Public Meeting Concerning Proposed Standard for the Flammability (Open Flame) of Mattresses and Mattress/Foundation Sets, 5614-5615 [05-2073]
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 22 / Thursday, February 3, 2005 / Notices
CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY
COMMISSION
Public Meeting Concerning Proposed
Standard for the Flammability (Open
Flame) of Mattresses and Mattress/
Foundation Sets
Consumer Product Safety
Commission.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Consumer Product Safety
Commission (‘‘CPSC’’ or ‘‘Commission’’)
will conduct a public meeting on March
3, 2005 to receive oral comments
concerning the Commission’s notice of
proposed rulemaking (‘‘NPR’’)
proposing a standard to address open
flame ignition of mattresses. 70 FR 2470.
The Commission invites members of the
public to make oral presentations
concerning information or comments
related to the proposed standard. The
Commission will consider these
presentations as it proceeds with the
rulemaking and the possible issuance of
a final rule.
DATES: The meeting will begin at 10 a.m.
on March 3, 2005. Requests to make oral
presentations, and 10 copies of the text
of the presentation, must be received by
the CPSC Office of the Secretary no later
than February 24, 2005. Persons making
presentations at the meeting should
provide an additional 25 copies for
dissemination on the date of the
meeting.
The Commission reserves the right to
limit the number of persons who make
presentations and the duration of their
presentations. To prevent duplicative
presentations, groups will be directed to
designate a spokesperson.
As stated in the NPR, the period for
submission of written comments on the
mattress NPR is open until March 29,
2005. Written comments may be sent by
e-mail, fax or mail to the addresses
listed below.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be in room
420 of the Bethesda Towers Building,
4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD.
Requests to make oral presentations,
and texts of oral presentations should be
captioned ‘‘Mattress NPR Hearing’’ and
submitted by e-mail to cpscos@cpsc.gov. or by facsimile to (301)
504–0127. Requests and texts of oral
presentations may also be mailed to the
Office of the Secretary, Consumer
Product Safety Commission,
Washington, DC 20207, or delivered to
that office, room 502, 4330 East-West
Highway, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
information about the purpose or
subject matter of this meeting contact
Margaret Neily, Directorate for
VerDate jul<14>2003
19:18 Feb 02, 2005
Jkt 205001
Engineering Sciences, U.S. Consumer
Product Safety Commission,
Washington, DC 20207; telephone (301)
504–7530; e-mail: mneily@cpsc.gov. For
information about the schedule for
submission of requests to make oral
presentations and submission of texts of
oral presentations, contact Rockelle
Hammond, Office of the Secretary,
Consumer Product Safety Commission,
Washington, DC 20207; telephone (301)
504–6833; fax (301) 504–0127; e-mail
rhammond@cpsc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Background
On January 13, 2005, the Commission
issued a notice of proposed rulemaking
(‘‘NPR’’) proposing a flammability
standard under the authority of the
Flammable Fabrics Act that would
address open flame ignition of
mattresses and mattress and foundation
sets (‘‘mattresses/sets’’). 70 FR 2470.
The NPR and the staff’s briefing package
are available on the Commission’s Web
site at www.cpsc.gov. Mattresses/sets
that comply with the proposed
performance requirements will have a
reduced heat release rate, generating a
smaller size fire for a period of time
than mattresses/sets made of traditional
materials. This will reduce the
likelihood that flashover will occur (the
point at which the room’s contents are
simultaneously ignited by radiant heat),
and allow more time for occupants to
escape from the fire. Thus, the proposed
standard should result in significant
reductions in deaths and injuries
associated with mattress fires.
The proposed standard sets forth
performance requirements that each
mattress/set must meet before being
introduced into commerce. The test
method is a full scale test based on
research conducted by the National
Institute of Standards and Technology
(‘‘NIST’’). The mattress specimen (a
mattress or mattress and foundation set,
usually in a twin size) is exposed to a
pair of T shaped propane burners and
allowed to burn freely for a period of 30
minutes. The burners were designed to
represent burning bedclothes.
Measurements are taken of the heat
release rate from the specimen and
energy generated from the fire. The
proposed standard establishes two test
criteria, both of which the mattress/set
must meet in order to comply with the
standard: (1) The peak rate of heat
release for the mattress/foundation set
must not exceed 200 kW at any time
during the 30 minute test; and (2) the
total heat release must not exceed 15 MJ
for the first 10 minutes of the test.
