Notice of a Project Waiver of Section 1605 (Buy American Requirement) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) That Has Been Granted to the Plymouth Village Water & Sewer District, New Hampshire, 5564-5565 [2010-2217]
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 22 / Wednesday, February 3, 2010 / Notices
District, 3502 Highway 30, La Grande,
Oregon 97850; Telephone: (541) 962–
8582.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This will
be the first meeting of the Committee
since reauthorization of Public Law
106–393. The meeting will focus on
introducing new Committee members,
becoming familiar with duties and
responsibilities, selecting a chairperson,
reviewing and recommending 2009 and
2010 project proposals that meet the
intent of the Act. The meeting is open
to the public. A public input
opportunity will be provided, and
individuals will have the opportunity to
address the committee at that time.
Dated: January 27, 2010.
Jen Fitzpatrick,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2010–2277 Filed 2–2–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–11–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Notice of a Project Waiver of Section
1605 (Buy American Requirement) of
the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) That
Has Been Granted to the Plymouth
Village Water & Sewer District, New
Hampshire
jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: The United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA) grants a project
waiver of the Buy American
Requirements of ARRA Section 1605
under the authority of Section
1605(b)(2) [manufactured goods are not
produced in the United States in
sufficient and reasonably available
quantities and of a satisfactory quality]
to the Plymouth Village Water & Sewer
District, New Hampshire (‘‘District’’) for
the purchase of a foreign manufactured
rotary sludge dewatering press. This is
a project specific waiver and only
applies to the use of the specified
product for the ARRA project being
proposed. Any other ARRA recipient
that wishes to use the same product
must apply for a separate waiver based
on project specific circumstances. The
District’s proposed wastewater
treatment facility improvements will
include a replacement of the existing
belt filter press for sludge generated at
the plant. Based upon information
submitted by the District and its
consultants, it was determined that a
rotary press sludge dewatering unit,
manufactured by Fournier Industries of
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:34 Feb 02, 2010
Jkt 220001
Quebec, Canada, will meet the District’s
design and performance specifications.
The Secretary is making this
determination based on the review and
recommendations of the Rural
Development Buy American
Coordinator. The District through its
design engineer has provided sufficient
documentation to support its request.
The Undersecretary for Rural
Development concurred on this decision
to waive Section 1605 of ARRA. This
action permits the purchase of a 6
channel rotary press sludge dewatering
unit, manufactured by Fournier
Industries, by the District, as specified
in its October 7, 2009 waiver request, as
part of the improvements to the
wastewater treatment facility.
DATES: Effective Date: February 3, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Dallas Tonsager,
Undersecretary, Rural Development,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400
Independence Avenue, Room 205–W,
Washington, DC 20250–0107, (202) 720–
4581.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Benjamin Shuman, Senior
Environmental Engineer, Engineering
and Environmental Staff, (202) 720–
1784, Rural Utilities Service, U. S.
Department of Agriculture, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20250–1571.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with ARRA Section 1605(c)
and pursuant to Section 1605(b)(2),
USDA hereby provides notice that it is
granting a project specific waiver of the
Buy American Requirements of ARRA,
to the Plymouth Village Water & Sewer
District (‘‘District’’), New Hampshire for
the purchase of a rotary press sludge
dewatering unit, manufactured by
Fournier Industries of Quebec, Canada.
I. Background
Section 1605(a) of ARRA requires that
none of the appropriated funds may be
used for the construction, alteration,
maintenance, or repair of a public
building or public work unless all of the
iron, steel, and manufactured goods
used in the project is produced in the
United States, or unless a waiver is
provided to the recipient by the head of
the appropriate department or agency,
here the Secretary of USDA. A waiver
may be granted if the Secretary
determines that (1) Applying these
requirements would be inconsistent
with public interest; (2) iron, steel, and
manufactured goods are not produced in
the United States in sufficient and
reasonably available quantities and of a
satisfactory quality; or (3) inclusion of
iron, steel, and manufactured goods
produced in the United States will
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
increase the cost of the overall project
by more than 25 percent. The District
has requested a waiver from the Buy
American Requirement for the purchase
of a foreign made rotary press sludge
dewatering unit as part of its wastewater
treatment plant improvement project.
