Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 162 / Wednesday, August 20, 2008 / Proposed Rules 49155 

(4) Construction by special trade 

contractors, at least 25 percent of the cost of 

the contract performance incurred for 

personnel will be spent on the concern’s 

employees or the employees of other eligible 

veteran-owned small business concerns. 

(d) A joint venture may be considered a 

veteran-owned small business concern if—

(1) At least one member of the joint venture 

is a veteran-owned small business concern, 

and makes the following representations: 

That it is a veteran-owned small business 

concern, and that it is a small business 

concern under the NAICS code assigned to 

the procurement; 

(2) Each other concern is small under the 

size standard corresponding to the NAICS 

code assigned to the procurement; 

(3) The joint venture meets the 

requirements of paragraph 7 of the 

explanation of Affiliates in 19.101 of the 

Federal Acquisition Regulation; and 

(4) The joint venture meets the 

requirements of 13 CFR 125.15(b), except that 

the principal company may be a veteranowned small business concern or a servicedisabled veterans-owned small business 

concern. 

(e) Any veteran-owned small business 

concern (nonmanufacturer) must meet the 

requirements in 19.102(f) of the Federal 

Acquisition Regulation to receive a benefit 

under this program. 

(End of Clause) 

35. Section 852.219–71 is added to 

read as follows: 

852.219–71 VA Mentor-Prote ́ge ́ Program. 

As prescribed in 819.7115(a), insert 

the following clause: 

VA Mentor-Prote ́ge ́ Program (Date) 

(a) Large businesses are encouraged to 

participate in the VA Mentor-Prote ́ge ́

Program for the purpose of providing 

developmental assistance to eligible servicedisabled veteran-owned small businesses and 

veteran-owned small businesses to enhance 

the small businesses’ capabilities and 

increase their participation as VA prime 

contractors and as subcontractors. 

(b) The program consists of: 

(1) Mentor firms, which are prime 

contractors capable of providing 

developmental assistance; 

(2) Prote ́ge ́ firms, which are servicedisabled veteran-owned small business 

concerns or veteran-owned small business 

concerns; and 

(3) Mentor-Prote ́ge ́ Agreements approved 

by the VA Office of Small and Disadvantaged 

Business Utilization. 

(c) Mentor participation in the program 

means providing business developmental 

assistance to aid Prote ́ge ́s in developing the 

requisite expertise to effectively compete for 

and successfully perform VA prime contracts 

and subcontracts. 

(d) Large business prime contractors 

serving as Mentors in the VA Mentor-Prote ́ge ́

Program are eligible for an incentive for 

subcontracting plan credit. VA will recognize 

the costs incurred by a Mentor firm in 

providing assistance to a Prote ́ge ́ firm and 

apply those costs for purposes of determining 

whether the mentor firm attains its 

subcontracting plan participation goals under 

a VA contract. The amount of credit given to 

a Mentor firm for these Prote ́ge ́

developmental assistance costs shall be 

calculated on a dollar-for-dollar basis and 

reported by the large business prime 

contractor via the Electronic Subcontracting 

Reporting System (eSRS). 

(e) Contractors interested in participating 

in the program are encouraged to contact the 

VA Office of Small and Disadvantaged 

Business Utilization for more information. 

(End of Clause) 

36. Section 852.219–72 is added to 

read as follows: 

852.219–72 Evaluation Factor for 

Participation in the VA Mentor-Prote ́ge ́

Program. 

As prescribed in 819.7115(b), insert 

the following clause: 

Evaluation Factor for Participation in 

the VA Mentor-Prote ́ge ́ Program (Date) 

This solicitation contains an evaluation 

factor or sub-factor regarding participation in 

the VA Mentor-Prote ́ge ́ Program. In order to 

receive credit under the evaluation factor or 

sub-factor, the offeror must provide with its 

proposal a copy of a signed letter issued by 

the VA Office of Small and Disadvantaged 

Business Utilization approving the offeror’s 

Mentor-Prote ́ge ́ Agreement. 

(End of Clause) 

37. Section 852.228–72 is added to 

read as follows: 

852.228–72 Assisting Service-Disabled 

Veteran-owned and Veteran-owned Small 

Businesses in Obtaining Bonds. 