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
There are provisions in the proposed
rule to minimize the testing burden. For
example, manufacturers may sell a
mattress/set based on a prototype
(mattress design) that has not been
tested if that prototype differs from a
qualified prototype only with respect to
(1) mattress/foundation size; (2) ticking,
unless the ticking of the qualified
prototype has characteristics designed
to improve performance on the burn
test; and/or (3) any component,
material, or method of construction that
the manufacturer can demonstrate, on
an objectively reasonable basis, will not
cause the prototype to exceed the test
criteria specified above.
The proposed standard also
minimizes the testing burden by
allowing for ‘‘pooling.’’ Under this
approach, one manufacturer would
conduct the full prototype testing
required (testing three prototype
specimens), obtaining passing results,
and the other manufacturer(s) may then
produce mattresses/sets represented by
that prototype so long as they conduct
one confirming test on a specimen of the
prototype that they produce.
The details of the proposed standard
are discussed in the NPR published in
the Federal Register on January 13,
2005. 70 FR 2470. As stated in the NPR,
the Commission invites submission of
written comments on the proposed
standard by March 29, 2005.
B. The Public Meeting
The Flammable Fabrics Act requires
that the Commission provide an
opportunity for the oral presentation of
‘‘data, views, or arguments’’ in addition
to written comments. 15 U.S.C. 1193(d).
Thus, the Commission is providing this
forum for oral presentations concerning
the mattress proposed standard.
Participation in the meeting is open.
See the DATES section of this notice for
information on making requests to give
oral presentations at the meeting.
The Commission requests comments
on the following specific areas of
interest that were noted in the mattress
NPR:
1. Comments from small businesses
concerning the anticipated economic
impact of the requirements of the
proposed mattress standard.
2. Comments, especially from small
businesses, concerning the proposed
one year effective date and the impact
such date could have.
3. Comments concerning the
Commission staff’s assessment of the
possible toxicity and environmental
impact of the proposed standard.
E:\FR\FM\03FEN1.SGM
03FEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 22 / Thursday, February 3, 2005 / Notices
Dated: January 31, 2005.
Todd A. Stevenson,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety
Commission.
[FR Doc. 05–2073 Filed 2–2–05; 8:45 am]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT Craig
Goral, Contract Policy Division, GSA
(202) 501–3856.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Purpose
BILLING CODE 6355–01–P
The FAR clause at FAR 52.223–6,
Drug-Free Workplace, requires (1)
contract employees to notify their
employer of any criminal drug statute
conviction for a violation occurring in
the workplace; and (2) Government
contractors, after receiving notice of
such conviction, to notify the
contracting officer.
The information provided to the
Government is used to determine
contractor compliance with the
statutory requirements to maintain a
drug-free workplace.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
GENERAL SERVICES
ADMINISTRATION
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND
SPACE ADMINISTRATION
[OMB Control No. 9000–0101]
Federal Acquisition Regulation;
Information Collection; Drug-Free
Workplace
Department of Defense (DOD),
General Services Administration (GSA),
and National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA).
ACTION: Notice of request for an
extension to an existing OMB clearance.
AGENCIES:
SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Federal
Acquisition Regulation (FAR)
Secretariat will be submitting to the
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) a request to review and approve
an extension of a currently approved
information collection requirement
concerning drug-free workplace. The
clearance currently expires May 31,
2005.
Public comments are particularly
invited on: Whether this collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of functions of the FAR,
and whether it will have practical
utility; whether our estimate of the
public burden of this collection of
information is accurate, and based on
valid assumptions and methodology;
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and ways in which we can
minimize the burden of the collection of
information on those who are to
respond, through the use of appropriate
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
DATES: Submit comments on or before
April 4, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments regarding
this burden estimate or any other aspect
of this collection of information,
including suggestions for reducing this
burden to the General Services
Administration, FAR Secretariat (VIR),
1800 F Street, NW, Room 4035,
Washington, DC 20405. Please cite OMB
Control No.9000–0101, drug-free
workplace, in all correspondence.
VerDate jul<14>2003
19:18 Feb 02, 2005
Jkt 205001
B. Annual Reporting Burden
Respondents: 600.
Responses Per Respondent: 1.
Annual Responses: 600.
Hours Per Response: .17.
Total Burden Hours: 102.
