN/

EDIFACT, or HL7 versions and releases

for which ICs have been established by

the FESMCC shall adopt those ICs. If an

IC does not meet business needs,

requirements shall be submitted to the

FESMCC. ICs shall be classified as

Implementer’s Agreements pursuant to

this FIPS PUB, but are not themselves

FIPS PUBs.

9.3.3. Agencies using or planning to

use EDI shall designate representatives

to the FESMCC and each relevant FWG.

9.3.4. Agencies requiring new EDI

standards or changes to existing EDI

standards to meet their business needs

shall submit their requirements to the

appropriate standards bodies and shall

simultaneously submit their

requirements to the FESMCC and

relevant FWGs for coordination.

Procedures and forms for submission of

new requirements through ASC X12 are

specified in Standing Document (SD) 2,

Operations Manual, and SD6,

Operations Manual for UN/EDIFACT

Standards. These manuals are available

from Data Interchange Standards

Association, Inc. (DISA, Inc.).

Procedures and forms for submission of

new requirements for UN/EDIFACT

standards directly through the PAEB are

also available from DISA, Inc. HL7

operating procedures are specified in its

bylaws, available from Health Level

Seven, Inc.

10. Specifications. Documents are

available that define the X12, UN/

EDIFACT, and HL7 standards and

provide information about the standards

organizations and their standards

development processes. Developments

are continuing in each of these families

of standards.

10.1. Source of Documents.

Documents concerning both the X12

and UN/EDIFACT families of standards

are available from DISA, Inc. or from its

named contractor. DISA, Inc. serves as

the secretariat for ASC X12 and the

PAEB and may be contacted at:

Address: Data Interchange Standards

Association, Inc., 1800 Diagonal

Road—Suite 200, Alexandria, VA

22314–2852,

Phone: (703) 548–7005

A list of available standards

publications, as well as descriptive

material, prices and ordering

procedures, may be found in the most

recent DISA, Inc. Publications Catalog.

HL7 documents are available from:

Address: Health Level Seven, Inc., 3300

Washtenaw Avenue, Suite 227, Ann

Arbor, MI 48104,

Phone: (313) 677–7777

10.2. ASC X12 Documents. X12

standards are published periodically

with revisions and updates, and

standards included in a publication may

have one of two possible statuses:

(1) Draft Standards for Trial Use

(DSTUs); these are fully approved by

ASC X12, and are typically published as

‘‘releases’’ at one-year intervals. DSTU

Version 3, Release 4, identified as

003040, was published in 12/93;

Version 3, Release 5, identified as

003050, was published in 12/94. The

next release, identified as 003060, is

available as of 1/96.

(2) American National Standards

(ANSs); these are fully approved by ASC

X12 and by ANSI, and are typically

published as ‘‘versions’’ at intervals of

three to five years. ANS Version 3, 3/92,

is functionally equivalent to DSTU

Version 2, Release 4. It is expected that

ANS Version 4, planned for 1997, will

be functionally equivalent to DSTU

Version 3, Release 7, identified as

003070.

10.3. UN/EDIFACT Documents. UN/

EDIFACT standards are published

periodically with revisions and updates,

and standards included in a publication

may have one of two possible statuses:

(1) Status 1, approved for trial use. A

set of documents identified as UN/

EDIFACT Draft Messages and

Directories, Version D.95A, was

published in 5/95. This document also

included Status 2 messages. A new set

of standards, identified as D.95B and

also including Status 2 messages, was

approved in 9/95.

(2) Status 2, fully approved by UN/

ECE/WP.4. The set of Status 2

documents may be referred to as the UN

Trade Data Interchange Directory

(UNTDID). The last published version of

Status 2 standards only, S.93A, was

issued in 5/94. See also Subsection 11.4

for additional information on UN/

EDIFACT Status 2.

10.4. HL7 Documents. HL7 standards

are published as a single volume. The

current set is Version 2.2, published

12/94. A new Version 2.3 is planned for

Fall 1996. HL7 standards also have one

of two possible statuses:

(1) HL7 standards, approved by the

membership of HL7 but not yet

approved by ANSI.

(2) American National Standards

(ANSs); these are fully approved by HL7

and by ANSI.

11. Implementation.

11.1. Schedule for Adoption. FIPS

PUB 161 was effective on September 30,

1991. Federal agencies that are not using

EDI for subject matter for which X12,

UN/EDIFACT, and HL7 standards have

been approved and issued shall utilize

only those standards in EDI systems that

they procure or develop, subject to the

qualifications of Subsections 3.5, 11.3,

11.4 and 11.5. Agencies that are using

those standards shall continue to do so,

subject to the same qualifications.

