13690 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 7, 2001 / Proposed Rules

presentations. Interested persons have

already had the opportunity to submit

written comments reflecting their

positions, and, as discussed below, are

invited to submit additional comments.

Participants should feel free to discuss

or debate all topics during the course of

the roundtable debate.

The composition of the roundtable

panel is as follows:

Dena Wiggins, Process Gas Consumers

Group, et al.

Representative to be designated, Ad Hoc

Marketers Group

Thomas Riley, Independent Oil & Gas

Assoc. of West Virginia

Alice Curtis, American Gas Association

Craig Goodman, National Energy

Marketers Assoc.

Joan Dreskin, Interstate Natural Gas

Assoc. of America

Jeff Holligan, Amoco Production

Company and BP Energy Company

Denise Goulet, National Assoc. of State

Utility Consumer Advocates

John Smith, The Williams Companies

Mark Haskell, Natural Gas Supply

Assoc.

Leslie Lawner, Enron North America

Corporation

Paul Koonce, Dominion Resources, Inc.

Michael Linn, Independent Petroleum

Assoc. of America

Ed Ross, Dynegy, Inc.

Phillip Teumim, New York Public

Service Commission

Kirby Bosley, Reliant Energy Services,

Inc.

Mike Reidy, California Dairy Coalition

of Concerned Energy Consumers

The Capitol Connection patrons in the

Washington, DC area will receive

notices regarding the broadcast of the

conference. The conference will be

available, for a fee, live over the

Internet, via C-Band Satellite, and via

telephone conferencing. Persons

interested in receiving the broadcast, or

who need further information, should

contact David Reininger or Julia Morelli

at the Capitol Connection (703–993–

3100) as soon as possible or visit the

Capitol Connection web site at http://

www.capitolconnection.org and click

on ‘‘FERC.’’

The Commission invites interested

persons and participants to submit

additional comments on the affiliate

issues debated at the conference

including any related matters or

alternative proposals that commenters

may wish to discuss and must be

received by the Commission before 5

p.m. on April 30, 2001.

After-conference comments may be

filed either in paper format or

electronically. Those filing

electronically do not need to make a

paper filing. For paper filings, the

original and 14 copies of such

comments should be submitted to the

Office of the Secretary, Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission, 888 First

Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426 and

should refer to Docket No. PL00–1–000.

Comments filed via the Internet must

be prepared in WordPerfect, MS Word,

Portable Document Format, or ASCII

format. To file the document, access the

Commission’s website (www.ferc.fed.us)

and click on ‘‘Make An E-Filing,’’ and

then follow the instructions for each

screen. First-time users will have to

establish a user name and password.

The Commission will send an automatic

acknowledgment to the sender’s E-Mail

address upon receipt of comments.

User assistance for electronic filing is

available at 202–208–0258 or by E-Mail

to efiling@ferc.fed.us. Comments should

not be submitted to the E-Mail address.

All comments will be placed in the

Commission’s public files and will be

available for inspection in the

Commission’s Public Reference Room at

888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC

20426 during regular business hours.

Additionally, all comments may be

viewed, printed, or downloaded

remotely via the Internet through

FERC’s Homepage using the RIMS link.

User assistance for RIMS is available at

202–208–2222, or by E-Mail to

rimsmaster@ferc.fed.us.

Questions about the conference

should be directed to: Robert Flanders,

Office of Markets Tariffs and Rates,

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,

888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC

20426, 202–208–2084,

Robert.flanders@ferc.fed.us

Linwood A. Watson,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–5518 Filed 3–6–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 43

[CC Docket No. 98–137; FCC 01–68]

1998 Biennial Regulatory Review—

Review of Depreciation Requirements

for Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers

AGENCY: Federal Communications

Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule; denial.

SUMMARY: In this document the

Commission denied US West, Inc. (now

Qwest) petition for reconsideration of

our December 30, 1999 Depreciation

Order. The US West, Inc. petition

sought reconsideration of: our denial of

United States Telephone Association

petition for forbearance; the

methodology for certain equipment life

ranges, and the accounting treatment in

waiver situation. The Commission

concluded that US West, Inc had not

provided any new information or

arguments that required us to alter our

prior rulings.

