This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains notices to the public of the proposed

issuance of rules and regulations. The

purpose of these notices is to give interested

persons an opportunity to participate in the

rule making prior to the adoption of the final

rules.

Proposed Rules Federal Register

56513 

Vol. 73, No. 189 

Monday, September 29, 2008 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

7 CFR Parts 1728 and 1755 

Standards and Specifications for 

Timber Products Acceptable for Use 

by Rural Development Utilities 

Programs’ Electric and 

Telecommunications Borrowers 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Proposed rule. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service, an 

agency delivering the United States 

Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 

Rural Development Utilities Programs, 

hereinafter referred to as USDA Rural 

Development or Agency, proposes to 

revise its regulations on Electric and 

Telecommunications Standards and 

Specifications for Materials, Equipment 

and Construction, by codifying 

specifications for wood poles, stubs and 

anchor logs, wood crossarms (solid and 

laminated), transmission timbers and 

pole keys, and for quality control and 

inspection of timber products. The 

Agency is proposing to update these 

specifications to conform with revisions 

in the industry and to follow Agency 

policy on insurance requirements. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received by the agency or bear a 

postmark or equivalent no later than 

November 28, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: Submit comments by either 

of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov and, in the 

lower ‘‘Search Regulations and Federal 

Actions’’ box, select ‘‘Rural Utilities 

Service’’ from the agency drop-down 

menu, then click on ‘‘Submit.’’ In the 

Docket ID column, select RUS–07– 

Electric-0010 to submit or view public 

comments and to view supporting and 

related materials available 

electronically. Information on using 

Regulations.gov, including instructions 

for accessing documents, submitting 

comments, and viewing the docket after 

the close of the comment period, is 

available through the site’s ‘‘User Tips’’ 

link. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Please send your comment addressed to 

Michele Brooks, Director, Program 

Development and Regulatory Analysis, 

USDA Rural Development, 1400 

Independence Avenue, STOP 1522, 

Room 5818–S, Washington, DC 20250– 

1522. Please state that your comment 

refers to Docket No. RUS–07–Electric0010. 

Other Information: Additional 

information about USDA Rural 

Development and its programs is 

available on the Internet at http:// 

www.rurdev.usda.gov/index.html. 

Submit written comments to Michele 

L. Brooks, Director, Program 

Development and Regulatory Analysis, 

USDA Rural Development, 1400 

Independence Ave., SW., Stop 1522, 

Room 5818–S South Building, 

Washington, DC 20250–1522. 

An original and three copies of all 

comments (7 CFR 1700.4) are required. 

All comments received will be made 

available for inspection at room 1246– 

S, during regular business hours (7 CFR 

1.27(b)). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

H. Robert Lash, Transmission Branch. 

Electric Staff Division, USDA Rural 

Development, Room 1246 S.T.O.P 1569, 

1400 Independence Ave., SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–1569, or 

telephone (202) 720–0486. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Executive Order 12866 

This proposed rule is exempted from 

the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) review for purposes of Executive 

Order 12866 and, therefore, has not 

been reviewed by OMB. 

Executive Order 12988 

This proposed rule has been reviewed 

in accordance with Executive Order 

12988, Civil Justice Reform. The Agency 

has determined that this proposed rule 

meets the applicable standards provided 

in section 3 of the Executive Order. In 

addition, all state and local laws and 

regulations that are in conflict with this 

rule will be preempted; no retroactive 

effect will be given to this rule; and, in 

accordance with section 212(e) of the 

Department of Agriculture 

Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 

6912(e)) administrative appeal 

procedures, if any are required, must be 

exhausted before an action against the 

Department or its agencies. 

Executive Order 12372 

This proposed rule is excluded from 

the scope of Executive Order 12372, 

Intergovernmental Consultation, which 

may require consultation with State and 

local officials. See the final rule related 

notice entitled ‘‘Department Programs 

and Activities Excluded from Executive 

Order 12372,’’ (50 FR 47034) advising 

that agency loans, loan guarantees, and 

RTB bank loans were not covered by 

Executive Order 12372. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification 

It has been determined that the 

Regulatory Flexibility Act is not 

applicable to this proposed rule since 

the USDA Rural Development Programs 

is not required by 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) 

or any other provision of law to publish 

a notice of proposed rulemaking with 

respect to the subject matter of this 

proposed rule. 

Paperwork Reduction Act and EGovernment Act 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 

Chapter 35, as amended), USDA Rural 

Development invites comments on this 

information collection for which 

approval from the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) will be requested. 

Comments on this proposal must be 

received by November 28, 2008. 

Comments are invited on (a) whether 

the collection of information is 

necessary for the proper performance of 

the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of burden including 

the validity of the methodology and 

assumption used; (c) ways to enhance 

the quality, utility and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (d) 

ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, including through the 

use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques on 

other forms of information technology. 

Comments may be sent to Michele L. 

Brooks, Director, Program Development 

and Regulatory Analysis, USDA Rural 

Development, 1400 Independence Ave., 

SW., Stop 1522, Room 5818–S South 

Building, Washington, DC 20250–1522. 

Title: 7 CFR Parts 1728 and 1755. 


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56514 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 189 / Monday, September 29, 2008 / Proposed Rules 

OMB Control Number: 0572–0076. 

Type of Request: Revision of a 

currently approved information 

collection package. 

Abstract: The Agency has a 

tremendous amount of interest in loan 

security and protection of the 

Government’s interest over the long 

term life of a loan, which is generally 

secured by a first mortgage security 

instrument and amortized over a period 

of up to 35 years. Therefore, the Agency 

necessarily has a strong interest in the 

business, financial, and operating 

aspects of its borrowers. 

The Agency proposes to revise its 

regulations on Electric and 

Telecommunications Standards and 

Specifications for Materials, Equipment 

and Construction, by codifying 

specifications for wood poles, stubs and 

anchor logs, wood crossarms (solid and 

laminated), transmission timbers and 

pole keys, and for quality control and 

inspection of timber products. The 

Agency is proposing to update these 

specifications to conform with revisions 

in the industry and to follow Agency 

policy on insurance requirements. 

Respondents: Businesses and Not-forprofit institutions. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

25. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 1,600. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 40,000. 

This estimated total annual burden is 

a decrease of 363 due to the changes in 

the requirement that borrowers submit 

an annual summary report and reserve 

stock notices on timber specifications. 

Copies of this information collection 

can be obtained from MaryPat Daskal, 

Program Development and Regulatory 

Analysis, at (202) 720–7853. 

All responses to this information 

collection and recordkeeping notice will 

be summarized and included in the 

request for OMB approval. All 

comments will also become a matter of 

public record. USDA Rural 

Development is committed to the EGovernment Act, which requires 

Government agencies in general to 

provide the public the option of 

submitting information or transacting 

business electronically to the maximum 

extent possible. 

Send questions or comments 

regarding this burden or any other 

aspect of these collections of 

information, including suggestions for 

reducing the burden to Director, 

Program Development and Regulatory 

Analysis, USDA Rural Development 

Programs, 1400 Independence Ave., 

SW., Room 5818–S Bldg., STOP 1522, 

Washington, DC 20250–1522. 

National Environmental Policy Act 

Certification 

The Administrator of the Agency has 

determined that this proposed rule will 

not significantly affect the quality of the 

human environment as defined by the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). Therefore, 

this action does not require an 

environmental impact statement or 

assessment. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

The program described by this 

proposed rule is listed in the Catalog of 

Federal Domestic Assistance Programs 

under No. 10.850, Rural Electrification 

Loans and Loan Guarantees, No. 10.851, 

Rural Telephone Loans and Loan 

Guarantees, and No. 10.852, Rural 

Telephone Bank Loans. This catalog is 

available on a subscription basis from 

the Superintendent of Documents, the 

United States Government Printing 

Office, Washington, DC 20402–9325, 

telephone number (202) 512–1800. 

Unfunded Mandates 

This proposed rule contains no 

Federal mandates (under the regulatory 

provision of Title II of the Unfunded 

Mandates Reform Act) for State, local, 

and tribal governments or the private 

sector. This rule is not subject to the 

requirements of section 202 and 205 of 

the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. 

Background 

The Agency maintains bulletins that 

contain construction standards and 

specifications for materials and 

equipment. These standards and 

specifications apply to systems 

constructed by electric and 

telecommunications borrowers in 

accordance with the loan contract, and 

contain standard construction units, 

materials, and equipment units used on 

electric and telecommunications 

borrowers’ systems. Bulletins 1728F– 

700, ‘‘Specification for Wood Poles, 

Stubs and Anchor Logs’’; 1728H–701, 

‘‘Specification for Wood Crossarms 

(Solid and Laminated), Transmission 

Timbers and Pole Keys’’; and 1728H– 

702, ‘‘Specification for Quality Control 

and Inspection of Timber Products’’, 

establish standards for the manufacture 

and inspection of wood utility poles, 

crossarms and poles keys. 

The summary of the proposed major 

changes to these three bulletins are as 

follows: 

1. All references cited in these 

bulletins would be updated to the latest 

edition. 

2. The definition ‘‘pole broker’’ would 

be added to the list of definitions to 

include as many organizations as 

possible to provide borrowers a source 

from which they might purchase wood 

products. 