The purchase of the new rotary sludge
press is intended to replace the existing
belt filter press which is approaching
the end of its useful life. The estimated
cost of the overall improvements to the
District’s wastewater treatment plant is
$5.2 million, of which the cost of the
foreign made rotary sludge press unit is
priced at $330,000. In designing the
wastewater treatment plant, the
District’s design engineers evaluated the
various technologies based on the
following factors:
• Maintain the current annual average
dewatered sludge cake solids of
approximately 25% or higher.
• Improve environmental working
conditions in the dewatering area by
minimizing worker exposure to odorous
and hazardous gases released from the
sludge as well as exposure to
bioaerosols and pathogens. Enclosed
dewatering equipment will achieve this
goal.
• Automatically adjust for variation
in feed solids concentrations and sludge
mix ratios to provide consistent and
optimum cake solids.
• Allow for unattended, automatic
operation freeing up operators for other
needed tasks.
• Keep the dewatering operation as
simple as possible while still
maintaining optimum dewatering
performance.
• Allow for some degree of backup
capacity during periods of equipment
failure and routine maintenance.
• Equipment must have a proven
track record of low annual operation
and maintenance costs and reliability.
As part of the review of potentially
viable sludge dewatering units, four
technologies were considered by the
District and their consultants based on
the above listed criteria: (1) Rotary
press; (2) screw press; (3) centrifuge;
and (4) belt filter press. Of the four
technologies, the District determined
that a rotary sludge press is the desired
technology because it ranked the highest
in terms of meeting the key criteria
highlighted above. According to data
submitted by the District’s design
engineers and reviewed by USDA, the
foreign made rotary press sludge
dewatering unit meets the District’s
technical specifications for design and
performance of a rotary press sludge
dewatering unit as part of its wastewater
treatment plant improvement project.
E:\FR\FM\03FEN1.SGM
03FEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 22 / Wednesday, February 3, 2010 / Notices
jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
The technical specifications for the
proposed wastewater treatment facility
states: ‘‘[t]he Contractor shall furnish,
install and field test a complete rotary
press sludge dewatering system.’’
According to the District, the only rotary
press sludge dewatering unit that meets
that above described technical
specifications is not manufactured in
the United States. As a result, the
District requested a waiver of the ARRA
Buy American provisions on the basis of
nonavailability of a U.S. manufactured
product that will meet the design and
performance criteria specified for this
rotary press sludge dewatering unit.
II. Nonavailability Finding
The Secretary has determined that,
based on the information available, and
to the best of USDA’s knowledge, there
do not appear to be other rotary press
sludge dewatering units manufactured
in the United States that are available at
this time to meet the District’s design
specifications and performance
requirements for this project.
The evaluation by USDA’s technical
review team and engineers supports the
District’s claim that a suitable rotary
press sludge dewatering unit which
meets the specifications for this project
is not available in sufficient and
reasonably available commercial
quantities of a satisfactory quality that is
manufactured in the United States.
USDA’s technical review team and
engineers reviewed a memorandum
submitted by the District describing the
foreign equipment that fits the technical
specifications for the rotary press sludge
dewatering unit and the process the
District followed in adopting the rotary
press design. USDA’s technical review
team and engineers conducted a
nationwide review of equipment
vendors, manufacturers’ representatives,
and associated resources typically relied
on by engineers who design wastewater
treatment facilities. The purpose of
USDA’s review process was to
determine whether there were any
sludge dewatering rotary presses
manufactured in the United States that
meet the District’s design specifications
and performance requirements. In
addition, USDA’s technical review team
and engineers interviewed the District’s
design engineer and sales engineers for
a United States manufacturer that
produced a dewatering rotary press. It
was determined that the one
domestically manufactured rotary press
located by USDA engineers was not
suitable for the District’s performance
requirements. As a result of its review,
to the best of the USDA’s knowledge
there are no sludge dewatering presses
manufactured in the United States that
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:34 Feb 02, 2010
Jkt 220001
meet the District’s design specifications
and performance requirements for the
District’s wastewater treatment plant.
