Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 132 / Tuesday, July 9, 1996 / Proposed Rules 35987

not be eligible to follow-to-join the

principal asylee unless the child’s

mother was the principal asylee’s

spouse on the date of the principal

asylee’s grant as an asylee.

(c) Spouse or child in the United

States. When a spouse or child of an

alien granted asylum is in the United

States, but was not included in the

asylee’s application, the asylee may

request following-to-join benefits for

his/her spouse or child by filing for each

qualifying family member a separate

Form I–730, Refugee/Asylee Relative

Petition, and supporting evidence, with

the designated Service office, regardless

of the status of that spouse or child in

the United States. The Form I–730 must

also be accompanied by a recent, clear

non-ADIT style photograph for each

derivative. The photograph will be used

for identification purposes and will be

placed in the derivative’s immigration

record. Additionally, a separate Form I–

730 must be filed by the asylee for each

qualifying family member within 1 year

of the date in which he/she was granted

asylum status, unless it is determined

by the Service that this period should be

extended for humanitarian reasons.

Upon approval of the Form I–730, the

Service will notify the asylee of such

approval on Form I–797 ‘‘Notice of

Action.’’ Employment will be

authorized incident to status. To

demonstrate employment authorization,

the Service will issue a Form I–94,

Arrival-Departure Record, which also

reflects the derivative’s current status as

an asylee, or the derivative may apply

under § 274a.12(a) of this chapter, using

Form I–765, Application for

Employment Authorization, and a copy

of the Form I–797. The approval of the

Form I–730 shall remain valid for the

duration of the relationship to the asylee

and, in the case of a child, while the

child is under 21 years of age and

unmarried, provided also that the

principal’s status has not been revoked.

However, the approved Form I–730 will

cease to confer immigration benefits

after it has been used by the beneficiary

for admission to the United States as a

derivative of an asylee.

(d) Spouse or child outside the United

States. When a spouse or child of an

alien granted asylum is outside the

United States, the asylee may request

following-to-join benefits for his/her

spouse or child(ren) by filing a separate

Form I–730 for each qualifying family

member with the designated Service

office, setting forth the full name,

relationship, date and place of birth,

and current location of each such

person. The Form I–730 must be

accompanied by a recent, clear nonADIT style photograph for each

derivative. A separate Form I–730 for

each qualifying family member must be

filed within 1 year of the date in which

the asylee was granted asylum status,

unless the Service determines that the

filing period should be extended for

humanitarian reasons. When the Form

I–730 is approved, the Service will

notify the asylee of such approval on

Form I–797. The approved Form I–730

shall be forwarded by the Service to

Department of State for delivery to the

American Embassy or Consulate having

jurisdiction over the area in which the

asylee’s spouse or child is located. The

approval of the Form I–730 shall remain

valid for the duration of the relationship

to the asylee and, in the case of a child,

while the child is under 21 years of age

and unmarried, provided also that the

principal’s status has not been revoked.

However, the approved Form I–730 will

cease to confer immigration benefits

after it has been used by the beneificary

for admission to the United States as a

derivative of an asylee.

* * * * *

(f) Burden of proof. To establish the

claimed relationship of spouse or child

as defined in sections 101(a)(35) and

101(b)(1) of the Act, evidence must be

submitted with the request as set forth

in part 204 of this chapter. Where

possible this will consist of the

documents specified in § 204.2

(a)(1)(i)(B), (a)(1)(iii)(E), (a)(2), (d)(2) and

(d)(5) of this chapter. The burden of

proof is on the principal alien to

establish by a preponderance of the

evidence that any person on whose

behalf he or she is making a request

under this section is an eligible spouse

or child.

* * * * *

Dated: May 7, 1996.

Doris Meissner,

Commissioner, Immigration and

Naturalization Service.