3. Proposing to allow borrowers six 

months to notify treating plants about 

poles not meeting the required 

preservative retention. 

4. In accordance with Agency policy 

on insurance requirements for 

contractors working for borrowers, the 

specification would be revised to 

require manufacturers and inspection 

agencies to maintain certain limits of 

liability and errors and omission 

insurance. 

5. All poles would be required to be 

sterilized during the conditioning or 

treating cycle. This sterilization should 

reduce the number of poles with pretreatment decay. 

6. The independent inspection 

agency’s identification on the face of the 

pole would be branded. 

7. The Agency would revise the 

qualifications for inspectors and quality 

control personnel and would return to 

prior qualifications of the specifications. 

8. Provisions would be added to 

further clarify that wood products, 

producers and inspection agencies 

maintain the greatest degree of 

separation and eliminate any 

appearance of conflict of interest. 

List of Subjects 

7 CFR Part 1728 

Electric power, Loan programs— 

energy, Reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements, Rural areas. 

7 CFR Part 1755 

Loan programs—communications, 

Reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements, Rural areas, Telephone. 

For reasons set forth in the preamble, 

the Agency proposes to amend 7 CFR 

chapter XVII as follows: 

PART 1728—ELECTRIC STANDARDS 

AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR 

MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION 

1. The authority citation for part 1728 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.; 1921 et 

seq., 6941 et seq. 

2. Section 1728.97(b) is amended by 

revising the revision date of 

Bulletin1728F–700. 

§ 1728.97 Incorporation by reference of 

electric standards and specifications. 

(b) List of Bulletins. 

* * * * * 

Bulletin 1728F–700, Specification for 

Wood Poles, Stubs and Anchor Logs 

[INSERT DATE OF PUBLICATION OF 


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THE FINAL RULE IN THE FEDERAL 

REGISTER] 

* * * * * 

3. Section 1728.201 is revised to read 

as follows: 

§ 1728.201 Bulletin 1728H–701, 

Specification for Wood Crossarms (Solid 

and Laminated), Transmission Timbers and 

Pole Keys. 

(a) General Provisions. (1) This 

section implements contractual 

provisions between the Agency and 

borrowers receiving financial assistance. 

The contractual agreement between the 

Agency and its borrowers requires the 

borrower’s system to be constructed in 

accordance with Agency accepted plans 

and specifications. Each electric 

borrower must purchase only wood 

crossarms produced in accordance with 

the specification in this section. 

(2) Each electric borrower shall 

require each contractor to agree in 

writing to furnish only materials 

produced in accordance with the 

specification in this section. 

(3) This specification describes the 

minimum acceptable quality of wood 

distribution crossarms and transmission 

crossarms (hereinafter called crossarms) 

that are purchased by or for borrowers. 

Where there is conflict between this 

specification and any other specification 

referred to in this section, this 

specification shall govern. 

(4) Various requirements relating to 

quality control and inspection are 

contained in § 1728.202 of this part, 

Specification for Quality Control and 

Inspection of Timber Products. Section 

1728.201 of this part and the American 

National Standards Institute (ANSI) 

O5.2, 1996, (R2001) American National 

Standard for Wood Products—Structural 

Glued Laminated Timber for Utility 

Structures, ANSI O5.3, 2002, American 

National Standard for wood products 

Solid Sawn—Wood Crossarms and 

Braces—Specification and Dimensions 

shall be followed exactly and shall not 

be interpreted or subjected to judgment 

by the quality control person or an 

independent inspector. 

(5) The purchaser shall purchase from 

producers only material that meets the 

requirements of this specification. Each 

purchaser shall use a written purchase 

order to purchase material for use in 

financed systems in order to ensure 

compliance with the standards and 

specifications of this part. The written 

purchase order shall contain a provision 

that specifically requires the producer to 

comply with the provisions of this part. 

The purchase order shall contain a 

provision that specifically requires the 

producer to make the treating plant and 

storage areas available, during normal 

business hours, in order for 

representatives of either the purchaser 

or this agency to inspect such to 

determine compliance with the 

standards and specifications of this part. 

(6) The producer shall provide the 

inspectors with full information 

(drawings, etc.) relating to the 

requirements contained in the purchase 

order which is supplementary to this 

specification. 

(7) The producer shall maintain, or 

have access to, adequate laboratory 

facilities at or near the treating plant, 

and all chemical tests, assays or 

analyses associated with the treatment 

shall be independently performed in the 

laboratory by both the quality control 

designee and the borrower’s inspector. 

The producer may use a central 

laboratory as accepted on a case-by-case 

basis. 

(8) Inspection and treatment of all 

timber products produced under this 

specification shall be performed after 

receipt of the order from the purchaser, 

except as provided for reserve treated 

stock. 

(9) The testing and inspection of the 

lamination process shall be in 

accordance with American Institute of 

Timber Construction (AITC) 200–2004, 

Inspection Manual. 

(10) With the exception of reserve 

treated stock, all invoices for treated 

timber products shall be accompanied, 

in duplicate, by a copy of the producer’s 

Certificate of Compliance and a copy of 

either the Independent Inspection 

Report or a Quality Assurance Plan 

Certificate. The certificate shall be 

presented to the purchaser with the 

invoice. For reserve treated stock, 

inspection reports shall be available 

from the inspection agency. When 

shipped from reserve stock, the invoice 

shall bear an endorsement and a further 

certification by the producer that the 

material meets the requirements of this 

specification and any supplementary 

requirements cited in the purchase 

order under which it is purchased. 

(11) Crossarms shall be warranted to 

conform to this specification. If any 

crossarm is determined to be defective 

or does not conform to this specification 

within 1 year after delivery to the 

borrower, it shall be replaced as 

promptly as possible by the producer. In 

the event of failure to do so, the 

purchaser may make such replacement 

and the cost of the crossarm, at 

destination, shall be recoverable from 

the producer. 

(12) Crossarm producers shall take out 

and maintain liability insurance and a 

bond or miscellaneous errors and 

omissions insurance for not less than $1 

million and $500,000, respectively. 

Upon request, evidence of compliance 

shall be provided. The evidence shall be 

in the form of a certificate of insurance 

signed by a representative of the 

insurance company and include a 

provision that no changes in, or 

cancellation of, will be made without 

the prior written notice to the Director, 

Electric Staff Division, USDA Rural 

Development. 

(b) Definitions. 

Agency refers to Rural Utilities 

Service. 

Arm is the structural wood member 

used to support electrical conductors 

and equipment. Arm is used 

interchangeably with crossarm. 

Certificate of compliance is a 

certification by an authorized employee 

of the producer that the material 

shipped meets the requirements of this 

specification and any supplementary 

requirements specified in a purchase 

order from a borrower or the borrower’s 

contractor. 

Crossarm is a structural wood 

member used to support electrical 

conductors and equipment and is a term 

used interchangeably with arm. 

Independent inspection is the 

examination of material by an 

independent inspector employed by a 

commercial inspection agency. 

Inspection is the examination of 

material in sufficient detail to ensure 

conformity to all phases of the 

specification under which it was 

purchased. 

Lot is a quantity of crossarms of like 

size, conditioning, and fabrication, 

usually making up one treating charge. 

Producer is used to describe the party 

who manufactures and/or treats 

crossarms. 

Purchaser is the borrower or 

contractors acting as the borrower’s 

agent, except where a part of the 

specification specifically refers only to 

the borrower or the contractor. 

Quality control designee is an 

individual designated by the producer 

to oversee proper operation of the 

manufacturer’s internal quality control 

system. 

Reserve treated stock are timber 

products treated in accordance with this 

specification, prior to and in 

anticipation of the receipt of specific 

orders, and held in storage ready for 

immediate shipment. 

Supplier is the producer, or in some 

cases, the distributor selling crossarms 

to the borrower. 

Treating plant is the organization that 

applies the preservative treatment to the 

crossarms. 

(c) Related specifications and 

standards incorporated by reference. 

The following specifications and 


hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with PROPOSALS
56516 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 189 / Monday, September 29, 2008 / Proposed Rules 

standards are pending approval of 

incorporation by reference by the Office 

of the Federal Register in accordance 

with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. 

Copies of each reference are available 

for inspection during normal business 

hours, room 1246–S, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Washington, DC or, at the 

Office of the Federal Register, 800 North 

Capitol Street, NW., suite 700, 

Washington, DC. Copies of these 

standards and specifications may be 

purchased from the addresses shown 

below. 

(1) West Coast Lumber Inspection 

Bureau, Standard No. 17, Grading Rules 

for West Coast Lumber, January 1, 2004, 

available from West Coast Lumber 

Inspection Bureau, P.O. Box 23145, 

Portland, Oregon 97281, telephone (503) 

639–0651, Fax (503) 684–8928. The Web 

address for West Coast Lumber 

Inspection Bureau is http:// 

www.wclib.org/. 

(2) The following Southern Pine 

Inspection Bureau Standards, available 

from Southern Pine Inspection Bureau, 

4709 Scenic Highway, Pensacola, 

Florida 32504–9094, telephone (850) 

434–2611. The Web address for the 

Southern Pine Inspection Bureau is 

http://www.spib.org/. 