ADDRESSES: Office of the Secretary,

Federal Communications Commission,

445–12th Street, SW, TW–A325,

Washington, DC 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

JoAnn Lucanik, Accounting Safeguards

Division, Common Carrier Bureau, at

(202) 418–0873.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a

summary of the Commission’s Order on

Reconsideration adopted February 21,

2001, and released February 26, 2001.

The full text of this Commission

decision is available for inspection and

copying during normal business hours

in the FCC Reference Center (Room CY–

A257), 445 12th Street, SW,

Washington, DC 20554. The complete

text may also be purchased from the

Commission’s copy contractor,

International Transcription Service,

Inc., 1231 20th Street, Washington, DC

20036, telephone (202) 857–3800.

Summary of Order on Reconsideration

In this order, we deny a petition for

reconsideration filed on May 10, 2000,

by US West, Inc. (now Qwest) of our

December 30, 1999 Order (Depreciation

Order) (which was not published in the

Federal Register). In the Depreciation

Order, which was part of our 1998

Biennial Regulatory Review proceeding,

we undertook an extensive review of

our depreciation requirements for price

cap incumbent local exchange carriers

(ILECs). Although we denied a petition

filed by the United States Telecom

Association (USTA) to forbear from

imposing depreciation requirements on

price cap ILECs, we significantly

streamlined our depreciation

requirements, and set out specific

conditions under which ILECs could

seek waiver of these requirements.

In a subsequent order, released on

November 7, 2000, 66 FR 9681

(February 9, 2001), we reviewed an

alternative proposal for relieving

carriers of our depreciation

requirements. We concluded that the

alternative proposal to permit an abovethe-line accounting treatment of the

financial-to-regulatory book differential

in lieu of a below-the-line accounting

treatment lacked the inherent

protections provided for in the waiver

process adopted in the Depreciation

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 7, 2001 / Proposed Rules 13691

Order. Thus, we declined to relieve

carriers of our depreciation

requirements in circumstances where

they elected above-the-line treatment.

In its petition for reconsideration,

Qwest requests (1) that we reconsider

our denial of USTA’s petition for

forbearance of our depreciation

requirements; (2) that if USTA’s petition

is not granted, we reconsider our

methodology for establishing service life

ranges for telecommunications plant

equipment; and (3) that for purposes of

seeking a waiver of the depreciation

requirements, we permit an above-theline accounting treatment of the

differential between regulatory and

financial book reserve levels.

After review of the arguments

presented on reconsideration, we

conclude that Qwest has not provided

any new information or arguments that

require us to alter our prior rulings. The

precise issues and arguments that Qwest

raises on reconsideration were

thoroughly considered and examined in

the previous proceeding. Our analysis

and reasons for our rulings are fully

stated in the Depreciation Order, and

the November 2000 Order further

underscores the appropriateness of the

decision to deny reconsideration.

Accordingly, pursuant to sections 4,

201–205, 218–220, 303(r), and 405 of

the Communications Act of 1934, as

amended, 47 U.S.C. 154, 201–205, 218–

220, 303(r), and 405 of the

Communications Act of 1934, as

amended, and §§ 1.106 and 1.429 of the

Commission’s rules, 47 CFR 1.106,

1.429, that the petition for

reconsideration filed May 10, 2000, by

US West, Inc. (now Qwest) is denied.

Federal Communications Commission.