Obtaining Copies of Proposals:
Requesters may obtain a copy of the
information collection documents from
the General Services Administration,
FAR Secretariat (VIR), Room 4035, 1800
F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20405,
telephone (202) 501–4755. Please cite
OMB Control No. 9000–0101, Drug-Free
Workplace, in all correspondence.
Dated: January 28, 2005
Julia B. Wise,
Acting Director, Contract Policy Division.
[FR Doc. 05–2017 Filed 2–2–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820–EP–S
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Air Force
Notice of Intent (NOI) To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for Housing Privatization Phase II at
Hickam Air Force Base and Bellows Air
Force Station, O’ahu, HI (Including
Privatization of Housing in Historic
Districts Eligible for Inclusion on the
National Historic Register of Historic
Places)
United States Air Force.
Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969, as amended (42 United States
Code 4321, et seq.), the Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ)
Regulations for implementing the
procedural provisions of NEPA (40 Code
of Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts
1500–1508), and Air Force’s
PO 00000
Frm 00015
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
5615
Environmental Impact Analysis Process
(EIAP) as implemented by 32 CFR Part
989, the United States Air Force (Air
Force) is issuing this notice to advise
the public of our preparation of an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for the Housing Privatization Phase II at
Hickam Air Force Base (AFB) and
Bellows Air Force Station (AFS), O’ahu,
Hawaii (Including Privatization of
Housing in Historic Districts Eligible for
Inclusion on the National Register of
Historic Places). The project will require
Section 106 consultation pursuant to the
National Historic Preservation Act to
run concurrently with the NEPA
documentation. The Air Force proposes
to transfer 1,332 housing units (1,326
units on Hickam AFB and six units on
Bellows AFS) and associated facilities
(e.g., sidewalks and roads) to a
successful offeror (SO) and
implementation of a long-term lease to
the SO for land associated with the
housing units.
The current proposal evaluates four
alternatives—(1) No Action; (2)
Proposed Action: Privatization of
remaining housing units on Hickam
AFB and Bellows AFS to include the
removal of historic homes from the
housing inventory (demolition, relocate
from the site, redesignation as nonresidential units or a combination of
these three sub alternatives); (3)
privatization of remaining housing units
on Hickam AFB and Bellows AFS with
terms and conditions to insure
preservation of historic property; and (4)
privatization of remaining housing units
on Hickam AFB and Bellows AFS with
the exception of housing units in the
historic districts that would remain
under Government control.
Information: The Air Force, through
the 15 Airlift Wing (AW), will conduct
a Public Scoping Meeting on February
17, 2005, 6 p.m. at the Best Western
Plaza Hotel, 3253 N. Nimitz Highway,
Honolulu, Hawaii. The meeting’s
purpose is to determine the
environmental issues and concerns to be
analyzed, to solicit comments on the
Proposed Action and alternatives, and
to solicit input for other alternatives to
be considered in the EIS. All comments
received during the scoping meeting
will be considered prior to the Air Force
making a final decision.
Point of Contact: For further
information concerning the proposed
action or alternatives to the proposed
action, please contact Mr. Richard
Parkinson, Chief, Environmental Flight,
15 CES/CEV, 75 H Street, Hickam AFB,
E:\FR\FM\03FEN1.SGM
03FEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 22 (Thursday, February 3, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5614-5615]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-2073]
[[Page 5614]]
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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
Public Meeting Concerning Proposed Standard for the Flammability
(Open Flame) of Mattresses and Mattress/Foundation Sets
AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or
``Commission'') will conduct a public meeting on March 3, 2005 to
receive oral comments concerning the Commission's notice of proposed
rulemaking (``NPR'') proposing a standard to address open flame
ignition of mattresses. 70 FR 2470. The Commission invites members of
the public to make oral presentations concerning information or
comments related to the proposed standard. The Commission will consider
these presentations as it proceeds with the rulemaking and the possible
issuance of a final rule.
DATES: The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. on March 3, 2005. Requests to
make oral presentations, and 10 copies of the text of the presentation,
must be received by the CPSC Office of the Secretary no later than
February 24, 2005. Persons making presentations at the meeting should
provide an additional 25 copies for dissemination on the date of the
meeting.
The Commission reserves the right to limit the number of persons
who make presentations and the duration of their presentations. To
prevent duplicative presentations, groups will be directed to designate
a spokesperson.