(i) Standard Grading Rules for 

Southern Pine Lumber, available from 

Southern Pine Inspection Bureau, 4709 

Scenic Highway, Pensacola, Florida 

32504, telephone (850) 434–2611. 

(ii) Special Product Rules for 

Structural, Industrial, and RailroadFreight Car Lumber. 

(3) American Wood-Protection 

Association (AWPA), Book of 

Standards, 2007 edition, available from 

AWPA, P.O. Box 361784, Birmingham, 

AL 35236–1784, telephone 205 733– 

4077, http://www.awpa.com/, include 

the following standards: 

(i) A1–98, Standard Methods for 

Analysis of Creosote and Oil-Type 

Preservatives. 

(ii) A2–07, Standard Methods for 

Analysis of Waterborne Preservatives 

and Fire-Retardant Formulations. 

(iii) A3–05, Standard Methods for 

Determining Penetration of 

Preservatives and Fire Retardants. 

(iv) A5–05, Standard Methods for 

Analysis of Oil-Borne Preservatives. 

(v) A6–01, Method for the 

Determination of Oil-Type Preservatives 

and Water in Wood. 

(vi) A7–04, Standard Wet Washing 

Procedure for Preparing Wood for 

Chemical Analysis. 

(vii) A9–01, Standard Method for 

Analysis of Treated Wood and Treating 

Solutions by X-Ray Spectroscopy. 

(viii) A11–93, Standard Method for 

Analysis of Treated Wood and Treating 

Solutions by Atomic Absorption 

Spectroscopy. 

(ix) U1–07, Use Category System: User 

Specification for Treated Wood. 

(x) T1–07, Use Category System: 

Processing and Treatment Standard. 

(xi) M1–07, Standard for the Purchase 

of Treated Wood Products. 

(xii) M2–07, Standard for Inspection 

of Treated Timber Products. 

(xiii) M3–05, Standard Quality 

Control Procedures for Wood Preserving 

Plants. 

(xiv) M4–06, Standard for the Care of 

Preservative-Treated Wood Products. 

(xv) P1/P13–06, Standards for 

Creosote Preservatives. 

(xvi) P5–07, Standards for Waterborne 

Preservatives. 

(xvii) P8–06, Standards for Oil-Borne 

Preservatives, and 

(xviii) P9–06, Standards for Solvents 

and Formulations for Organic 

Preservative Systems. 

(4) American Institute of Timber 

Construction (AITC) 200–2004, 

Inspection Manual, 2004 edition, 

available from AITC, 7012 S. Revere 

Park Way, Englewood, Colorado 80112, 

telephone (303) 792–9559, Web address: 

https://www.aitc-glulam.org/index.asp. 

(5) American National Standards 

Institute (ANSI) O5.2–1996 (R2001), 

American National Standard for Wood 

Products—Structural Glued Laminated 

Timber for Utility Structures, available 

from ANSI, 25 West 43rd Street, New 

York, New York 10036, telephone (212) 

642–4900, Web address: http:// 

www.ansi.org/. 

(6) American Society for Testing and 

Materials (ASTM) D9–05, Standard 

Terminology Relating to Wood, 

available from ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor 

Dr. West, PO Box C700, Conshohocken, 

PA 19428–2959, telephone number 

(610) 832–9585, Web address: http:// 

www.astm.org. 

(d) Independent Inspection Plan. This 

plan or a Quality Assurance Plan, as 

described in paragraph (e) of this 

section, is acceptable for supplying 

crossarms. All crossarms purchased 

under the Independent Inspection Plan, 

for use on an Agency financed system 

shall be inspected by a qualified 

independent inspector in accordance 

with § 1728.202 of this part. 

(1) The borrower has the prerogative 

to contract directly with the inspection 

agency for service. The borrower 

should, where practical, select the 

inspection agency so that continual 

employment is dependent only on 

performance acceptable to the borrower 

and in accordance with this 

specification. The selected inspection 

agency shall not be allowed to 

subcontract the service to any other 

inspection agency. 

(2) The producer shall not be 

permitted to be a party to the selection 

of the inspection agency by the 

borrower and shall not interfere with 

the work of the inspector, except to 

provide notification of the readiness of 

material for inspection. To obtain 

inspection services for reserve stock, the 

producer may deal directly with the 

inspection agency. Under the 

Independent Inspection Plan, the 

producer shall not be permitted to treat 

material before it has been properly 

inspected in the white, as evidenced by 

the inspector’s hammer mark. 

(3) The methods of inspection 

described in this section and in 

§ 1728.202 of this part shall be used no 

matter which plan crossarms are 

produced under, i.e., Independent 

Inspection Plan, or Quality Assurance 

Plans, as described in this section. 

(e) Quality Assurance Plans. The 

producer shall furnish crossarms 

conforming to this specification as 

monitored by an acceptable Quality 

Assurance Plan. Borrower groups or 

agents for borrower groups endeavoring 

to operate Quality Assurance Plans shall 

submit their plan for assuring quality 

control to the Chairman, Technical 

Standards Committee ‘‘A’’, Electric Staff 

Division, USDA Rural Development, 

Stop 1569, Washington, DC 20250– 

1569. 

(f) Material requirements—(1) 

Material and grade. All crossarms 

furnished under this specification shall 

be free of brashy wood, decay, and 

insect holes larger than 3⁄32 of an inch 

and shall meet additional requirements 

as shown on specific drawings. 

Crossarms shall be made of one of the 

following: 

(i) Douglas-fir which conforms to the 

applicable crossarm provisions of 

paragraphs 170 and 170a, or the 

applicable transmission arm provisions 

of paragraphs 169 and 169a of the 2004 

Standard Grading Rules for West Coast 

Lumber No. 17. Only coastal origin 

Douglas-fir shall be used for Douglas-fir 

crossarms manufactured under this 

specification; 

(ii) Southern Yellow Pine which 

conforms to the provisions of Dense 

Industrial Crossarm 65, as described in 

paragraph 31.2 in Southern Pine 

Inspection Bureau 1991 Special Product 

Rules for Southern Pine; or 

(iii) Laminated wood crossarms shall 

conform to ANSI O5.2, and have at least 

the same load carrying capacity as the 

solid sawn arm it replaces. The load 

carrying capacity of the laminated arms 

shall be determined by one of the 

procedures outlined in ANSI O5.2. 


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(2) Borrowers may use alternative 

crossarms that are listed in 

Informational Publication 202–1, List of 

Materials Acceptable for Use on 

Systems of the Agency Electrification 

Borrowers. 

(3) Knots. Sound, firm, and tight 

knots, if well spaced, are allowed. 

(i) Slightly decayed knots are 

permitted, except on the top face, 

provided the decay extends no more 

than 3⁄4 of an inch into the knot and 

provided the cavities will drain water 

when the arm is installed. For knots to 

be considered well spaced, the sum of 

the sizes of all knots in any 6 inches of 

length of a piece shall not exceed twice 

the size of the largest knot permitted. 

More than one knot of maximum 

permissible size shall not be in the same 

6 inches of length. Slightly decayed, 

firm, or sound ‘‘pin knots’’ (3⁄8 of an 

inch or less) are not considered in size, 

spacing, or zone considerations.‘ 

(ii) Knots are subject to limits on size 

and location as detailed in Tables I and 

II, as follows: 

BILLING CODE 3410–P 


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BILLING CODE 3410–C (iii) Knot clusters shall be prohibited 

unless the entire cluster, measured on 

the worst face, is equal to or less than 


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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 189 / Monday, September 29, 2008 / Proposed Rules 56519 

the round knot allowed at the specific 

location. 

(iv) Spike knots shall be prohibited in 

deadend arms. Any spike knot across 

the top face shall be limited to the 

equivalent displacement of a knot 3⁄8 of 

an inch deep on one face and the 

maximum round knot for its particular 

location on the worst face, with a 

maximum width of 1 inch measured at 

the midpoint of the spiked section. 

Elsewhere across the bottom or side 

faces, spike knots shall not exceed 1⁄2

the equivalent displacement of a round 

knot permitted at that location, 

provided that the depth of the knot on 

the worst face shall not exceed the 

maximum round knot allowed at that 

location. 

(v) Loose knots and knot holes shall 

be such that they can drain water when 

the arm is installed in its normal 

position. In the center section, upper 

half, loose knots shall not be greater 

than 1⁄2 the dimensions of round knots. 

Elsewhere, loose knots shall not be 

greater than the round knot dimension. 

Loose knots shall be prohibited in 

deadend arms. 

(vi) All knots except those ‘‘spike’’ 

knots intersecting a corner shall be 

measured on the least diameter of the 

knot. 

(vii) A knot shall be considered to 

occupy a specific zone or section if the 

center of the knot (i.e., pith of knot) is 

within the zone or on the zone’s 

boundary. 

(viii) If a round or oval knot appears 

on two faces and is in two zones, each 

face shall be judged independently. 

When this does not occur, average the 

least dimension showing on both faces. 

Knots which occur on only one face of 

a free of heart center (FOHC) arm shall 

be permitted to be 25 percent larger than 

the stated size. 