Agencies that were using other

standards on or after September 30,

1991 shall be governed by Subsection

11.6.

11.2. Acceptance of UN/EDIFACT by

ASC X12. In January 1995, ASC X12, by

a membership vote, approved the ASC

X12 Plan for Technical Migration to and

Administrative Alignment With UN/

EDIFACT. This plan was modified at the

February 1995 plenary meeting of ASC

X12. Key features of the modified

Alignment Plan are:

(1) Draft standards based on X12-

syntax or on UN/EDIFACT syntax may

be submitted by ASC X12 to ANSI for

processing as ANSs.

(2) X12 Release 003070 shall form the

basis of Version 4 of draft proposed X12

American National Standards (ANSs).

(3) After the release of Version 4, ASC

X12 shall continue for a period of time,

in accordance with the plan, to develop,

maintain, approve and publish X12-

syntax transaction sets and supporting

documents.

(4) An ASC X12 ballot shall be

conducted in 1998 to determine if X12-

syntax transaction set development

should be terminated. If the ballot for

termination is not approved, a threeyear repeating cycle shall occur

thereafter, until no new X12-syntax

transaction sets are being developed.

11.3. Selection of a Family of

Standards.

11.3.1. Different families of EDI

standards are distinct, although

performing similar functions; the

existence of one does not preclude the

others. Equivalent functionality may be

obtained in any system by the addition,

if required, of new or revised message

formats and data elements. Software

that assembles and disassembles

messages and transaction sets, called

translation software, is widely available,

often for more than one system in the
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 100 / Wednesday, May 22, 1996 / Notices 25631

same package. In selecting a family of

standards for domestic applications,

agencies should attempt to maximize

Government economy and efficiency

and to minimize the costs imposed on

U.S. businesses.

11.3.2. For any domestic application

with a non-Government partner, and for

related intra-Government applications,

selection of a family of standards shall

take into account the prevailing family

used in the industry of the interchange

partners for the application. However,

UN/EDIFACT standards shall be

employed for new or significantly

upgraded interchanges in the absence of

demonstrably higher costs, or at the

request of interchange partners

providing a significant fraction of

interchange traffic. Continued long-term

use and maintenance of more than one

family of standards is unacceptably

inefficient.

11.3.3. For international applications

except as specified in Subsection 11.3.4,

planning for migration to the UN/

EDIFACT family of standards shall

commence at this time if that family is

not currently being used. A timetable for

conversion to UN/EDIFACT of existing

international implementations shall be

set as applicable standards and software

become available. New or significantly

upgraded interchanges shall employ

only standards using UN/EDIFACT.

11.3.4. The HL7 family of standards

may be used for international

applications in the fields of public

health and health regulatory

information, pursuant to agreements of

international organizations whose

membership includes representation of

national or multi-national governmental

health agencies. However, users shall

coordinate with the developers of UN/

EDIFACT, in order to prevent

duplication of effort, provide for crossuse of data elements, and provide a path

for harmonization and eventual

migration or coalescence.

11.4. Use of Category (1) Standards.

UN/EDIFACT Status 1 standards, X12

DSTUs, and HL7 standards not yet

approved by ANSI are defined as

Category (1) standards. UN/EDIFACT

Status 2 standards and ANSs submitted

by ASC X12 and HL7 are defined as

Category (2) standards. Federal agencies

shall use only Category (1) or Category

(2) standards for EDI implementations.

Industry practice is to use Category (1)

standards; these represent the latest

consensus and are available sooner than

the corresponding full standards of

Category (2). Consequently, Category (1)

standards are preferred, but not

mandated at this time. Note: There is a

possibility that UN/EDIFACT Status 2

standards will be eliminated by UN/

ECE/WP.4. In that case, UN/EDIFACT

Status 1 standards would be required

when UN/EDIFACT is implemented.

11.5. Continued Use of Existing

Approved Implementations. An existing

implementation of any version of an

approved standard specified in

Subsections 3.5, 11.3 and 11.4 may

continue to be used as long as it

continues to meet the business needs of

the using agency and its interchange

partners. Significant upgrades of

existing implementations shall be to

versions and releases for which ICs have

been approved by the FESMCC, if any

are available.

11.6. Continued Use of Other EDI

Standards. Under the initial issue of this

FIPS, Federal agencies using ‘‘industryspecific’’ EDI standards were permitted

to use those standards for five years

from September 30, 1991, i.e., until

September 30, 1996. Agencies were

permitted to use ‘‘industry-specific’’ EDI

standards beyond five years only if no

equivalent X12 or UN/EDIFACT

standards, as appropriate, were

approved and issued by September 30,

1995. If an equivalent and appropriate

standard were issued after the latter

date, agencies were given one year to

convert. These provisions remain in

effect for all application areas except

health care.