[FR Doc. 96–17265 Filed 7–8–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4410–10–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

9 CFR Part 94

[Docket No. 96–027–1]

Change in Disease Status of the Czech

Republic and Italy Because of

Rinderpest and Foot-and-Mouth

Disease

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: We are proposing to declare

the Czech Republic and Italy free of

rinderpest and foot-and-mouth disease

and to add these two countries to the

list of countries that, although declared

free of rinderpest and foot-and-mouth

disease, are subject to special

restrictions on the importation of their

meat and other animal products into the

United States. This proposed rule would

remove the prohibition on the

importation into the United States, from

the Czech Republic and Italy, of live

ruminants and fresh, chilled, and frozen

meat from ruminants and would relieve

restrictions on the importation of milk

and milk products from ruminants from

these two countries. However, because

the Czech Republic and Italy are not

declared to be free of certain diseases of

swine, including hog cholera and swine

vesicular disease, the importation from

these countries of swine and fresh,

chilled, and frozen meat from swine

would continue to be restricted.

DATES: Consideration will be given only

to comments received on or before

September 9, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Please send an original and

three copies of your comments to

Docket No. 96–027–1, Regulatory

Analysis and Development, PPD,

APHIS, Suite 3C03, 4700 River Road

Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737–1238.

Please state that your comments refer to

Docket No. 96–027–1. Comments

received may be inspected at USDA,

room 1141, South Building, 14th Street

and Independence Avenue SW.,

Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and

4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,

except holidays. Persons wishing to

inspect comments are requested to call

ahead on (202) 690–2817 to facilitate

entry into the comment reading room.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

John Cougill, Staff Veterinarian,

Products Program, National Center for

Import and Export, VS, APHIS, 4700

River Road Unit 40, Riverdale, MD

20737–1228, (301) 734–3399.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The regulations in 9 CFR part 94

(referred to below as the regulations)

govern the importation into the United

States of specified animals and animal

products in order to prevent the

introduction into the United States of

various diseases, including rinderpest,

foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), bovine

spongiform encephalopathy, African

swine fever, hog cholera, and swine

vesicular disease. These are dangerous

and destructive communicable diseases

of ruminants and swine.
35988 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 132 / Tuesday, July 9, 1996 / Proposed Rules

Section 94.1(a)(1) of the regulations

provides that rinderpest or FMD exists

in all countries of the world except

those listed in § 94.1(a)(2), which have

been declared to be free of these

diseases. We will consider declaring a

country to be free of rinderpest and

FMD if, among other things, there have

been no cases of these diseases reported

there for at least the previous 1-year

period and no vaccinations for

rinderpest or FMD have been

administered to swine or ruminants in

that country for at least the previous 1-

year period.

Rinderpest has not existed in the

Czech Republic since 1881, and

vaccination for rinderpest has never

occurred in the Czech Republic. The last

diagnosed case of FMD in the Czech

Republic occurred in 1974, and the

government of the Czech Republic has

prohibited vaccinations for FMD since

1991. The last case of rinderpest in Italy

occurred in 1949, and Italy has never

used vaccinations for rinderpest. The

last outbreak of FMD in Italy occurred

in 1993, and vaccinations for FMD in

that country ceased in 1991.

The Czech Republic and Italy have

individually applied to the U.S.

Department of Agriculture (USDA) to be

recognized as free of rinderpest and

FMD. The Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service (APHIS) has

reviewed the documentation submitted

by the governments of the Czech

Republic and Italy in support of their

requests. The documentation supplied

separately by the Czech Republic and

Italy included, among other things,

information about the capability of each

country’s veterinary services, laboratory

and diagnostic procedures, vaccination

practices, and the administration of

laws and regulations to ensure against

the introduction into the Czech

Republic and Italy of rinderpest and

FMD through the importation of live

animals, meats, and animal products.

Based on the information discussed

above, we believe that the Czech

Republic and Italy qualify to be

designated as free of rinderpest and

FMD. Therefore, we are proposing to

add the Czech Republic and Italy to the

list in § 94.1(a)(2) of countries declared

free of rinderpest and FMD. This action

would remove the prohibition on the

importation, from the Czech Republic

and Italy, of live ruminants and fresh,

chilled, or frozen meat from ruminants

and would relieve restrictions on the

importation, from these two countries,

of milk and milk products from

ruminants. The importation, from the

Czech Republic and Italy, of live swine

and fresh, chilled, or frozen meat from

swine would continue to be restricted

under 9 CFR part 94 because these

countries have not been declared free of

hog cholera and swine vesicular disease,

and also because Italy has not been

declared free of African swine fever.