(ix) Knot spacing. Two or more knots 

opposite each other on any face shall be 

limited by a sum not to exceed the size 

of a maximum single knot permitted for 

the location. On all four faces, all knots 

shall be well spaced. 

(x) Knots which have a maximum of 5⁄8 inch diameter may intersect pin holes 

in the center section. One inch diameter 

knots may intersect insulator pin holes 

elsewhere. 

(4) Miscellaneous characteristics, 

features, and requirements. (i) The top 

face of distribution crossarms shall not 

have more than four medium pitch and 

bark pockets in 8-foot arms, and not 

more than five pitch and bark pockets 

in 10-foot arms. Elsewhere a maximum 

of six medium pockets in 8-foot arms 

and eight in 10-foot arms shall be 

permitted. Equivalent smaller pockets 

shall be permissible. An occasional 

large pocket is permissible. 

(ii) Shakes shall be prohibited. 

(iii) Checks. Prior to treatment on 

properly seasoned arms, single face 

checks shall not exceed an average 

penetration of 1⁄4 the depth from any 

face and shall be limited to 10 inches 

long on the top face, and 1⁄3 the arm 

length on the other faces. Checks shall 

not be repeated in the same line of grain 

in adjacent pin holes. The sum of the 

average depths of checks occurring in 

the same plane on opposite faces shall 

be limited to 1⁄4 the face depth. 

(iv) Compression wood shall be 

prohibited on any face. Compression 

wood is permitted if wholly enclosed in 

the arm, more than six annual rings 

from the surface, and not over 3⁄8 of an 

inch in width. 

(v) Insect holes 3⁄32 of an inch and 

larger shall be prohibited. Insect pin 

holes (i.e. holes not over 1⁄16 of an inch 

diameter) shall be allowed if scattered 

and not exceeding 10 percent of the arm 

girth. 

(vi) Wane shall be allowed on one 

edge, limited to approximately 1 inch 

measured across the corner. Outside of 

the top center section, an aggregate 

length not to exceed 2 feet may have 

wane up to 11⁄2 inches on an occasional 

piece on one or both edges. Bark shall 

be removed. 

(vii) Prior to preservative treatment, 

and after treatment, crook, bow, or twist 

shall not exceed 1⁄2 of an inch in 8-foot 

arms and 5⁄8 of an inch in 10-foot arms. 

(g) Manufacture. (1) All dimensions 

and tolerances shall conform to those 

shown on the drawings in this section 

or drawings supplied with the purchase 

order. Drawings supplied shall meet or 

exceed minimum dimensions and 

tolerances shown on the drawings in 

this section. Cross-sectional dimensions 

shall be measured and judged at about 

1⁄4 the arm length, except when the 

defects of ‘‘skip dressing’’ or ‘‘machine 

bite or offset’’ are involved. 

(2) Lamination techniques shall 

comply with ANSI O5.2–1996. 

(3) Pin and bolt holes shall be 

smoothly bored without undue 

splintering where drill bits break 

through the surface. The center of any 

hole shall be within 1⁄8 of an inch of the 

center-line locations on the face in 

which it appears. Holes shall be 

perpendicular to the starting and 

finishing faces. 

(4) Shape. The shape of the arms at 

any cross section, except for permissible 

wane, shall be as shown on the 

respective drawings in this section or 

supplied with the order. The two top 

edges may be either chamfered or 

rounded 3⁄8 of an inch radius. The two 

bottom edges shall be slightly eased 1⁄8

of an inch radius for the entire length. 

(5) Incising. The lengthwise surfaces 

of Douglas-fir crossarms shall be incised 

approximately 1⁄4 of an inch deep. The 

incision shall be reasonably clean cut 

with a spacing pattern that ensures 

uniform penetration of preservative. 

(6) Quality of Work. All crossarms 

shall be of the highest quality 

production. Crossarms shall be dressed 

on four sides, although ‘‘hit and miss 

skips’’ may occur on two adjacent faces 

on occasional pieces. 

(h) Conditioning prior to treatment. 

(1) All solid sawn crossarms shall be 

made of lumber which has been kilndried. Douglas-fir arms shall have an 

average moisture content of 19 percent 

or less, with a maximum not to exceed 

22 percent. Southern Yellow Pine arms 

shall have an average moisture content 

of 22 percent or less, with a maximum 

not to exceed 30 percent. 

(2) Moisture content levels shall be 

measured at about 1⁄4 the length and at 

a depth of about 1⁄5 the crossarm’s 

thickness. Additionally, the moisture 

content gradient between the shell (i.e. 

1⁄4 of an inch deep) and the core (i.e. 

about 1 inch deep) shall not exceed 5 

percentage points. 

(3) A minimum of at least 20 solid 

sawn crossarms per treating charge shall 

be measured to verify moisture content 

and shall be duly recorded by the 

quality control designee. 

(4) The moisture content of lumber 

used in laminating shall, at the time of 

gluing, be within the range of 8 to 12 

percent, inclusive. 

(i) Preservatives. (1) The preservatives 

shall be: 

(i) Creosote which conforms to the 

requirements of AWPA Standard P1 

when analyzed in accordance with the 

methods in AWPA Standard A1, 

sections 2, 3, 4, either 5 or 9, and 6; 

(ii) Pentachlorophenol which contains 

not less than 95 percent chlorinated 

phenols and conforms to AWPA 

Standard P8 when analyzed in 

accordance with AWPA Standard A5 or 

A9. The hydrocarbon solvents for 

introducing the preservative into the 

wood shall meet the requirements of 

AWPA Standard P9 Type A; 

(iii) Waterborne Preservatives, shall 

be any of the following: 

(A) Ammoniacal Copper Arsenates 

(ACA) and Ammoniacal Copper Zinc 

Arsenate (ACZA) which shall meet the 

requirements of AWPA Standard P5, 

when analyzed in accordance with 

methods in AWPA Standards A2, A9, or 

A11; and 

(B) Chromated Copper Arsenates 

(CCA) which shall meet the 

requirements of one of the formulations 


hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with PROPOSALS
56520 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 189 / Monday, September 29, 2008 / Proposed Rules 

given in AWPA Standard P5, sections 4, 

5 or 6, and 10. Tests to establish 

conformity shall be made in accordance 

with AWPA Standards A2, A9, or A11. 

(1) The pH of treating solutions of the 

waterborne preservatives shown in 

AWPA Standard P5, section 10, shall be 

determined in accordance with AWPA 

Standard A2, section 8. 

(2) Waterborne preservatives are 

available either as oxides, which form 

non-ionizing chemical compounds in 

the wood, or as salts, which leave 

ionizing compounds as well as nonionizing compounds in the wood. 

Unless otherwise specified in the 

purchase order, the oxide formulations 

of waterborne preservatives shall be 

supplied. 

(3) Douglas-fir crossarms shall not be 

treated with CCA preservatives. 

(4) Materials treated with waterborne 

preservatives shall be free of visible 

surface deposits. 

(iv) Copper Naphthenate (CuN) 

concentrate used to prepare wood 

preserving solutions shall contain not 

less than 6 percent nor more than 8 

percent copper in the form of CuN and 

shall conform to AWPA Standard P8 

when analyzed in accordance with 

AWPA Standard A5. The hydrocarbon 

solvents for introducing the preservative 

into the wood shall meet the 

requirements of AWPA Standard P9 

Type A. 

(2) [Reserved] 

(j) Preservative treatment. (1) All 

timber products treated under this 

specification shall be treated by either a 

pressure or a thermal (non-pressure) 

process. 

(2) These materials may be further 

conditioned by steaming, or by heating 

in hot oil (Douglas-fir), within the 

following limits: 

Time hours 

(max.) 

Temperature 

Steam .............. 3 220° F 

Heating in 

Preservation.

3 210° F 

(3) A final steam or hot oil bath may 

be used only to meet cleanliness 

requirements of paragraph (k) of this 

section. Total duration of the final steam 

bath shall not exceed 2 hours and the 

temperature shall not exceed 240 

degrees Fahrenheit. 

(k) Results of treatments. (1) The 

quality control designee shall test or 

supervise the testing of each treated 

charge for penetration and retention. 

(2) Method of Sampling. When testing 

penetration and retention, a borer core 

shall be taken from not less than 20 

crossarms in each treating charge. The 

borings shall be taken from any face 

except the top face at a point as close 

to the end as possible, being at least 3 

inches from the end of the arm and no 

closer than 3 inches from the edge of the 

holes. The bored holes shall be plugged 

with preservative-treated plugs driven 

into the arm. Borings from laminated 

arms shall not be taken from the same 

laminate unless there is an end joint 

separation. 

(3) As determined in accordance with 

AWPA A3, all sapwood present in 

Douglas-fir or Southern Yellow Pine 

crossarms shall be completely 

penetrated with preservative. In the 

heartwood of Douglas-fir crossarms, the 

penetration shall be not less than 3 

inches longitudinally from the edge of 

holes and ends, and at least 3⁄16 inch 

from the surface of any face. 

