Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 192 / Thursday, October 2, 2008 / Notices 57337 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Council’s Research Steering Committee 

(RSC) will address a range of issues 

including, a briefing on the status of 

NMFS’s Cooperative Research Program 

activities and funding for cooperative 

research. The RSC also will discuss 

outstanding issues related to the 

Council’s research set-aside programs 

and review the preliminary list of the 

NEFMC’s five-year Council research 

priorities. The committee will discuss 

the use of a workshop format to address 

RSC management reviews as well as reexamine and possibly revise the 

evaluation criteria for final cooperative 

research projects subject to the RSC 

management review. Finally, the 

committee will review outstanding 

cooperative research project final 

reports. The RSC may consider other 

topics at their discretion. 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained in this agenda may come 

before this group for discussion, those 

issues may not be the subject of formal 

action during this meeting. Action will 

be restricted to those issues specifically 

listed in this notice and any issues 

arising after publication of this notice 

that require emergency action under 

section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Act, provided the public has been 

notified of the Council’s intent to take 

final action to address the emergency. 

Special Accommodations 

This meeting is physically accessible 

to people with disabilities. Requests for 

sign language interpretation or other 

auxiliary aids should be directed to Paul 

J. Howard, Executive Director, at (978) 

465–0492, at least 5 days prior to the 

meeting date. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 

Dated: September 29, 2008. 

Tracey L. Thompson, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E8–23265 Filed 10–1–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Patent and Trademark Office 

National Medal of Technology and 

Innovation Nomination Application 

ACTION: New collection; comment 

request. 

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and 

Trademark Office (USPTO), as part of its 

continuing effort to reduce paperwork 

and respondent burden, invites the 

general public and other Federal 

agencies to take this opportunity to 

comment on this new information 

collection, as required by the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104– 

13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted on or before December 1, 

2008. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by any of the following methods: 

• E-mail: Susan.Fawcett@uspto.gov. 

Include ‘‘0651–00xx NMTI collection 

comment’’ in the subject line of the 

message. 

• Fax: 571–273–0112, marked to the 

attention of Susan K. Fawcett. 

• Mail: Susan K. Fawcett, Records 

Officer, Office of the Chief Information 

Officer, Customer Information Services 

Group, Public Information Services 

Division, U.S. Patent and Trademark 

Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 

22313–1450. 

• Federal Rulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information 

should be directed to the attention of 

Jennifer Lo, Program Manager, United 

States Patent and Trademark Office, 

P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313– 

1450; by telephone at 571–272–7640; or 

by e-mail at nmti@uspto.gov with 

‘‘Paperwork’’ in the subject line. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The Competes Act of 2007 abolished 

the Technology Administration of the 

Department of Commerce as of August 

9, 2007 (sec. 3002). The administration 

and nomination processing for the 

National Medal of Technology has been 

officially transferred by the Commerce 

Secretary to the United States Patent 

and Trademark Office (USPTO). 

The USPTO is requesting the approval 

of the new version of the former 

Technology Administration’s 

nomination form to be officially 

incorporated into the USPTO 

information collection inventory. 

The National Medal of Technology is 

the highest honor awarded by the 

President of the United States to 

America’s leading innovators. 

Established by an Act of Congress in 

1980, the Medal of Technology was first 

awarded in 1985. The Medal is given 

annually to individuals, teams, and/or 

companies/divisions for their 

outstanding contributions to the 

Nation’s economic, environmental and 

social well-being through the 

development and commercialization of 

technology products, processes and 

concepts, technological innovation, and 

development of the Nation’s 

technological manpower. 

The purpose of the National Medal of 

Technology is to recognize those who 

have made lasting contributions to 

America’s competitiveness, standard of 

living, and quality of life through 

technological innovation, and to 

recognize those who have made 

substantial contributions to 

strengthening the Nation’s technological 

workforce. By highlighting the national 

importance of technological innovation, 

the Medal also seeks to inspire future 

generations of Americans to prepare for 

and pursue technical careers to keep 

America at the forefront of global 

technology and economic leadership. 

The National Medal of Technology 

and Innovation Nomination Evaluation 

Committee, a distinguished, 

independent committee appointed by 

the Secretary of Commerce, reviews and 

evaluates the merit of all candidates 

nominated through an open, 

competitive solicitation process. The 

committee makes its recommendations 

for Medal candidates to the Secretary of 

Commerce, who in turn makes 

recommendations to the President for 

final selection. The National Medal of 

Technology and Innovation Laureates 

are announced by the White House and 

the Department of Commerce once the 

Medalists are notified of their selection. 

The public uses the National Medal of 

Technology and Innovation Nomination 

Application to recognize through 

nomination an individual’s or 

company’s extraordinary leadership and 

innovation in technological 

achievement. The application must be 

accompanied by six letters of 

recommendation or support from 

individuals who have first-hand 

knowledge of the cited achievement(s). 

II. Method of Collection 

The nomination application and 

instructions can be downloaded from 

the USPTO Web site. Nomination files 

should be submitted by electronic mail. 

