Document rn8Nj8GekezgJgnaa32m9bVr

Federal Register/Vol. 66, No. 37/Friday, February 23, 2001/Proposed Rules 11243 5 CFR part 2640 that apply to federal agencies generally, the Commission proposes that current rule 103(b) be deleted. Public Comment Any public comment directed toward this proposal should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of this notice in the Federal Register. Ordering Paragraphs 1. Public comment on the Commission's proposal to delete paragraph (b) from current rule 103 of its standards of conduct should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of this notice in the Federal Register. 2. The Secretary is directed to cause this notice of proposed rulemaking to appear in the Federal Register. Dated: February 16, 2001. Margaret P. Crenshaw, Secretary. List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 3000 Administrative practice and procedure, Postal Service. For the reasons stated in the preamble, the Postal Rate Commission proposes to amend 39 CFR part 3000 as follows: PART 3000-- STANDARDS OF CONDUCT 1. The authority citation for part 3000 continues to read as follows: Authority: 39 U.S.C. 3603; E.O. 12674, 54 FR 15159, 3 CFR, 1989 Comp., p. 215, as modified by E.O. 12731, 56 FR 42547, 3 CFR, 1990 Comp., p. 306; 5 CFR parts 2634 and 2636. 2. Revise 3000.735-103 to read as follows: 3000.735-103 Financial interests. An employee shall not, either directly or indirectly, have any financial interest (whether by ownership of any stock, bond, security, or otherwise) in any entity or person whose interests may be significantly affected by rates of postage, fees for postal services, the classification of mail, or the operation of the Postal Service. This paragraph does not proscribe interests in an entity or person whose use of the mail is merely an incidental or a minor factor in the general conduct of its business. [FR Doc. 01-4432 Filed 2-22-01; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7710-F W -P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 721 [OPPTS-50639B; FRL-6771-4] RIN 2070-AD43 Perfluorooctyl Sulfonates (PFOS); Notice of Public Meeting AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of public meeting. SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will conduct a public meeting on the proposed significant new use rule (SNUR) on PFOS published in the Federal Register issue of October 18, 2000. At this meeting, persons who filed written comments on the proposed SNUR will have the opportunity to clarify and expand on their comments, and all interested persons will be able to identify issues of concern. DATES: The public meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 27, 2001. Interested parties are requested to contact the technical person on or before Friday, March 16, 2001, to schedule presentations at the meeting. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel, 1800 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Arlington, VA. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information contact: Barbara Cunningham, Acting Director, Environmental Assistance Division, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (7408), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 554-1404; e-mail address: TSCA-Hotline@epa.gov. For technical information contact: Annette Washington, Chemical Control Division (7405), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 260-5315; e-mail address: washington.annette@epa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. General Information A. Does this Action A pply to Me? This action is directed to the public in general. This action may be of particular interest to anyone who filed written comments on the proposed SNUR for PFOS (65 FR 62319, October 18, 2000) (FRL-6745-5), or who uses products containing any of the 90 PFOS chemicals identified in the proposed SNUR. If you have any questions regarding the applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult the technical person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. B. Flow Can I Get Additional Information, Including Copies o f this Document or Other Related Documents? 1. Electronically. You may obtain electronic copies of this document, and certain other related documents that might be available electronically, from the EPA Internet Home Page at http:// www.epa.gov/. To access this document, on the Home Page select "Laws and Regulations'', "Regulations and Proposed Rules,'' and then look up the entry for this document under the "Federal Register--Environmental Documents.'' You can also go directly to the Federal Register listings at http:// www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/. 2. In person. The Agency has established an official record for this action under docket control number OPPTS-50639B. The official record consists of the documents specifically referenced in this action, any public comments received during an applicable comment period, and other information related to this action, including any information claimed as Confidential Business Information (CBI). This official record includes the documents that are physically located in the docket, as well as the documents that are referenced in those documents. The public version of the official record does not include any information claimed as CBI. The public version of the official record, which includes printed, paper versions of any electronic comments submitted during an applicable comment period, is available for inspection in the TSCA Nonconfidential Information Center, North East Mall Rm. B-607, Waterside Mall, 401 M St., SW,, Washington, DC. The Center is open from noon to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number of the Center is (202) 260-7099. II. Meeting Procedures For additional information on the scheduled meeting, including the meeting agenda, contact the technical person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. The meeting on the proposed PFOS SNUR will be open to the public. Interested parties are requested to contact the technical person on or before Friday, March 16, 2001, to schedule presentations at the meeting. Since seating for outside observers may be limited, those wishing to attend the meeting as observers are also encouraged to contact the technical person at the earliest possible date to US00003049-D 11244 Federal Register/Vol. 66, No. 37/Friday, February 23, 2001/Proposed Rules ensure adequate seating arrangements. Inquiries regarding oral presentations and the submission of written statements or chemical specific information should be directed to the technical person. A written meeting summary, including an attendance