(4) Retention of preservative in the 

outer 6⁄10 of an inch for Douglas-fir and 

one inch for Southern Yellow Pine assay 

zones at the treating plant shall be not 

less than: 

Preservation Retention (pcf) AWPA analysis method 

Creosote ............................................................................................................................................. 8 A6 

Pentachlorophenol .............................................................................................................................. *0.4 A5 

ACA, ACZA, or CCA ........................................................................................................................... 0.4 A2, A7, A9, or A11 

Copper Naphthenate .......................................................................................................................... 0.04 A5, A9, or A11 

* The pentachlorophenol retention is for the lime ignition method. The copper pyridine method, retention 0.36 pcf is required when timbers may 

have been in contact with salt water, and for all species native to the Pacific coast region. It is not required when it specifically states on the 

rough sawn material invoice that this material has not been in contact with salt water or is shown by analysis to have no additional chlorides 

present in the wood before treating. 

(5) Cleanliness of lengthwise surfaces 

of all crossarms shall be free from tarry, 

greasy, or sticky material, and from oil 

exudation and pentachlorophenol 

crystallization (blooming). 

(6) Re-treatment of materials which do 

not meet the penetration and retention 

requirements of this specification may 

be done only twice. Initial treatment 

steaming time plus re-treatment 

steaming time, combined, shall not 

exceed time allowed in paragraph (i) of 

this section. 

(l) Marks and brands. (1) All 

crossarms shall be legibly branded (hot 

brand) or die-stamped and to a depth of 

approximately 1⁄16 of an inch before 

treatment. 

(2) The letters and figures shall be not 

less than 1⁄2 of an inch in height. The 

top of the brand shall be oriented to the 

top of the arm. 

(3) The brand or die-stamp shall 

include: 

(i) The manufacturer’s identification 

symbol; 

(ii) Month and year of manufacture; 

(iii) Species of timber such as DF for 

Douglas-fir and SP for Southern Yellow 

Pine; and 

(iv) The preservative notated with a C 

for creosote, P for penta, S for 

waterbornes, or N for Copper 

Naphthenate. 

(4) An example is: 

M–6–06 Manufacturer—Month—Year 

DF–P Douglas-fir—penta treated 

(5) The brand or stamp shall be placed 

on either of the wide surfaces of the 

arms, oriented with letters right side up 

towards the top of the arm and 

preferably about 1 foot from the 

midpoint of the arm. 

(6) The mark should be approximately 

the same location on each type of 

crossarm of each producer. 

(7) Brands, inspection marks, or 

quality assurance marks shall be 

removed from arms that do not meet 

these specifications. 

(m) Storage. (1) Producers may treat 

crossarms for reserve stock under any of 

the Rural Development approved plans. 

(2) Crossarms treated with oil-borne 

preservatives which have been held in 

storage for more than 1 year before 

shipment to the borrower, shall be reassayed before shipment and shall be retreated if found nonconforming for 

retention on orders placed in 

accordance with this section. 

(3) Crossarms shall meet the assay 

after re-treatment in accordance with 

paragraph (k) of this section. 

(4) Crossarms which are held in 

storage after final acceptance shall be 

stacked in piles or on skids in such a 

manner as to assure good ventilation. 

The stacks shall be covered or stored 

indoors for protection from the sun and 

weather to reduce checking, bending, 

and loss of preservative. 


hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with PROPOSALS
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(n) Drawings. (1) The drawings of 

Appendix B of this section, Crossarm 

Drilling Guide, have a type number and 

show in detail the hole size, shape, and 

pattern desired for crossarms ordered 

under this specification. 

(2) Purchase orders shall indicate the 

type or size and length crossarm 

required. For orders of arms where no 

drawings are included, the dimension 

tolerance of + 1⁄8′′¥0′′ shall be used. For 

example, a 33⁄4 × 43⁄4 cross section shall 

actually be 33⁄4′′ × 4 3⁄4′′ + 1⁄8′′. 

(3) Crossarms shall be furnished in 

accordance with the details of these 

drawings or in accordance with 

drawings attached to the purchase 

order. 

(4) Appropriate drawings for 

transmission arms are to be specified 

and included with purchase orders. 

Technical drawings for transmission 

crossarms are published in Bulletin 

1728F–811, ‘‘Electric Transmission 

Specifications and Drawings, 115kV 

through 230kV’’, and Bulletin 1728F– 

810, ‘‘Electric Transmission 

Specification and Drawings, 34.5kV 

through 69kV’’. 

(o) Destination inspection. All 

crossarms shall meet or exceed their 

minimum dimensions for at least 1 year 

after date of delivery. Borrowers have 

the right to reject crossarms that do not 

meet minimum dimensions. 

BILLING CODE 3410–P 


hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with PROPOSALS
56522 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 189 / Monday, September 29, 2008 / Proposed Rules 

Appendix A to § 1728.201—Distribution 

and Transmission Arms 


hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with PROPOSALSEP29SE08.057</GPH>
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 189 / Monday, September 29, 2008 / Proposed Rules 56523 

Appendix B to § 1728.201—Crossarm 

Drilling Guide 


hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with PROPOSALSEP29SE08.058</GPH>
56524 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 189 / Monday, September 29, 2008 / Proposed Rules 

BILLING CODE 3410–C Appendix C to § 1728.201—Metric 

Conversion Factors 

To convert from To Multiply by 

Foot (ft) ....................................................................................... Meter (m) .................................................................................... 0.3048 

Inch (in) ....................................................................................... Centimeter .................................................................................. 2.54 

Pound per cubic foot (pcf) (lb/ft3) ............................................... Kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m3) .............................................. 1.601846 

Pound per square inch (psi) (lb/in2) ........................................... Kilogram per square meter (kg/m2) ............................................ 703.0696 

Degrees Fahrenheit (X °F) ......................................................... Degrees Celsius (°C) ................................................................. 5⁄9(X°¥32) 

4. Section 1728.202 is amended by 

revising paragraphs (a) through (k) and 

by revising Appendix A to § 1728.202 to 

read as follows. 

§ 1728.202 Bulletin 1728H–702, 

Specification for Quality Control and 

Inspection of Timber Products. 

(a) Scope. This specification describes 

in more detail the responsibilities and 

procedures pertaining to quality control 

for crossarms, as specified in section 

1728.201 of this part, and poles, covered 

in Bulletin 1728F–700, Specification for 

Wood Poles, Stubs and Anchor Logs,’’ 

incorporated by reference in § 1728.97 

of this part and in § 1755.97 of 7 CFR 

part 1755. 

(b) Related specifications and 

standards incorporated by reference. 

The following specifications and 

standards referenced throughout this 

section are pending approval of 

incorporation by reference in 

accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 

CFR part 51. Copies of each are 

available for inspection during normal 

business hours, room 1246–S, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Washington, 

DC or at the Office of the Federal 

Register, 800 North Capitol Street, NW., 

suite 700, Washington, DC. Copies of 

these standards and specifications may 

be purchased from the addresses shown 

below. 

(1) American Wood-Protection 

Association (AWPA), Book of 

Standards, 2005 edition, available from 

AWPA, P.O. Box 361784, Birmingham, 

AL 35236–1784, telephone 205 733– 

4077, http://www.awpa.com/, include 

the following standards: 

(i) A1–06, Standard for Coal Tar 

Creosote for Land and Fresh Water Use. 

(ii) A2–05, Standard Methods for 

Analysis of Waterborne Preservatives 

and Fire-Retardant Formulations. 

(iii) A3–05, Standard Methods for 

Determining Penetration of 

Preservatives and Fire Retardants. 

(iv) A5–05, Standard Methods for 

Analysis of Oil-Borne Preservatives. 

(v) A6–01, Method for the 

Determination of Water and Oil-Type 

Preservatives in Wood. 

(vi) A7–04, Wet Ashing Procedure for 

Preparing Wood for Chemical Analysis. 

(vii) A9–01, Standard Method for 

Analysis of Treated Wood and Treating 

Solutions by X-Ray Emission 

Spectroscopy. 

(viii) A11–93, Analysis of Treated 

Wood and Treating Solutions by Atomic 

Absorption Spectroscopy. 

(ix) U1–07, Use Category System: User 

Specification for Treated Wood. 

(x) T1–07, Use Category System 

Processing and Treatment Standard. 

(xi) M1–07, Standard for the Purchase 

and Preservation of Forest Products. 

(xii) M2–05, Standard Instructions for 

the Inspection of Preservative Treatment 

of Wood. 

(xiii) M3–05, Standard Quality 

Control Procedures for Wood Preserving 

Plants. 

(xiv) M4–06, Standard for the Care of 

Preservative-Treated Wood Products. 

(xv) P1/P13–06, Standard for Coal Tar 

Creosote for Land and, Fresh Water and 

Marine (Coastal Water Use). 

(xvi) P5–07, Standards for WaterBorne Preservatives. 

(xvii) P8–06, Standards for Oil-Borne 

Preservatives. 

(xviii) P9–03, Standards for Solvents 

for Organic Preservative Systems. 

(2) American Institute of Timber 

Construction (AITC) 200–92, Inspection 

Manual, 1992 edition, available from 

AITC, 7012 S. Revere Parkway, Suite 

140, Englewood, Colorado 80110, 

telephone number (303) 792–9559. 

(3) American National Standards 

Institute (ANSI) O5.2–1996 (R2001), 

American National Standard for Wood 

Products—Structural Glued Laminated 

Timber for Utility Structures, available 

from ANSI, 25 West 43rd Street, New 

York, New York 10036, telephone (212) 

642–4900, Web address: http:// 

www.ansi.org/. 