As stated in the NPR, the period for submission of written comments
on the mattress NPR is open until March 29, 2005. Written comments may
be sent by e-mail, fax or mail to the addresses listed below.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be in room 420 of the Bethesda Towers
Building, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD. Requests to make oral
presentations, and texts of oral presentations should be captioned
``Mattress NPR Hearing'' and submitted by e-mail to cpsc-os@cpsc.gov.
or by facsimile to (301) 504-0127. Requests and texts of oral
presentations may also be mailed to the Office of the Secretary,
Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207, or delivered
to that office, room 502, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland
20814.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the purpose or
subject matter of this meeting contact Margaret Neily, Directorate for
Engineering Sciences, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,
Washington, DC 20207; telephone (301) 504-7530; e-mail:
mneily@cpsc.gov. For information about the schedule for submission of
requests to make oral presentations and submission of texts of oral
presentations, contact Rockelle Hammond, Office of the Secretary,
Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207; telephone
(301) 504-6833; fax (301) 504-0127; e-mail rhammond@cpsc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Background
On January 13, 2005, the Commission issued a notice of proposed
rulemaking (``NPR'') proposing a flammability standard under the
authority of the Flammable Fabrics Act that would address open flame
ignition of mattresses and mattress and foundation sets (``mattresses/
sets''). 70 FR 2470. The NPR and the staff's briefing package are
available on the Commission's Web site at www.cpsc.gov. Mattresses/sets
that comply with the proposed performance requirements will have a
reduced heat release rate, generating a smaller size fire for a period
of time than mattresses/sets made of traditional materials. This will
reduce the likelihood that flashover will occur (the point at which the
room's contents are simultaneously ignited by radiant heat), and allow
more time for occupants to escape from the fire. Thus, the proposed
standard should result in significant reductions in deaths and injuries
associated with mattress fires.
The proposed standard sets forth performance requirements that each
mattress/set must meet before being introduced into commerce. The test
method is a full scale test based on research conducted by the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (``NIST''). The mattress specimen
(a mattress or mattress and foundation set, usually in a twin size) is
exposed to a pair of T shaped propane burners and allowed to burn
freely for a period of 30 minutes. The burners were designed to
represent burning bedclothes. Measurements are taken of the heat
release rate from the specimen and energy generated from the fire. The
proposed standard establishes two test criteria, both of which the
mattress/set must meet in order to comply with the standard: (1) The
peak rate of heat release for the mattress/foundation set must not
exceed 200 kW at any time during the 30 minute test; and (2) the total
heat release must not exceed 15 MJ for the first 10 minutes of the
test.
There are provisions in the proposed rule to minimize the testing
burden. For example, manufacturers may sell a mattress/set based on a
prototype (mattress design) that has not been tested if that prototype
differs from a qualified prototype only with respect to (1) mattress/
foundation size; (2) ticking, unless the ticking of the qualified
prototype has characteristics designed to improve performance on the
burn test; and/or (3) any component, material, or method of
construction that the manufacturer can demonstrate, on an objectively
reasonable basis, will not cause the prototype to exceed the test
criteria specified above.
The proposed standard also minimizes the testing burden by allowing
for ``pooling.'' Under this approach, one manufacturer would conduct
the full prototype testing required (testing three prototype
specimens), obtaining passing results, and the other manufacturer(s)
may then produce mattresses/sets represented by that prototype so long
as they conduct one confirming test on a specimen of the prototype that
they produce.
The details of the proposed standard are discussed in the NPR
published in the Federal Register on January 13, 2005. 70 FR 2470. As
stated in the NPR, the Commission invites submission of written
comments on the proposed standard by March 29, 2005.
B. The Public Meeting
The Flammable Fabrics Act requires that the Commission provide an
opportunity for the oral presentation of ``data, views, or arguments''
in addition to written comments. 15 U.S.C. 1193(d). Thus, the
Commission is providing this forum for oral presentations concerning
the mattress proposed standard.
Participation in the meeting is open. See the DATES section of this
notice for information on making requests to give oral presentations at
the meeting.
The Commission requests comments on the following specific areas of
interest that were noted in the mattress NPR:
1. Comments from small businesses concerning the anticipated
economic impact of the requirements of the proposed mattress standard.
2. Comments, especially from small businesses, concerning the
proposed one year effective date and the impact such date could have.
3. Comments concerning the Commission staff's assessment of the
possible toxicity and environmental impact of the proposed standard.
[[Page 5615]]
Dated: January 31, 2005.
Todd A. Stevenson,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 05-2073 Filed 2-2-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P