For healthcare applications, agencies

may use EDI standards other than UN/

EDIFACT, X12, or HL7 through

September 30, 1997. Other standards

may be used beyond that date only if no

functionally equivalent standards that

meet the conditions of use specified in

Subsections 3.5, 11.3 and 11.4 are

approved and issued by September 30,

1996. If a Category (1) standard meeting

business requirements and allowable

conditions of use is first issued after the

latter date, agencies have one year to

convert following the issuance of the

release containing the implementable

standard.

Requirements for submission of

proposed new or revised standards are

specific in Subsection 9.3.4.

11.7. Security and Authentication.

Agencies shall employ risk management

techniques to determine the appropriate

mix of security controls needed to

protect specific data and systems. The

selection of controls shall take into

account procedures required under

applicable laws and regulations.

Optional tools and techniques for

implementation of security and

authentication may be provided by ASC

X12 and UN/ECE/WP.4 for use in

connection with their respective

families of standards. Agencies may

utilize these tools and techniques, and/

or they may utilize other methods in

systems supporting the EDI data

interchange. Methods and procedures

implemented shall be consistent with

applicable FIPS PUBS and guidance

documents issued in NIST.

12. Waivers. Under certain

exceptional circumstances, the heads of

Federal departments and agencies may

approve waivers to Federal Information

Processing Standards (FIPS). The head

of such agency may redelegate such

authority only to a senior official

designated pursuant to Section 3506(a)

of Title 44, U.S. Code.

Waivers shall be granted only when:

a. Compliance with a standard would

adversely affect the accomplishment of

the mission of an operator of a Federal

computer system, or

b. Cause a major adverse affect the

accomplishment of the mission of an

operator which is not offset by

Government-wide savings.

Agency heads may act upon a written

waiver request containing the

information detailed above. Agency

heads may also act without a written

waiver request when they determine

that conditions for meeting the standard

cannot be met. Agency heads may

approve waivers only by a written

decision which explains the basis on

which the agency head made the

required finding(s). A copy of each such

decision, with procurement sensitive or

classified portions clearly identified,

shall be sent to: National Institute of

Standards and Technology; Attn: FIPS

Waiver Decisions, Technology Building,

Room B–154; Gaithersburg, MD 20899.

In addition, notice of each waiver

granted and each delegation of authority

to approve waivers shall be sent

promptly to the Committee on

Government Reform and Oversight of

the House of Representatives and the

Committee on Governmental Affairs of

the Senate and shall be published

promptly in the Federal Register.

When the determination on a waiver

applies to the procurement of

equipment and/or services, a notice of

the waiver determination must be

published in the Commerce Business

Daily as part of the notice of solicitation

for offers of an acquisition or, if the

waiver determination is made after that

notice is published, by amendment to

such notice.

A copy of the waiver, any supporting

documents, the document approving the

waiver and any supporting and

accompanying documents, with such

deletions as the agency is authorized

and decides to make under 5 U.S.C. Sec.

552(b), shall be part of the procurement

documentation and retained by the

agency.
25632 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 100 / Wednesday, May 22, 1996 / Notices

13. Where to Obtain Copies of NIST

Publications. Copies of this publication

and NIST publications referenced in

Section 6 are for sale by the National

Technical Information Service (NTIS),

U.S. Department of Commerce,

Springfield, VA 22161; phone (703)

487–4650. When ordering this

publication, refer to Federal Information

Processing Standards Publication 161–2

(FIPSPUB161–2), and title. Payment

may be made by check, money order, or

NTIS deposit account.

[FR Doc. 96–12748 Filed 5–21–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–CN–M

NATIONAL OCEANIC AND

ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No. 960516134–6134–01]

RIN 0648–ZA23

Financial Assistance for the Pribilof

Environmental Restoration Program.

AGENCY: Office of Administration (OA),

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings and

availability of federal assistance.