Special Restrictions

We also propose to add the Czech

Republic and Italy to the list in

§ 94.11(a) of countries declared free of

rinderpest and FMD that are subject to

special restrictions on the importation

of their meat and other animal products

into the United States. The countries

listed in § 94.11(a) are subject to these

special restrictions because they: (1)

Supplement their national meat supply

by importing fresh, chilled, or frozen

meat of ruminants or swine from

countries that are designated in § 94.1(a)

as infected with rinderpest or FMD; or

(2) have a common land border with

countries designated as infected with

rinderpest or FMD; or (3) import

ruminants or swine from countries

designated as infected with rinderpest

or FMD under conditions less restrictive

than would be acceptable for

importation into the United States.

Both the Czech Republic and Italy

supplement their national meat supplies

by the importation of fresh, chilled, and

frozen meat of ruminants and swine

from countries designated in § 94.1(a)(1)

as countries in which rinderpest or FMD

exists. In addition, the Czech Republic

shares a common land border with

Russia, and Italy shares a common land

border with Yugoslavia. Both Russia

and Yugoslavia are designated in

§ 94.1(a)(1) as being countries in which

rinderpest or FMD exists. Furthermore,

both Italy, as a member of the European

Union, and the Czech Republic import

live ruminants and swine from

countries not recognized as being free of

FMD under conditions less restrictive

than would be acceptable for

importation into the United States. As a

result, even though we propose to

designate the Czech Republic and Italy

as being free of rinderpest and FMD, the

meat and other animal products

produced in these countries may be

commingled with the fresh, chilled, or

frozen meat of animals from a country

in which rinderpest and FMD exists,

resulting in an undue risk of

introducing rinderpest or FMD into the

United States.

Therefore, we are proposing that meat

and other animal products of ruminants

and swine and the ship stores, airplane

meals, and baggage containing these

meat or animal products imported into

the United States from the Czech

Republic and Italy be subject to the

restrictions specified in § 94.11 of the

regulations, in addition to other

applicable requirements of the USDA’s

Food Safety and Inspection Service at 9

CFR Chapter III. Section 94.11 generally

requires that the meat and other animal

products of ruminants and swine be: (1)

Prepared in an inspected establishment

that is eligible to have its products

imported into the United States under

the Federal Meat Inspection Act; and (2)

accompanied by an additional

certificate, issued by a full-time salaried

veterinary official of the national

government of the exporting country,

assuring that the meat or other animal

products have not been commingled

with or exposed to meat or other animal

products originating in, imported from,

or transported through a country

infected with rinderpest or FMD.

Executive Order 12866 and Regulatory

Flexibility Act

This proposed rule has been reviewed

under Executive Order 12866. For this

action, the Office of Management and

Budget has waived its review process

required by Executive Order 12866.

This proposed rule would alter the

restrictions placed upon imports of live

ruminants and meat, meat products, and

dairy products derived from ruminants

from the Czech Republic and Italy. The

regulations in 9 CFR part 94 describe

prohibited and restricted importations

due to rinderpest, FMD, and other

animal diseases. APHIS believes that the

Czech Republic and Italy meet the

criteria for being recognized as free of

rinderpest and FMD. However, because

the Czech Republic and Italy share land

borders and maintain trading

relationships with FMD-affected

countries, imports into the United States

of live ruminants and meat, meat

products, and dairy products derived

from ruminants from the Czech

Republic and Italy would still be

restricted under this proposed rule. The

proposed rule would not relieve any

restrictions imposed on the importation

of swine and pork products because the

Czech Republic and Italy are still

considered to be affected with hog

cholera and swine vesicular disease,

and Italy is also considered to be

affected with African swine fever.