As prescribed in 828.106–71, insert 

the following clause: 

Assisting Service-Disabled VeteranOwned Small Businesses and VeteranOwned Small Businesses in Obtaining 

Bonds (Date) 

Prime contractors are encouraged to assist 

service-disabled veteran-owned and veteranowned small business potential 

subcontractors in obtaining bonding, when 

required. Mentor firms are encouraged to 

assist Prote ́ge ́ firms under VA’s MentorProte ́ge ́ Program in obtaining acceptable bid, 

payment, and performance bonds, when 

required, as a prime contractor under a 

solicitation or contract and in obtaining any 

required bonds under subcontracts. 

(End of Provision) 

[FR Doc. E8–19261 Filed 8–19–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P 

NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION 

SAFETY BOARD 

49 CFR Part 830 

Notification and Reporting of Aircraft 

Accidents or Incidents and Overdue 

Aircraft, and Preservation of Aircraft 

Wreckage, Mail, Cargo, and Records 

AGENCY: National Transportation Safety 

Board (NTSB). 

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of 

comment period. 

SUMMARY: On March 31, 2008, the NTSB 

published a Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking to amend its regulations 

concerning notification and reporting 

requirements with regard to unmanned 

aircraft accidents, found at 49 Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 830, 

‘‘Notification and Reporting of Aircraft 

Accidents or Incidents and Overdue 

Aircraft, and Preservation of Aircraft 

Wreckage, Mail, Cargo, and Records.’’

This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is 

available at 73 FR 16826 (Mar. 31, 

2008). The NTSB is publishing this 

notice to inform the public that it is 

extending the comment period for the 

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to 

September 30, 2008. 

DATES: Submit comments on or before 

September 30, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: You may send written 

comments using any of the following 

methods: 

1. Government-wide rulemaking Web 

site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov 

and follow the instructions for sending 

your comments electronically. 

2. Mail: Mail comments concerning 

this proposed rule to Dana Schuize, AS–

b, National Transportation Safety Board, 

490 L’Enfant Plaza, SW., Washington, 

DC 20594–2000. 

3. Fax: (202) 314–6319, Attention: 

Dana Schuize. 

4. Hand Delivery: 6th Floor, 490 

L’Enfant Plaza, SW., Washington, DC, 

between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: 

Dana Schuize, Office of Aviation Safety, 

(202) 314–6323. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: After 

issuing the March 31, 2008, Notice of 

Proposed Rulemaking concerning 

unmanned aircraft accidents, the NTSB 

discovered that a problem existed with 

the Web site, available at http:// 

www.regulations.gov, that the NTSB 

listed in the Notice as one mechanism 

by which it would receive public 

comments. In particular, the NTSB 

subsequently determined that 

commenters were unable to submit 

comments through that Web site. The 


dwashington3 on PRODPC61 with PROPOSALS
49156 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 162 / Wednesday, August 20, 2008 / Proposed Rules 

NTSB has arranged for this problem to 

be corrected and verified that 

commenters may now access the Notice 

of Proposed Rulemaking and submit 

comments via http:// 

www.regulations.gov. As such, the 

NTSB is allowing the comment period 

for the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 

to remain open until September 30, 

2008. The NTSB notes that it received 

several comments via facsimile and 

postal mail; commenters who submitted 

comments via facsimile or postal mail 

need not resubmit them. 

Dated: August 8, 2008. 

Vicky D’Onofrio, 

Federal Register Liaison Officer. 

[FR Doc. E8–19104 Filed 8–19–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7533–01–M 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 660 

[Docket No. 0808051050–81056–01] 

RIN 0648–XJ42 

Fisheries Off West Coast States; 

Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; 

Annual Specifications 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Proposed rule. 

SUMMARY: NMFS proposes a regulation 

to implement the annual harvest 

guideline (HG) for Pacific mackerel in 

the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) 

off the Pacific coast for the fishing 

season of July 1, 2008, through June 30, 

2009. This HG has been calculated 

according to the regulations 

implementing the Coastal Pelagic 

Species (CPS) Fishery Management Plan 

(FMP) and establishes allowable harvest 

levels for Pacific mackerel off the Pacific 

coast. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

September 19, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on this proposed rule identified by 

0648–XJ42 by any one of the following 

methods: 

• Electronic Submissions: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal http:// 

www.regulations.gov 

• Mail: Rodney R. McInnis, Regional 

Administrator, Southwest Region, 

NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 

4200, Long Beach, CA 90802. 

• Fax: (562)980–4047, Att: Joshua 

Lindsay 

Instructions: All comments received 

are a part of the public record and will 

generally be posted to http:// 

www.regulations.gov without change. 