SUMMARY: NOAA issues this notice

describing the procedures under which

applications will be accepted, and how

NOAA will determine which

applications it will fund for

environmental restoration work to be

completed on the Pribilof Islands,

Alaska. Pursuant to Public Law 104–91

(PL 104–91), section 3(d) requires the

use of local entities and residents of the

Pribilof Islands, to the maximum extent

practical for completion of

environmental restoration work to be

performed. Applications will be

solicited for projects as defined in the

Two-Party Agreement executed between

NOAA and Alaska Department of

Environmental Conservation (ADEC),

State of Alaska. A copy of the Two-Party

Agreement is included in the NOAA

Application kit for this program. This

notice implements Part I of two parts:

Part I being environmental restoration

work to commence in fiscal year 1996

(FY96), and Part II environmental

restoration work to commence in FY97

and beyond. Public Law 104–91 section

3(f) authorized a maximum of

$10,000,000.00 to be appropriated in

fiscal years 1996, 1997, and 1998 to

carryout all of purposes identified under

P.L. 104–91. The FY96 appropriations

act makes $10,000,000 available for this

year. From this amount, approximately

$2,500,000 will be available for

cooperative agreements awarded to

implement Part I.

DATES: A public meeting to discuss

general pre-award requirements for this

Federal assistance program will be held

on St. George Island, Alaska on May 21,

1996 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the

St. George Recreation Hall. A public

meeting will also be held on St. Paul

Island, Alaska on May 22, 1996 from

3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the St. Paul

Recreation Hall.

Complete applications must be

received or postmarked by [Insert 45

days from the date of this notice].

Applicants must submit one signed

original and two copies of the complete

application. No facsimile applications

will be accepted. Generally, the time

required to process applications is 60

days from the closing date of the

solicitation.

ADDRESSES: Applications should be sent

to Western Administrative Support

Center (WASC), Facilities and Logistics

Division, 7600 Sand Point Way NE,

Seattle, WA 98115. Telephone: (206)

526–4434 or (206) 526–6160.

Application kits, with instructions for

completion and copies of the Two-Party

Agreement, may be obtained from the

NOAA Grants Management Division,

SSMC2, Room 5416, 1325 East West

Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

Telephone (301) 713–0942.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

questions regarding grants management

policies and interpretation contact:

Steve Drescher at (301) 713–0942. For

information regarding technical aspects

of specific projects: Thanh Minh Trinh

at (206) 526–6647 or Anthony

Mercadante at (206) 526–6674.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Catalog

of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)

number for this program will be

requested. Part I of this program will

proceed concurrently with NOAA’s

request for inclusion of this program in

the CFDA.

I. Introduction

A. Background

Under the provisions of Public Law

104–91, the Secretary of Commerce

shall, subject to the availability of

appropriations, provide assistance for

the cleanup of landfills, wastes, dumps,

debris, storage tanks, property,

hazardous or unsafe conditions, and

contaminants including petroleum

products and their derivatives, on lands

which the U.S. Government abandoned,

quitclaimed, or otherwise transferred or

are obligated to transfer, to local entities

or residents on the Pribilof Islands,

Alaska pursuant to the Fur Seal Act of

1966 (16 U.S.C. 1151 et seq.), as

amended, or other applicable law.

Work to commence in FY96 under

section one of this notice will include

(a) Surface Debris Removal on both St.

Paul and St. George Islands, and (b)

Underground Storage Tank Removal on

both St. Paul and St. George Islands.

B. Funding

NOAA issues this notice to solicit

applications for federal assistance,

describing the intent to award

cooperative agreements, the procedures

under which applications will be

accepted for Part I and how NOAA will

select the applications it will fund.

Sharing of project costs by applicants

is not required and will not be

considered in the technical evaluation

of proposals.

II. Funding Priorities

Part I of this Program will be on the

removal and disposal/recycling of

surface debris as per the Two Party

Agreement referenced above.

Greatest consideration will be given to

applications that will promote the

economic stability or future selfsufficiency of the recipient.

III. How To Apply

A. Eligible Applicants

Applications for cooperative

agreements may be made in accordance

with the procedures set forth in this

notice, by any local entity or resident of

the Pribilof Islands, as defined in the

Fur Seal Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 1151 et

seq.), as amended, and who is a citizen

or national of the United States.

Federal Government employees

including full-time, part-time, and

intermittent personnel are not eligible to

submit an application under this

solicitation.

Assistance from NOAA employees is

available to eligible applicants, by

telephone and will be limited to such

issues, as the program goals, funding,

priorities and application forms. Since

this is a competitive program, assistance

will not be provided in conceptualizing,

developing, or structuring competitive

proposals.

B. Duration and Terms of Funding

Generally, cooperative agreements are

awarded for a period of 1 year, but no

more than 18 months.

If an application for an award is

selected for funding, the Department has

no obligation to provide any additional

future funding in connection with that

award. Amendments to increase funding

or extend the period of performance is

at the discretion of the Department.

Publication of this announcement

does not obligate NOAA to award any

specific grant or cooperative agreement