We anticipate that the quantity of

imports of live cattle, sheep, and goats

from the Czech Republic and Italy into

the United States would be minimally

affected by the proposed rule. Live

cattle imports would still be restricted

due to the trade practices of the Czech

Republic and Italy and the fact that

these countries share land borders with

FMD-affected countries. In addition, the

cattle industries in the Czech Republic

and Italy are small relative to the

enormous domestic market. Cattle
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 132 / Tuesday, July 9, 1996 / Proposed Rules 35989

inventories for 1994 were estimated to

be 2.5 million head for the Czech

Republic, 7.5 million head for Italy, and

over 100 million head for the United

States. Also, of the 2.5 million cattle and

calves imported into the United States

in 1994, more than 99 percent were

from Canada and Mexico.

The population of sheep and goats in

the Czech Republic is also very small

relative to that of the United States (less

than 2.5 percent of the size of the U.S.

population in 1993). Italy has a sheep

population that is slightly higher than

that of the United States (11.7 million

head in Italy and 10.9 million head in

the United States in 1993). However,

Italy is a strong net importer of sheep

and goats (190,556 head imported and

only 1,450 exported in 1993), while the

United States is a strong net exporter of

sheep and goats (28,420 head imported

and 894,100 head exported in 1993). Of

the few sheep that the United States

does import, more than 99 percent are

from Canada and Mexico.

The Czech Republic exports few live

ruminants to the United States. In 1994,

less than 0.0001 percent of the total

value of total U.S. imports of live

ruminants were from the Czech

Republic. Italy exported no live

ruminants to the United States in 1994.

In fact, the United States did not import

any cattle or sheep from the European

Union in 1994. Neither Eastern nor

Western Europe are usual sources of live

ruminants for the United States, and any

increase in ruminant importations from

the Czech Republic or Italy prompted by

this proposed rule would likely be

negligible. Therefore, the impact on

small domestic farmers of cattle, sheep,

and goats would likely be minimal.

Czech production of beef, veal,

mutton, and goat meat in 1994 was

about 2 percent of the size of U.S.

production. Italian production of beef,

veal, mutton, and goat meat in 1994 was

about 1.2 million metric tons, or about

11 percent of the U.S. production of

11.3 million metric tons. The United

States imports very little in the way of

ruminant meat and ruminant meat

products from Eastern or Western

Europe in general. Moreover, more than

88 percent of the imports of ruminant

meat and ruminant meat products that

come into the United States are from

Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. It

is unlikely that either the Czech

Republic or Italy would be willing or

able to redirect a significant portion of

its ruminant meat production for export

exclusively to the United States as a

result of the proposed rule, given that

restrictions would remain in place for

imports into the United States. Even if

the Czech Republic were able to redirect

its entire production of these products

for export to the United States, this

production was only one-fifth the size of

total U.S. imports of these products in

1994. Moreover, Italy is a significant net

importer of beef, veal, mutton, and other

products such as offal and meat extracts.

Therefore, any effect of the proposed

rule on domestic prices or supplies

would likely be negligible, and thus the

impact on small domestic producers

would be minimal.

We also anticipate that the effect of

the proposed rule on the importation of

dairy products from the Czech Republic

and Italy would be minimal. Czech

production of dairy products is small

relative to that of the United States. In

1993, Czech dairy product production

was about 5 percent of the value of U.S.

production. The United States imports

little in the way of dairy products from

the Czech Republic or from Eastern

Europe in general. In 1994, U.S. imports

of dairy products were valued at $963.4

million; of this total, less than 5 percent

originated in Eastern Europe and less

than 0.1 percent in the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic is a significant

producer and exporter of butter.

However, butter is already exempt from

the provisions of 9 CFR part 94 and thus

would be unaffected by the proposed

rule. For dairy products in general, Italy

is a significant net importer and not

likely to be willing or able to redirect a

significant portion of its production

exclusively to the United States, which

is a significant net exporter. Italy’s

major dairy export to the United States

is cheese. Because solid cheeses are

already exempt from the provisions of 9

CFR part 94, there is no reason to

believe that imports of cheese would

increase significantly due to this

proposal. For these reasons and given

the fact that restrictions will remain in

place, it is unlikely that the proposed

rule would significantly alter imports of

dairy products into the United States.

Therefore, the impact on small domestic

dairy producers should be minimal.