(4) American Society for Testing and 

Materials (ASTM) D9–05, Standard 

Terminology Relating to Wood, 

available from ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor 

Dr. West, PO Box C700, Conshohocken, 

PA 19428–2959, telephone number 

(610) 832–9585, Web address: http:// 

www.astm.org. 

(c) General stipulations. (1) 

Conformance of poles and crossarms to 

agency specifications for the most part 

is the responsibility of the producer’s 

management. A member of the 

producer’s staff shall be designated 

quality control designee and charged 

with the responsibility for the exercise 

of proper quality control procedures. 

Failure of a selected third-party 

inspection agency to properly perform 

their required overview responsibilities 

may subject said agency to subsequent 

liability claims for unsatisfactory or 

inadequate product performance. 

(2) The requirements in American 

Wood Protection Association (AWPA) 

Standard M3, covering records, 

adequate laboratory, plant gauges, and 

other plant facilities including proper 

storage, shall be followed. 

(3) The methods of inspection 

described in this section shall be used 

no matter which plan timber products 

are purchased under, i.e., Insured 

Warranty Plan, Independent Inspection 

Plan, or Quality Assurance Plans, as 

described in § 1728.201 of this part or 

Bulletin 1728F–700. The number of 

poles and crossarms actually inspected 

by monitors for quality control under a 

Quality Assurance Plan or the Insured 

Warranty Plan may vary from the 

number of poles and crossarms 

inspected under the Independent 

Inspection Plan. Under the Independent 

Inspection Plan, each pole and a sample 

number of crossarms shall be inspected. 

(4) Under the Independent Inspection 

Plan, the borrower should designate in 

the purchase order which inspection 

agency it has selected. This service shall 

not be subcontracted to another agency. 

Unless the borrower contracts for 

inspection as a separate transaction, the 

treating company shall obtain the 

services of the borrower’s designated 

inspection agency. For reserve treated 

stock for purchase under the 

Independent Inspection Plan, the 

treating company shall obtain the 

services of an inspection agency. 

(5) Individual inspectors in the 

employ of Independent Inspection 

Agencies shall be experienced, 

competent and employed by only a 

single inspection Agency. The inspector 

shall perform all phases of the 

inspection personally and in the proper 

sequence. The primary responsibility of 

the inspector is to determine, for the 


hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 189 / Monday, September 29, 2008 / Proposed Rules 56525 

borrower, by careful inspection and 

verification, that the timber products, 

preservative, and treatment meet the 

requirements of Bulletins 1728F–700 

and 1728H–701 and that the methods, 

storage facilities, and production 

equipment conform to applicable 

specifications. For details of the 

inspector’s qualifications see Appendix 

A of this section. 

(6) Independent inspection agencies 

and inspectors shall maintain their 

impartiality. To do so, inspection 

agencies, inspectors, producers and 

brokers must maintain the greatest 

degree of separation and eliminate even 

the appearance of a conflict of interest. 

Inspection agencies shall not receive 

gratuities from or enter into financial 

agreements, other than for inspection 

services, with suppliers for which they 

perform inspection. Inspection agencies 

shall not provide gratuities or free 

services to suppliers. Inspection 

agencies shall not offer product 

warranties on inspected material. 

(7) Failure of an individual inspector 

to follow proper procedures or failure of 

an inspection agency to properly 

supervise inspectors or follow the 

appropriate specifications are grounds 

for debarment of inspection of agency 

financed material. 

(8) Inspection agencies shall have and 

maintain liability insurance in the 

amount of $500,000 and a surety bond 

or miscellaneous errors and omission 

insurance for consequential damages for 

not less than $250,000. Upon request, 

evidence of compliance to this 

requirement shall be forwarded to the 

agency. The evidence shall be in the 

form of a certificate of insurance or a 

Bond signed by a representative of the 

insurance or Surety Bonding company 

and include a provision that no change 

in, or cancellation of, will be made 

without the prior written notice to 

Chairman, Technical Standards 

Committee ‘‘A’’ (Electric). 

(9) Inspection agencies shall maintain 

their own laboratory that is properly 

equipped according to AWPA 

standards, capable of completely 

analyzing the respective preservatives 

treatments, and at a minimum to run 

referee methods. This laboratory shall 

be independent from any treating plant 

laboratory. Independent Inspection 

Agencies may use one central 

laboratory. 

(10) Laminated materials 

manufactured for use on borrower 

systems shall comply with 

manufacturing and quality control 

requirements specified in ANSI O5.2– 

1996 (R2001), American National 

Standard for Wood Products—Structural 

Glued Laminated Timber for Utility 

Structures. The product shall be marked 

and certified. 

(i) Laminated material shall be 

inspected in accordance with ANSI 

O5.2–1996 (R2001). 

(ii) Quality control of material shall be 

performed to determine conformance 

with § 1728.201 of this part and AITC 

200–2004, Inspection Manual. 

(d) Quality control and inspection 

procedures for product acceptance. It is 

the responsibility of the plant quality 

control designee to perform the 

following procedures to ensure that a 

particular lot of material conforms to the 

requirements of the applicable agency 

specification prior to treatment. After 

the plant quality control designee has 

performed these procedures, a particular 

lot of material shall be released to the 

inspector for verification of 

conformance. 

(1) Poles can be purchased under any 

of the three purchase plans. These plans 

are Insured Warranty Plan, Independent 

Inspection Plan, or a Quality Assurance 

Plan. Under all of these plans, all poles 

in a lot shall be inspected by the plant 

quality control designee. Under the 

Insured Warranty Plan and a Quality 

Assurance Plan, the number of poles in 

a lot actually inspected by a third party 

inspector may be less than every pole, 

depending on the terms of the plans. 

(i) Ample space and assistance shall 

be provided by the treating plant for 

handling and turning to ensure that the 

surfaces of all items can be adequately 

inspected. 

(ii) Under the Independent Inspection 

Plan, all poles shall be inspected by the 

Independent Inspector for conformance 

to the requirements of Bulletin 1728F– 

700. If a pole is rejected and the cause 

of rejection is corrected, the rejected 

pole may be offered again for inspection 

as new material. 

(iii) Dimensions, length, and 

circumference shall be measured by a 

standard steel tape to determine that 

they are in agreement with the details 

for class and length in the brand and 

butt stamp. If it is obvious by visual 

comparison with a measured pole that 

the brand information is correct, 

individual poles need not be measured. 

Pole circumference dimensions made 

prior to treatment shall govern 

acceptance. Reduction in dimension 

due to treatment and shipping shall be 

not more than 2 percent below the 

minimum for the pole class. 

(iv) If 15 percent of the poles in a lot 

offered for inspection are defective, the 

inspector shall terminate the inspection. 

Re-examination of an entire lot by plant 

quality control shall be required when 

the number of rejected poles equals or 

exceeds 15 percent of the lot inspected. 

All defective or nonconforming poles 

either shall be removed from the lot or 

have their brands marked out. 

(v) Poles in a lot shall be inspected for 

decay and all poles shall be of the same 

seasoning condition. If the plant quality 

control designee suspects that decay has 

occurred, a slice from both ends shall be 

cut for closer examination. If 5 percent 

of the inspected poles in a lot shows 

evidence of decay, the entire lot shall be 

unconditionally rejected without further 

sorting. 

(vi) Moisture content, when limited 

by the purchaser, as stated on the 

purchaser’s purchase order, shall be 

measured by calibrated electronic 

moisture meter. Calibration of the meter 

shall include not only the zero settings 

for the X and Y readings, but also two 

resistance standards for 12 and 22 

percent moisture content. 

(vii) Material failing to conform for 

moisture content may be retested upon 

request after a recalibration of the 

instrument. The results of the second 

test shall govern disposition of the lot. 

(viii) Re-examination for any 

mechanical damage or deterioration and 

for original acceptance shall be 

conducted on timber products not 

treated within 10 days after original 

inspection. 

(2) Crossarms can be purchased only 

under either of two purchase plans. 

These plans are the Independent 

Inspection Plan or Quality Assurance 

Plans. Under the Independent 

Inspection Plan, crossarms are to be 

inspected prior to manufacture, during 

manufacture, and after treatment. Under 

a Quality Assurance Plan, crossarms are 

monitored according to the terms of the 

quality assurance program acceptable to 

Rural Development Utilities Programs. 

(i) Inspection prior to treatment shall 

include: 

(A) Surface inspection of all ends of 

all arms. This is usually done on the 

stacks of arms prior to manufacture. 

Particular attention shall be paid to 

defects commonly found in the ends, 

such as compression wood, red heart 

and other forms of decay, shakes, splits, 

through checks, scantiness, honeycomb, 

and low density, determined by rings 

per inch and percent of summerwood. 

Whenever the number of 

nonconforming arms is found to exceed 

0.5 percent of the lot or one arm, 

whichever is greater, the entire lot shall 

be rejected for excess number of 

defective ends. After the producer has 

removed or marked out the defective 

material, the arms may be resubmitted 

for inspection. 