list and copies of all presentations made at the meeting, will be included in the official record of this proceeding described in Unit I.B.2. List of Subjects Environmental protection, Chemicals, Hazardous materials, Recordkeeping and reporting requirements. Dated: February 14, 2001. Charles M. Auer, Director, Chemical Control Division. [FR Doc. 01-4404 Filed 2-22-01; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560-50-S DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: 90-day Finding for a Petition To List the Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout as Threatened AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of 90-day petition finding. SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces a 90-day finding for a petition to list the Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki bouvieri) as threatened, under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 etseq). After review of the petition and all available scientific and commercial information, we find that the petition failed to present substantial information indicating that listing this subspecies of fish may be warranted at this time. DATES: The finding announced in this document was made on February 15, 2001. ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the petition, its accompanying attachments, or other information pertaining to this petition finding should be submitted to Chief, Branch of Native Fishes Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4052 Bridger Canyon Road, Bozeman, Montana 59715. The petition and information used in support of the petition finding are available for inspection, during normal business hours and by appointment, at that address. The petition, as well as the complete list of references for the finding announced in the present document, also may be obtained at our Internet web site http://www.r6.fws.gov/ cutthroat/. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lynn R. Kaeding at the above address, or telephone 406/582-0717. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background Section 4(b)(3)(A) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) (Act), requires that within 90 days of receipt of a petition, to the maximum extent practicable, we make a finding on whether a petition to list, delist, or reclassify a species presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the requested action may be warranted. The finding is based upon all information provided or referenced in the petition and all other information available to us at the time the finding is made. Such 90-day findings are to be published promptly in the Federal Register. On August 18, 1998, we received a formal petition to list the Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki bouvieri) as threatened where it presently occurs in its historic range and to designate critical habitat for this subspecies of fish pursuant to the Act. The petitioners are Biodiversity Legal Foundation, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Montana Ecosystems Defense Council, and Mr. George Wuerthner. The Yellowstone cutthroat trout (YCT) is one of 13 subspecies of cutthroat trout recognized by Behnke (1992) that are native to interior regions of western North America. Cutthroat trout owe their common name to the distinctive red slash that occurs just below both sides of the lower jaw. Also among those 13 cutthroat trout subspecies is the finespotted Snake River cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki subsp.), the natural range of which is principally in the far-west, central region of Wyoming and almost entirely surrounded by that of YCT (Behnke 1992). In their petition, the petitioners considered the finespotted Snake River cutthroat trout a morphological form of YCT. Such merging of taxons is supported by biochemical-genetic studies (cited by Behnke 1992) that revealed almost no differences between the YCT and finespotted cutthroat trout at the several gene loci examined. Nonetheless, the YCT and finespotted cutthroat trout are readily separated on the basis of the sizes and patterns of spots on the sides of the fish's body. The YCT has pronounced, medium to large spots that are round in outline and moderate in number, whereas the spots of the finespotted cutthroat trout are the smallest of any native trout in western North America and so profuse they resemble "a heavy sprinkling of ground pepper" (Behnke 1992). Although Behnke (1992) considers the YCT and finespotted Snake River cutthroat trout distinct taxonomic entities, for the purposes of the finding described in this notice we will follow the position taken in the petition and consider the YCT and finespotted Snake River cutthroat trout to be a single taxonomic entity, the YCT. However, that position should not be considered the opinion of the Federal government with regard to the taxonomic validity of the finespotted Snake River cutthroat trout. Validation of such taxonomic classifications remains altogether within the domain of taxonomists, geneticists, and other qualified scientists. Furthermore, that position should not be interpreted as our criticism of, or lack of support for, ongoing management actions that treat the finespotted Snake River cutthroat trout as a unique taxonomic entity (e.g., Wichers 2000a). The historic range of YCT generally consists of the waters of the Snake River drainage (Columbia River basin) upstream from Shoshone Falls, Idaho, and those of the Yellowstone River drainage (Missouri River basin) upstream from and including the Tongue River, in eastern Montana (Behnke 1992). Historic range in the Yellowstone River drainage thus includes large regions of Wyoming and Montana, whereas that of the Snake River drainage includes large regions of Wyoming and Idaho and small parts of Utah and Nevada (Behnke 1992). During their evolutionary history, YCT diverged genetically and morphologically from the other subspecies of cutthroat trout while YCT inhabited only the waters of the Columbia River basin. Soon after the ice of the last glacial period (i.e., the Pleistocene Epoch) receded, about 8,000 years ago, YCT from the Snake River drainage gained entry into the Yellowstone River drainage via connected headwater streams in Two Ocean Pass, south of present-day Yellowstone National Park (Behnke 1992; Trotter 1987). Subsequently, YCT spread downstream in the Yellowstone River drainage. Today, various YCT stocks remain in each of those major river drainages in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and Nevada. On September 18, 1998, we notified the petitioners that our Listing Priority Guidance, published in the Federal US00003050-D