The Rural Development Buy
American Coordinator has reviewed this
waiver request and has determined that
the supporting documentation provided
by the District established a proper basis
that the manufactured good was not
available from a producer in the United
States able to meet the design
specifications and performance
requirements for the proposed project.
III. Waiver
Having established a proper basis that
this manufactured good was not
available from a producer in the United
States, the District is hereby granted a
waiver from the Buy American
requirements of Section 1605(a) of
Public Law 111–5. This waiver permits
use of ARRA funds for the purchase of
the specified Fournier Industries 6
channel rotary press sludge dewatering
unit documented in District’s waiver
request submittal dated October 7, 2009
as part of its wastewater treatment plant
improvements. This supplementary
information constitutes the detailed
written justification required by Section
1605(c) for waivers ‘‘based on a finding
under subsection (b).’’
Authority: Public Law 111–5, section 1605.
Thomas J. Vilsack,
Secretary, United States of America.
[FR Doc. 2010–2217 Filed 2–2–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
The Department of Commerce will
submit to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for clearance the
following proposal for collection of
information under the provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.
chapter 35).
Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
Title: Report of Building or Zoning
Permits Issued for New PrivatelyOwned Housing Units.
OMB Control Number: 0607–0094.
Form Number(s): C–404.
Type of Request: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Burden Hours: 17,539.
Number of Respondents: 19,375.
Average Hours per Response: 9
minutes.
Needs and Uses: The Census Bureau
is requesting a three-year extension of a
currently approved collection of the
Form C–404, otherwise known as the
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
5565
Building Permits Survey (BPS), with
minor revisions to the data collection
form.
The Census Bureau produces statistics
used to monitor activity in the large and
dynamic construction industry. Given
the importance of this industry, several
of the statistical series are key economic
indicators. Three such series are
dependent on the BPS: (1) Housing
Units Authorized by Building Permits,
(2) Housing Starts, and (3) New OneFamily Houses Sold. These statistics
help state, local, and federal
governments, as well as private
industry, analyze this important sector
of the economy. The building permit
series are available monthly based on a
sample of building permit offices, and
annually based on the entire universe of
permit offices. Published data from the
survey can be found on the Census
Bureau’s Web site at https://
www.census.gov/permits.
The Census Bureau collects these data
primarily by mail using the Form C–
404. Data are also collected via Internet
web pages and receipt of electronic files.
Form C–404 requests information on the
number and valuation of new
residential housing units authorized by
building permits. The current form is
titled ‘‘Report of New Privately-Owned
Residential Building or Zoning Permits
Issued’’. We plan to change the title to
‘‘Report of Building or Zoning Permits
Issued for New Privately-Owned
Housing Units’’ to clarify the data being
requested.
The proposed form includes several
minor changes to the version of Form C–
404 currently in use. Item 2 of the
current form instructs respondents to
provide details about geographic
coverage changes in the Comments
section; on the proposed new form,
there are spaces in Item 2 itself to enter
the same information. The checkboxes
in Item 3a were revised for clarity, and
Item 3f (the total of Items 3b–3e) was
removed because we determined that
respondents need not calculate these
totals. The limit on the dollar valuation
of permits which require additional
information in Item 4 was adjusted for
inflation. Other minor improvements
were made to the format and layout of
the form. The instructions on the back
of the form were also modified to
improve their clarity and completeness.
These changes to the form will not have
a measurable effect on respondent
burden.