(B) Surface inspection of the 

lengthwise sides performed on a 

random representative sample. The 


hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with PROPOSALS
56526 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 189 / Monday, September 29, 2008 / Proposed Rules 

sample size shall equal 20 percent of a 

lot size or 200 arms, whichever is 

smaller. The inspector shall examine 

side surfaces as they are slowly rotated. 

When necessary, the rotation may be 

stopped for closer inspection. Whenever 

the number of nonconforming arms is 

found to exceed 2 percent of the sample 

size, the entire lot shall be rejected. 

After the producer has removed or 

marked out the defective material, the 

arms may be resubmitted for inspection. 

(C) Check of moisture content of the 

random sample by a calibrated moisture 

meter. 

(D) Check of crossarm dimensions of 

the random sample measured after 

surfacing. 

(ii) Inspection during manufacture 

shall consist of: 

(A) Checking bolt and insulator pin 

holes for squareness and excessive 

splintering; 

(B) Checking brands for completeness, 

location, and legibility; and 

(C) Checking arms for conformance. 

(iii) Under the Independent 

Inspection Plan, there shall be a final 

inspection after treatment for 

preservative retention and penetration 

and for damage. 

(3) Structural glued laminated timber 

shall be tested and inspected in 

accordance with AITC 200, Inspection 

Manual. Grade of lumber shall be 

inspected by a qualified grader for 

specified quality, and so marked, in 

accordance with grading rules of the 

American Lumber Standards. Adhesives 

used for all structural arms shall meet 

requirements of ANSI O5.2–1996 

(R2001) paragraph 5.2. Melamine urea 

adhesives shall not be used. End joint 

spacing and limitations shall be in 

accordance with ANSI O5.2–1996 

(R2001). 

(e) Preservatives. (1) Creosote shall 

conform to the requirements of AWPA 

Standard P1 when analyzed by AWPA 

Standard Al, sections 2, 3, 4, either 5 or 

9, and 6, as follows:. 

(i) Each occasional charge; and 

(ii) The first charge and one of every 

five charges randomly selected in 

consecutive charges shall be analyzed. 

(2) Solutions of waterborne 

preservatives shall be analyzed for 

components in accordance with AWPA 

Standards A2, A9, or A11, and shall 

meet the requirements of P5 for 

composition. AWPA A2 shall be used as 

a referee method. 

(3) Pentachlorophenol shall contain 

not less than 95 percent chlorinated 

phenols and should conform to AWPA 

Standard P8 in hydrocarbon solvent 

AWPA P9 Type A. 

(4) Copper Naphthenate in 

hydrocarbon solvent (AWPA P9 Type A) 

shall contain not less than 6 percent nor 

more than 8 percent copper in the form 

of Copper Naphthenate and shall 

conform to AWPA Standard P8 when 

analyzed in accordance with AWPA 

Standard A5. 

(f) Plant facilities and inspection 

during treatment. (1) Manufacturing and 

treating plant facilities shall conform to 

AWPA Standard M3, paragraph 3. 

Pressure plants shall be equipped with 

recording instruments to register time, 

pressure, temperature and vacuum 

during each cycle of treatment. Pressure 

plants shall also be equipped with 

indicating thermometers and pressure 

and vacuum gauges to check the 

accuracy of the recorders. Work tanks 

shall be equipped with a thermometer. 

Thermal treating vats shall be equipped 

with a time and temperature recorder 

and with an indicating thermometer. 

Temperature recording devices are not 

mandatory for plants treating 

exclusively with waterborne 

preservatives. 

(2) Temperature and humidity 

readings throughout the kiln shall be 

recorded on a recording chart and 

verified by observation of direct reading 

equipment. Gauges and recording 

equipment shall be calibrated annually. 

(3) Under the Independent Inspection 

Plan, the inspector shall be present 

during the treatment procedure, except 

at times when it may be impractical, 

such as during late night or early 

morning treatments. At such times of 

absence, temperature, pressure, and 

vacuum data shall be taken from the 

recording charts. 

(4) Recording instruments shall be 

checked with calibrated indicating 

gauges and thermometers, per AWPA 

standard M3. Inaccuracies shall be 

referred to the treating plant for prompt 

correction. If an inaccuracy which 

indicates error resulting in noncompliance with this specification 

indicating possible damage to the 

material, the inspector shall reject the 

charge. 

(g) Results of treatment. (1) Poles shall 

be tested for retention and penetration 

by means of a calibrated increment 

borer 0.2 inches ± 0.02 inches in 

diameter in accordance with procedures 

in AWPA Standard M2. Under the 

Independent Inspection Plan, all 

treating charges shall be tested for 

retention and penetration. Plant quality 

control and independent inspection 

shall do their analyses separately. Under 

the Insured Warranty Plan and Quality 

Assurance Plans, the frequency of 

testing retention and penetration may 

vary according to the Agency approved 

plan. 

(i) Unless otherwise specified, borings 

shall be taken approximately 1 foot 

above the face brand to 1 foot below the 

face brand. For pressure treated Western 

Red Cedar and all butt treated poles, 

borings shall be taken approximately 1 

foot below groundline. 

(ii) Penetration compliance shall be 

determined in accordance with AWPA 

Standard A3. Chrome Azurol S and 

Penta-Check shall be used to determine 

penetration of copper containing 

preservatives and penta, respectively. 

(iii) Retention sampling. (A) When 

there are 20 or more poles in the treating 

charge, the retention sample for creosote 

shall consist of 20 assay zones from 

southern pine and Douglas-fir poles. All 

poles in charges with fewer than 20 

poles shall be bored once. Charges with 

less than 15 poles shall be bored once 

and bored again on a random basis to 

obtain a minimum of 15 assay zones. 

(B) Retention samples shall be taken 

from 20 poles in charges of 20 or more 

poles. 

(C) Retention samples for Alaska 

yellow, western red, and northern white 

cedars shall consist of a minimum of 30 

assay zones for creosote and waterborne 

preservatives. For penta charges of 

fewer than 30 poles, the sample shall 

contain the assay zone from each pole 

in the lot. 

(D) Retention samples shall consist of 

borings, representative of pole volumes 

for each class and length in the charge. 

Further selection and marking of poles 

of mixed seasoning, volume, and 

location on the tram shall be made as 

illustrated in the following table: 

Number of poles Class/length Vol. in cu. ft. % of total 

volume 

Number of 

borings 

27 ..................................................................................................................... 7/30 232 15 3 

26 ..................................................................................................................... 4/35 447 29 6 

11 ..................................................................................................................... 5/35 163 10 2 

* 55 ................................................................................................................... 6/35 704 46 9 


hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 189 / Monday, September 29, 2008 / Proposed Rules 56527 

Number of poles Class/length Vol. in cu. ft. % of total 

volume 

Number of 

borings 

Total .......................................................................................................... ........................ 1,546 ........................ ........................

* If a portion of these poles were green and some partially seasoned, then the number of borings should reflect the approximate percentage of 

each. 

(iv) When material in a lot consists of 

fewer pieces than the designated 

minimum number of samples for assay, 

additional borings shall be taken so as 

to make up at least the minimum 

sample, and in such manner that the 

sample is representative of the lot of 

material with respect to any variations 

in size, seasoning condition, or other 

features that might affect the results of 

treatment. 

(v) Analyses for preservative retention 

shall be performed as follows: 

(A) Creosote retention shall be 

analyzed by AWPA Standard A6; 

(B) Penta retention shall be analyzed 

by AWPA Standard A5 or A9. Copper 

pyridine method is required when 

timber may have been in contact with 

salt water and for all species native to 

the Pacific coast region, unless the raw 

material invoice specifically states that 

the material either has not been in 

contact with salt water or has been 

shown by analysis to have contained no 

additional chlorides before treating; 

(C) Copper Naphthenate retention 

shall be analyzed by tests in accordance 

with AWPA Standards A5 or A9; 

(D) Waterborne preservatives 

retention shall be analyzed by tests in 

accordance with AWPA Standards A2, 

A7, A9, or A11; and 

(E) Prior to unloading a tram, the 

inspectors may take their own samples 

and analyze them concurrently with the 

quality control designee, but each shall 

work independently, and quality control 

data shall be presented before 

acceptance of the charge. 

(vi) Penetration sampling of poles. (A) 

Group A poles consist of poles with a 

circumference of 37.5 inches or less at 

6 feet from butt. 

(1) Bore 20 Group A poles or 20 

percent of the poles, whichever is 

greater. Accept if 100 percent of the 

sample conform; otherwise, bore all 

poles. 

(2) Re-treat the charge if more than 15 

percent of the borings are found to be 

nonconforming. 

(3) Re-treat all nonconforming poles if 

15 percent or fewer fail the requirement. 

(B) Group B poles consist of poles 

with circumference greater than 37.5 

inches at 6 feet from the butt. 

(1) For Group B poles 50 feet and 

shorter, bore each pole and re-treat only 

those found to be nonconforming, 

unless more than 15 percent fail; in that 

case, re-treat the entire lot. 

(2) For Group B poles longer than 50 

feet, bore each pole twice at 90 degrees 

apart around the pole and accept only 

those poles conforming to the 

penetration requirement in both borings. 

All nonconforming poles may be retreated only twice. 