Any effects of the proposed rule on

importers of embryos, semen, other

genetic material, or breeding animals

would also likely be minimal. We

anticipate that, if the proposal is made

final for the Czech Republic and Italy,

there could be an initial increase in the

volume of these products flowing into

the United States to diversify the genetic

composition of domestic cattle. (In

particular, there has been a great deal of

interest expressed in obtaining genetic

material of beef cattle from Italy.)

However, any temporary increase in

volume would most likely be small

relative to total U.S. imports of these

products. The United States is a net

exporter of both bovine semen and

cattle embryos. In 1994, the value of

U.S. bovine semen and cattle embryo

imports was $4.3 million and $266,000,

respectively, while U.S. exports of

bovine semen and cattle embryos were

valued at $7.9 million and $6.4 million,

respectively. Given this trade balance

and the size differences between the

U.S. and Czech and Italian cattle

industries, the amount imported of each

type of genetic material would be

minimal and have a minimal impact on

small domestic cattle producers.

In conclusion, declaring the Czech

Republic and Italy free of rinderpest and

FMD would likely have a negligible

impact on domestic small entities.

Imports from the Czech Republic and

Italy of ruminants and ruminant

products would continue to be

restricted. In addition, the U.S. markets

for these products are large relative to

the Czech and Italian markets, and Italy

is a net importer of most of these

products. Under these conditions, it is

unlikely that either the Czech Republic

or Italy would be willing or able to

redirect a significant portion of the

production of these products

exclusively to the United States.

Under these circumstances, the

Administrator of the Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service has

determined that this action would not

have a significant economic impact on

a substantial number of small entities.

Executive Order 12778

This proposed rule has been reviewed

under Executive Order 12778, Civil

Justice Reform. If this proposed rule is

adopted: (1) All State and local laws and

regulations that are inconsistent with

this rule will be preempted; (2) no

retroactive effect will be given to this

rule; and (3) administrative proceedings

will not be required before parties may

file suit in court challenging this rule.

Paperwork Reduction Act

In accordance with section 3507(d) of

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the information

collection or recordkeeping

requirements included in this proposed

rule have been approved by the Office

of Management and Budget (OMB). The

assigned OMB control number is 0579–

0015.

List of Subjects in 9 CFR Part 94

Animal diseases, Imports, Livestock,

Meat and meat products, Milk, Poultry

and poultry products, Reporting and

recordkeeping requirements.

Accordingly, 9 CFR part 94 would be

amended as follows:
35990 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 132 / Tuesday, July 9, 1996 / Proposed Rules

PART 94–RINDERPEST, FOOT-ANDMOUTH DISEASE, FOWL PEST (FOWL

PLAGUE), VELOGENIC

VISCEROTROPIC NEWCASTLE

DISEASE, AFRICAN SWINE FEVER,

HOG CHOLERA, AND BOVINE

SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY:

PROHIBITED AND RESTRICTED

IMPORTATIONS

1. The authority citation for part 94

would continue to read as follows:

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 147a, 150ee, 161, 162,

and 450; 19 U.S.C. 1306; 21 U.S.C. 111, 114a,

134a, 134b, 134c, 134f, 136, and 136a; 31

U.S.C. 9701; 42 U.S.C. 4331 and 4332; 7 CFR

2.22, 2.80, and 371.2(d).

§ 94.1 [Amended]

2. In § 94.1, paragraph (a)(2) would be

amended by adding the words ‘‘Czech

Republic,’’ immediately after the words

‘‘Costa Rica,’’ and by adding the word

‘‘Italy,’’ immediately after the word

‘‘Ireland,’’.

§ 94.11 [Amended]

3. In § 94.11, the first sentence in

paragraph (a) would be amended by

adding the words ‘‘Czech Republic,’’

immediately after the word ‘‘Chile,’’ and

by adding the word ‘‘Italy,’’

immediately after the word ‘‘Hungary,’’.

Done in Washington, DC, this 2nd day of

July 1996.