All Personal Identifying Information (for 

example, name, address, etc.) 

voluntarily submitted by the commenter 

may be publicly accessible. Do not 

submit Confidential Business 

Information or otherwise sensitive or 

protected information. 

NMFS will accept anonymous 

comments (enter N/A in the required 

fields, if you wish to remain 

anonymous). You may submit 

attachments to electronic comments in 

Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or 

Adobe PDF file formats only. 

Copies of the report Pacific Mackerel 

(Scomber japonicus) Stock Assessment 

for U.S. Management in the 2008–2009 

Fishing Year may be obtained from the 

Southwest Regional Office (see 

ADDRESSES). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Joshua Lindsay, Southwest Region, 

NMFS, (562) 980–4034. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The CPS 

FMP, which was implemented by 

publication of the final rule in the 

Federal Register on December 15, 1999 

(64 FR 69888), divides management unit 

species into two categories: actively 

managed and monitored. Harvest 

guidelines (HG) for actively managed 

species (Pacific sardine and Pacific 

mackerel) are based on formulas applied 

to current biomass estimates. Biomass 

estimates are not calculated for species 

that are only monitored (jack mackerel, 

northern anchovy, and market squid). 

During public meetings each year, the 

biomass for each actively managed 

species within the CPS FMP is 

presented to the Pacific Fishery 

Management Council’s (Council) Coastal 

Pelagic Species Management Team 

(CPSMT), the Council’s Coastal Pelagic 

Species Advisory Subpanel (CPSAS) 

and the CPS Subcommitee of the 

Scientific and Statistical Committee 

(SSC). At that time, the biomass, the 

acceptable biological catch (ABC) and 

the status of the fisheries are reviewed 

and discussed. This information is then 

presented to the Council along with HG 

recommendations and comments from 

the Team and Subpanel. Following 

review by the Council and after hearing 

public comments, the Council makes its 

HG recommendation to NOAA’s 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS). The annual HG is published in 

the Federal Register as close as 

practicable to the start of the fishing 

season. The Pacific mackerel season 

begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 of 

each year. 

For the 2008–2009 Pacific mackerel 

management season an updated 

assessment for Pacific mackerel was 

conducted and then reviewed by the 

SSC CPS Subcommittee, the CPSMT 

and the CPSAS during a series of 

meetings May 13–15, 2008, in Long 

Beach California. During these meetings 

the current stock assessment for Pacific 

mackerel, which included a preliminary 

biomass estimate and ABC, were 

presented and reviewed in accordance 

with the procedures of the FMP. Based 

on a total stock biomass estimate of 

264,732 metric tons (mt) the harvest 

control rule in the CPS FMP produces 

an ABC of 51,772 mt for the 2008–2009 

management season. 

In June, the Council held a public 

meeting in Foster City, California, 

during which time the Council reviewed 

the current stock assessment, biomass 

numbers and ABC as well as heard 

statements from the SSC, Team and 

Subpanel. The SSC endorsed the 

assessment as the best available science 

for use in management. Both the Team 

and Subpanel recommended setting the 

2008–2009 HG below ABC and no 

higher than 40,000 mt. 

Following the SSC, Team and 

Subpanel reports the Council adopted a 

HG of 40,000 mt for the 2008–2009 

fishing year. This HG recommendation 

is the same as the one recommended 

and implemented by NMFS for the 

2007–2008 fishing season. Establishing 

a HG for the directed fishery 

substantially below the ABC was 

recommended in response to 

uncertainty associated with changes to 

assessment modeling parameters and 

the estimate made in the FMP that the 

domestic fishery appears to be market 

limited to roughly 40,000 mt. The 

Council also adopted the Subpanel 

recommendation that in the event that 

the 40,000 mt is attained by the fishery, 

that Pacific mackerel fishing be closed 

to directed harvest and only incidental 

harvest be allowed. The proposed 

incidental fishery would be constrained 

to a 45 percent by weight incidental 

catch rate when Pacific mackerel are 

landed with other CPS, except that up 

to one metric ton of Pacific mackerel 

could be landed per trip without 

landing any other CPS. 

The Council may schedule an 

inseason review of the Pacific mackerel 

fishery at the nearest appropriate 

Council meeting, towards a possible 

consideration of either releasing a 

portion of the incidental allotment to 

the directed fishery or further 

constraining incidental landings to 


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