Magalie Roman Salas,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–5489 Filed 3–6–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6701–12–U

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 73

[DA 01–286; MM Docket Nos. 01–33, 01–

34; RM–10060, RM–10061]

Radio Broadcasting Services; Warsaw,

Windsor, MO, and Caro, Cass City, MI

AGENCY: Federal Communications

Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: The Commission requests

comment on two petitions for

rulemaking. One filed by Edwards

Communications, L.C., licensee of

Station WIDL(FM), Caro, Michigan,

proposes the substitution of Channel

221C3 for Channel 221A at Caro,

Michigan, and the reallotment of

Channel 221C3 from Caro to Cass City,

Michigan. Channel 221C3 can be

allotted at Cass City in compliance with

the Commission’s minimum distance

separation requirements, with respect to

domestic allotments, at a site 4.9

kilometers (3.0 miles) northeast of the

community at coordinates 48–38–20 NL

and 83–08–38 WL. The second, filed by

D&H Media, permittee of Station

KWKJ(FM), Warsaw, Missouri, proposes

the reallotment of Channel 253A from

Warsaw to Windsor, Missouri. Channel

253A can be allotted at Windsor in

compliance with the Commission’s

minimum distance separation

requirements, with respect to domestic

allotments, without the imposition of a

site restriction at coordinates 38–31–56

NL and 93–31–19 WL.

DATES: Comments must be filed on or

before April 5, 2001 and reply

comments must be filed on or before

April 20, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Federal Communications

Commission, 445 Twelfth Street, S.W.,

Washington, DC 20554. In addition to

filing comments with the FCC,

interested parties should serve

petitioner(s) as follows: for MM Docket

No. 01–33, Edwards Communications,

L.C., C/O John S. Neely, Miller and

Miller, P.C., P.O. Box 33003

Washington, DC 20033; for MM Docket

No. 01–34, D&H Media, C/O Howard J.

Barr, Pepper and Corazzini, LLP, 1776 K

Street, NW., Suite 200, Washington, DC

20006–2334.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Victoria M. McCauley, Mass Media

Bureau, (202) 418–2180.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a

synopsis of the Commission’s Notice of

Proposed Rule Making, MM Docket Nos.

01–33 and 01–34, adopted January 31,

2001, and released February 9, 2001.

The full text of this Commission

decision is available for inspection and

copying during normal business hours

in the FCC Reference Center (Room

239), 445 12th Street, SW., Washington,

DC. The complete text of this decision

may also be purchased from the

Commission’s copy contractor,

International Transcription Services,

Inc., (202) 857–3800, 1231 20th Street,

NW., Washington, DC 20036.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73

Radio broadcasting.

For the reasons discussed in the

preamble, the Federal Communications

Commission proposes to amend 47 CFR

part 73 as follows:

PART 73—RADIO BROADCAST

SERVICES

1. The authority citation for part 73

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 47 U.S.C. 154, 303, 334 and 336.

§ 73.202 [Amended]

2. Section 73.202(b), the Table of FM

Allotments under Michigan is amended

to remove Caro, Channel 221A and add

Cass City, Channel 221C3.

3. Section 73.202(b), the Table of FM

Allotments under Missouri is amended

to remove Channel 253A at Warsaw and

add Windsor, Channel 253A.

Federal Communications Commission.

John A. Karousos,

Chief, Allocations Branch, Policy and Rules

Division, Mass Media Bureau.

[FR Doc. 01–4323 Filed 3–6–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018–AG71

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife

and Plants; Reopening of Comment

Period and Notice of Availability of the

Draft Economic Analysis for Proposed

Critical Habitat for 76 Plants From the

Islands of Kauai and Niihau, HI

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening of

comment period and notice of

availability of draft economic analysis.

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service (Service), announce the

availability of the draft economic

analysis for the proposed designations

of critical habitat for 76 plants from the

islands of Kauai and Niihau, Hawaii.

We are also providing notice of the

reopening of the comment period for the

proposal to designate critical habitat for

these 76 plants to allow all interested

parties to comment simultaneously on

the proposed rule and the associated

draft economic analysis. Comments

previously submitted need not be

resubmitted as they will be incorporated

into the public record as part of this

reopened comment period and will be

fully considered in the final rule.

DATES: We will accept public comments

until April 6, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and

information should be submitted to

Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, Pacific Islands Office, 300 Ala