Terry L. Medley,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 96–17440 Filed 7–8–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P

Food Safety and Inspection Service

9 CFR Parts 301, 318, 320, and 381

[Docket No. 95–033E]

RIN 0583–AB94

Performance Standards for the

Production of Certain Cooked Meat

and Poultry Products—Reopening of

Comment Period

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection

Service, USDA.

ACTION: Reopening of comment period.

SUMMARY: The Food Safety and

Inspection Service (FSIS) is extending

the comment period for the proposed

rule, ‘‘Performance Standards for the

Production of Certain Cooked Meat and

Poultry Products’’ (61 FR 19564, May 2,

1996) for 60 days.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before September 9, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Submit one original and

two copies of written comments to: FSIS

Docket Clerk, DOCKET #95–033P, U.S.

Department of Agriculture, Food Safety

and Inspection Service, Room 4352,

1400 Independence Ave., SW,

Washington, DC 20250–3700.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patricia F. Stolfa, Associate Deputy

Administrator, Science and Technology;

(202) 205–0699.

Done in Washington, DC, July 2, 1996.

Michael R. Taylor,

Acting Under Secretary for Food Safety.

[FR Doc. 96–17360 Filed 7–8–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P

9 CFR Parts 304, 308, and 381

[Docket No. 95–032E]

RIN 0583–AB93

Elimination of Prior Approval

Requirements for Establishment

Drawings and Specifications,

Equipment, and Certain Partial Quality

Control Programs—Reopening of

Comment Period

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection

Service, USDA.

ACTION: Reopening of comment period.

SUMMARY: The Food Safety and

Inspection Service (FSIS) is extending

the comment period for the proposed

rule, ‘‘Elimination of Prior Approval

Requirements for Establishment

Drawings and Specifications,

Equipment, and Certain Partial Quality

Control Programs’’ (61 FR 19578, May 2,

1996) for 60 days.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before September 9, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Submit one original and

two copies of written comments to: FSIS

Docket Clerk, DOCKET #95–032P, U.S.

Department of Agriculture, Food Safety

and Inspection Service, Room 4352,

1400 Independence Ave., SW,

Washington, DC 20250–3700.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patricia F. Stolfa, Associate Deputy

Administrator, Science and Technology;

(202) 205–0699.

Done in Washington, DC, July 2, 1996.

Michael R. Taylor,

Acting Under Secretary for Food Safety.

[FR Doc. 96–17361 Filed 7–8–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

10 CFR Part 1021

RIN 1901–AA67

National Environmental Policy Act

Implementing Procedures

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Proposed rule; limited

reopening of the comment period.

SUMMARY: This Notice announces a

limited reopening of the comment

period with respect to the proposed rule

on implementation of the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). DOE

has decided to solicit further input on

certain proposed amendments that

pertain primarily to Federal power

marketing activities. In a related

document published elsewhere in this

issue, DOE is publishing final

amendments to 10 CFR 1021 not

affected by this limited reopening of the

comment period.

DATES: The limited reopening of the

comment period will end August 8,

1996. Comments must be received by

that date to ensure consideration. Late

comments will be considered to the

extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be

addressed to Carol M. Borgstrom,

Director, Office of NEPA Policy and

Assistance, EH–42, U.S. Department of

Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue,

S.W., Washington, D.C. 20585–0119.

Comments may be hand-delivered to

room 3E–080 at the Forrestal Building

on workdays between the hours of 8:00

a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Comments may also

be sent by facsimile to (202) 586–7031

or by electronic mail to the following

Internet address:

neparule@spok.eh.doe.gov. All

comments will be available for public

inspection at the U.S. Department of

Energy Freedom of Information Reading

room, 1E–110 Forrestal Building, 1000

Independence Avenue S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20585–0119, phone

(202) 586–6020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

John Pulliam, Office of NEPA Policy

and Assistance, at the above address, or

telephone (202) 586–4600 or leave a

message at (800) 472–2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

February 20, 1996 (61 FR 6414), the

Department of Energy (DOE) published

a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to

amend its implementing procedures

under the National Environmental

Policy Act (NEPA) (10 CFR part 1021).

Publication of the proposed rulemaking

began a 45-day public comment period

that originally ended on April 5, 1996.