Alternatively, letters of recommendation 

may be sent by electronic mail, fax or 

overnight delivery. 

III. Data 

OMB Number: 0651–00xx. 

Form Number(s): None. 

Type of Review: New information 

collection. 

Affected Public: Primarily business or 

other for-profit organizations; not-forprofit institutions; individuals or 

households. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 26 

responses per year. 

Estimated Time Per Response: The 

USPTO estimates that it will take 

approximately 40 hours to gather the 

necessary information, prepare the 

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57338 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 192 / Thursday, October 2, 2008 / Notices 

nomination form, write the 

recommendations, and submit the 

request for the nomination to the 

USPTO. This collection contains one 

form. 

Estimated Total Annual Respondent 

Burden Hours: 1,040 hours per year. 

Estimated Total Annual Respondent 

Cost Burden: $36,067. The USPTO is 

calculating an estimated respondent 

hourly rate through an estimate of 

earnings obtained from the Bureau of 

Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook 

Handbook, 2008–09 edition. The 

USPTO estimates that half of the 

submissions will be filed by public 

relations specialists and half by research 

engineers. The USPTO estimates that it 

will cost public relations specialists 

$23.68 per hour and research engineers 

$45.68 per hour, for an average hourly 

rate of $34.68. Considering these factors, 

the USPTO estimates $36,067 per year 

for labor costs associated with 

respondents. 

Item 

Estimated 

time for 

response 

Estimated 

annual 

responses 

Estimated 

annual burden 

hours 

National Medal of Technology and Innovation Nomination Form ............................................... 40 hours 26 1,040 

Total ...................................................................................................................................... ........................ 26 1,040 

Estimated Total Annual (Non-hour) 

Respondent Cost Burden: $0. 

There are no capital start-up, 

operation, maintenance or record 

keeping costs associated with this 

information collection, and there are no 

filing fees. 

Although it is possible for the public 

to submit the nominations through 

regular or express mail, to date no 

submissions have been received in this 

manner. The majority of recent 

submissions have been through 

electronic mail. The USPTO, therefore, 

is not calculating an estimate of postage 

costs associated with this information 

collection. 

IV. Request for Comments 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden 

(including hours and cost) of the 

proposed collection of information; (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 respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized or 

included in the request for OMB 

approval of this information collection; 

they will also become a matter of public 

record. 

Dated: September 25, 2008. 

Susan K. Fawcett, 

Records Officer, USPTO, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer, Customer Information 

Services Group, Public Information Services 

Division. 

[FR Doc. E8–23180 Filed 10–1–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–16–P 

COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING 

COMMISSION 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Notification of Pending 

Legal Proceedings Pursuant to 

Regulation 

AGENCY: Commodity Futures trading 

commission. 

ACTION: Renewal of an existing 

collection—3038–0033. 

SUMMARY: The Commodity Futures 

Trading Commission (CFTC) is 

announcing an opportunity for public 

comment on the proposed collection of 

certain information by the agency. 

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq., 

Federal agencies are required to publish 

notice in the Federal Register 

concerning each proposed collection of 

information, including each proposed 

extension of an existing collection of 

information, and to allow 60 days for 

public comment in response to the 

notice. This notice solicits comments on 

the rule requiring notification of 

pending legal proceedings pursuant to 

17 CFR 1.60. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before December 1, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to 

Lynn A. Bulan, Office of the General 

Counsel, U.S. Commodity Futures 

Trading Commission, 1155 21st Street, 

NW., Washington, DC 20581. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Lynn A. Bulan, (202) 418–5143; FAX: 

(202) 418–5567; e-mail: lbulan@cftc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the 

PRA, Federal agencies must obtain 

approval from the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) for each collection of 

information they conduct or sponsor. 

‘‘Collection of information’’ is defined 

in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 

1320.3(c) and includes agency requests 

or requirements that members of the 

public submit reports, keep records, or 

provide information to a third party. 

Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, 44 

U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A), requires Federal 

agencies to provide a 60-day notice in 

the Federal Register concerning each 

proposed collection of information, 

including each proposed extension of an 

existing collection of information, 

before submitting the collection to OMB 

for approval. To comply with this 

requirement, the CFTC is publishing 

notice of the proposed collection of 

information listed below. 

With respect to the following 

collection of information, the CFTC 

invites comments on: 

• Whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

Commission, including whether the 

information will have a practical use; 

• The accuracy of the Commission’s 

estimate of the burden of the proposed 

collection of information, including the 

validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; 

• Ways to enhance the quality, 

usefulness, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and 

• Ways to minimize the burden of 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, including through the 

use of appropriate automated electronic, 

mechanical, or other technological 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology; e.g., permitting 

electronic submission of responses. 

Notification of Pending Legal 

Proceedings Pursuant to 17 CFR 1.60, 

OMB Control Number 3038–0033— 

Extension 

The rule is designed to assist the 

Commission in monitoring legal 

proceedings involving the 

responsibilities imposed on contract 

markets and their officials and futures 

commission merchants and their 

principals by the Commodity Exchange 

Act, or otherwise. 

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