(vii) All holes (nominal 0.2 of an inch 

diam. bit) shall be promptly filled with 

treated, tight-fitting wood plugs. 

(2) Under the Independent Inspection 

Plan, all treating charges of crossarms 

shall be tested for retention and 

penetration. Plant quality control 

inspectors and independent inspectors 

shall do their analyses independently. 

Under the Quality Assurance Plans, the 

frequency of testing retention and 

penetration may vary according to the 

plan. 

(i) The penetration and retention 

sample shall consist of 20 (48 for 

creosote) outer 6⁄10 of an inch for 

Douglas-fir and 1 inch for Southern 

Yellow Pine zones from borings taken 

from any face except the top face at a 

location as close to the end as possible 

being at least 3 inches from the end of 

the arm and no closer than 3 inches 

from the edge of any holes. For 

laminated material, borings shall be 

taken from laminates on a random basis. 

(ii) Preservative penetration shall be 

tested by taking not less than 20 borings 

from 20 crossarms in each charge, 

determined in accordance with AWPA 

Standard A3. Chrome Azurol S and 

Penta-Check shall be used to determine 

penetration of copper containing 

preservatives and penta, respectively. 

(3) Laminated material shall be 

checked for any evidence of 

delamination due to treatment and for 

the identifying quality stamp of AITC or 

American Plywood Association (APA). 

(4) If used for analysis, x-ray 

fluorescence instruments (XRF) shall be 

accurate and reliable, and they shall 

generate reproducible results. 

Instruments shall have thorough 

instructions which should include 

recommendations on drying techniques, 

equipment, and density calculations. 

These drying recommendations shall be 

followed when using XRF instruments. 

(5) To check the precision of the x-ray 

fluorescence instrument (XRF) at plants 

where it is used, once weekly the 

independent inspector shall rerun a 

sample at the inspection agency’s 

laboratory. The independent inspector’s 

laboratory shall use XRF or the referee 

method, maintain a log showing the 

plant’s analysis value and the 

inspector’s laboratory result. If the 

values are within the AWPA precision 

statement for each respective analysis 

method, the plant instrument needs no 

further calibration. Inspection agency 

XRF instruments shall be calibrated 

quarterly by the referee method for each 

preservative treatment that is being 

analyzed by the XRF. 

(6) Each independent inspector and 

plant quality control personnel that use 

XRF instruments, shall be trained and 

certified competent by the instrument 

manufacturer. 

(h) Product acceptance. Under the 

Independent Inspection Plan, the 

inspector shall signify acceptance by 

marking each piece of accepted material 

with a clear, legible hammer stamp in 

one end prior to treatment and in the 

other end after treatment. The inspector 

shall personally mark each piece, and 

shall not delegate this responsibility to 

another person. 

(i) Charge Inspection Reports. 

(1) Inspection Reports shall have the 

following matters: 

(i) Total pieces in the lot, number of 

pieces, and causes for rejection; 

(ii) Conditioning details of the 

material prior to treatment; 

(iii) Analyses of preservatives 

identified by the analyst’s signature or 

certification; 

(iv) The details of treatment; and 

(v) The results of treatment. Results 

shall include the following: 

(A) The depth of penetration for 

retention samples and a summary of all 

poles rejected for insufficient 

penetration; 

(B) Separate worksheets for retention 

analyses, prepared by quality control 

designee and independent inspector; 

(2) On each inspection report the 

independent inspector and the plant 

quality control designee shall certify, in 

writing, that the material listed on the 

report has been inspected before, 

during, and after treatment, and that the 

preservative used was analyzed in 

accordance with the requirements of 

this section. 

(3) Each inspector or inspection 

agency shall permanently retain for a 

period of 1 year a copy or transcript of 


hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with PROPOSALS
56528 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 189 / Monday, September 29, 2008 / Proposed Rules 

each report of inspection, together with 

laboratory worksheets covering 

retention by assay and preservative 

analyses for the purchaser, and on 

request shall furnish a copy or transcript 

of any of these reports to the Chairman, 

Technical Standards Committee ‘‘A’’, 

Electric Staff Division, USDA Rural 

Development Utilities Programs, 

Washington, DC 20250–1569. 

(j) Charge numbers on re-treat poles. 

The letter ‘‘R’’ shall be added to the 

original charge number in the butts of 

all poles that are re-treated for 

insufficient penetration or retention of 

preservative. 

All poles that fail to meet treatment 

requirements after two re-treatments 

shall be permanently rejected. 

(k) Safety provisions. Poles intended 

for agency borrowers shall not be 

inspected when, in the opinion of the 

inspector, unsafe conditions are present. 

Appendix A to § 1728.202—Inspector’s 

Qualifications 

Inspection agencies should see that 

inspectors assigned to the inspection of 

timber products and treatment for borrowers 

are competent and experienced. 

In general, any of the following examples 

are considered as minimum qualifying 

experience before a new inspector may be 

permitted to inspect timber products for 

borrowers: 

(a) Three years’ experience as an inspector 

of timber and the preservative treatment of 

timber; or 

(b) Three years’ experience in timber 

treating plant quality control work; or 

(c) Under the direct, on site, supervision of 

an experienced, well-qualified inspector, the 

prospective inspector shall have performed 

the following: 

(1) Inspected at least 10,000 poles and/or 

crossarms ‘‘in the white.’’ 

(2) Checked preservative penetration 

results on at least 10,000 poles and 

crossarms; 

(3) Made at least 100 wood assays for 

preservative retention; 

(4) Made at lease 25 analyses of each type 

of preservative used on material the person 

is assigned to inspect; and 

(5) Certified competent by the XRF 

instrument manufacturer. 

(d) In both (a) and (b) of this Appendix A, 

the experience should be not less than that 

required in (c). 

(e) Inspectors experienced in the 

inspections of one product, such as poles, 

should not be qualified to inspect another 

product, such as crossarms, until the above 

experience is gained for each respective 

product. 

(f) The inspector should be especially well 

informed in wood preservation and the 

operation of a timber treating plant, and be 

competent in preservative analysis and other 

laboratory work. 

(g) In all cases, an inspector should be 

thoroughly instructed in the application of 

the specifications and the standards 

pertaining thereto before being permitted to 

independently inspect timber products and 

the treatments applied to them. Knowledge of 

these specifications and standards, as well as 

the inspector’s proficiency, may be checked 

routinely by members of the agency staff. 

* * * * * 

PART 1755—TELECOMMUNICATIONS 

STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS 

FOR MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT AND 

CONSTRUCTION 

4. The authority citation continues to 

read as follows: 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 901 et seq., 1921 et 

seq., 6941 et seq. 

5. Section 1755.97 is amended in the 

table by revising the entry for Bulletin 

1728F–700 to read as follows: 

§ 1755.97 Incorporation by reference of 

telephone standards and specifications. 

* * * * * 

Bulletin No. Specification 

No. Date last issued Title of standard or specification 

* * * * * * * 

1728F–700 ............................... ........................ [Effective date of final rule] ..... Specification for Wood Poles, Stubs and Anchor Logs. 

Dated: September 8, 2008. 

James M. Andrew, 

Admininstrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. E8–21798 Filed 9–26–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 71 

[Docket No. FAA–2008–0757; Airspace 

Docket No. 08–ASW–13] 

Proposed Amendment of Class E 

Airspace; Big Spring, TX 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking. 

SUMMARY: This action proposes to 

amend Class E airspace at Big Spring 

McMahon Wrinkle Airport, Big Spring, 

TX. Additional controlled airspace is 

necessary to accommodate changes to 

the VOR/DME RWY 17 Standard 

Instrument Approach Procedure (SIAP) 

at Big Spring McMahon-Wrinkle 

Airport, Big Spring, TX. The FAA is 

taking this action to enhance the safety 

and management of Instrument Flight 

Rules (IFR) aircraft operations at Big 

Spring McMahon-Wrinkle Airport. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before November 13, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments on this 

proposal to the U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590–0001. You must 

identify the docket number FAA–2008– 

0757/Airspace Docket No. 08–AS–W– 

13, at the beginning of your comments. 

You may also submit comments on the 

Internet at http://www.regulations.gov. 

You may review the public docket 

containing the proposal, any comments 

received, and any final disposition in 

person in the Dockets Office between 9 

a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. The 

Docket Office (telephone 1–800–647– 

5527), is on the ground floor of the 

building at the above address. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Scott Enander, Central Service Center, 

Operations Support Group, Federal 

Aviation Administration, Southwest 

Region, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort 

Worth, TX 76193–0530; telephone: (817) 

222–5582. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

Interested parties are invited to 

participate in this proposed rulemaking 

by submitting such written data, views, 

or arguments, as they may desire. 

Comments that provide the factual basis 

supporting the views and suggestions 

presented are particularly helpful in 

developing reasoned regulatory 

decisions on the proposal. Comments 

are specifically invited on the overall 

regulatory, aeronautical, economic, 

environmental, and energy-related 

aspects of the proposal. 

Communications should identify both 

docket numbers and be submitted in 

triplicate to the address listed above. 

Commenters wishing the FAA to 

acknowledge receipt of their comments 

on this notice must submit with those 


hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with PROPOSALS