The Census Bureau uses the Form C–
404 to collect data that will provide
estimates of the number and valuation
of new residential housing units
authorized by building permits. About
one-half of the permit offices are
E:\FR\FM\03FEN1.SGM
03FEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 3, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5564-5565]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-2217]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Notice of a Project Waiver of Section 1605 (Buy American
Requirement) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
(ARRA) That Has Been Granted to the Plymouth Village Water & Sewer
District, New Hampshire
AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grants a
project waiver of the Buy American Requirements of ARRA Section 1605
under the authority of Section 1605(b)(2) [manufactured goods are not
produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available
quantities and of a satisfactory quality] to the Plymouth Village Water
& Sewer District, New Hampshire (``District'') for the purchase of a
foreign manufactured rotary sludge dewatering press. This is a project
specific waiver and only applies to the use of the specified product
for the ARRA project being proposed. Any other ARRA recipient that
wishes to use the same product must apply for a separate waiver based
on project specific circumstances. The District's proposed wastewater
treatment facility improvements will include a replacement of the
existing belt filter press for sludge generated at the plant. Based
upon information submitted by the District and its consultants, it was
determined that a rotary press sludge dewatering unit, manufactured by
Fournier Industries of Quebec, Canada, will meet the District's design
and performance specifications. The Secretary is making this
determination based on the review and recommendations of the Rural
Development Buy American Coordinator. The District through its design
engineer has provided sufficient documentation to support its request.
The Undersecretary for Rural Development concurred on this decision to
waive Section 1605 of ARRA. This action permits the purchase of a 6
channel rotary press sludge dewatering unit, manufactured by Fournier
Industries, by the District, as specified in its October 7, 2009 waiver
request, as part of the improvements to the wastewater treatment
facility.
DATES: Effective Date: February 3, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Dallas Tonsager, Undersecretary, Rural Development, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue, Room 205-W,
Washington, DC 20250-0107, (202) 720-4581.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Benjamin Shuman, Senior Environmental
Engineer, Engineering and Environmental Staff, (202) 720-1784, Rural
Utilities Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-1571.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with ARRA Section 1605(c) and
pursuant to Section 1605(b)(2), USDA hereby provides notice that it is
granting a project specific waiver of the Buy American Requirements of
ARRA, to the Plymouth Village Water & Sewer District (``District''),
New Hampshire for the purchase of a rotary press sludge dewatering
unit, manufactured by Fournier Industries of Quebec, Canada.
I. Background
Section 1605(a) of ARRA requires that none of the appropriated
funds may be used for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or
repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron,
steel, and manufactured goods used in the project is produced in the
United States, or unless a waiver is provided to the recipient by the
head of the appropriate department or agency, here the Secretary of
USDA. A waiver may be granted if the Secretary determines that (1)
Applying these requirements would be inconsistent with public interest;
(2) iron, steel, and manufactured goods are not produced in the United
States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities and of a
satisfactory quality; or (3) inclusion of iron, steel, and manufactured
goods produced in the United States will increase the cost of the
overall project by more than 25 percent. The District has requested a
waiver from the Buy American Requirement for the purchase of a foreign
made rotary press sludge dewatering unit as part of its wastewater
treatment plant improvement project.
The purchase of the new rotary sludge press is intended to replace
the existing belt filter press which is approaching the end of its
useful life. The estimated cost of the overall improvements to the
District's wastewater treatment plant is $5.2 million, of which the
cost of the foreign made rotary sludge press unit is priced at
$330,000. In designing the wastewater treatment plant, the District's
design engineers evaluated the various technologies based on the
following factors:
Maintain the current annual average dewatered sludge cake
solids of approximately 25% or higher.
Improve environmental working conditions in the dewatering
area by minimizing worker exposure to odorous and hazardous gases
released from the sludge as well as exposure to bioaerosols and
pathogens. Enclosed dewatering equipment will achieve this goal.
Automatically adjust for variation in feed solids
concentrations and sludge mix ratios to provide consistent and optimum
cake solids.
Allow for unattended, automatic operation freeing up
operators for other needed tasks.
Keep the dewatering operation as simple as possible while
still maintaining optimum dewatering performance.
Allow for some degree of backup capacity during periods of
equipment failure and routine maintenance.
Equipment must have a proven track record of low annual
operation and maintenance costs and reliability.
As part of the review of potentially viable sludge dewatering
units, four technologies were considered by the District and their
consultants based on the above listed criteria: (1) Rotary press; (2)
screw press; (3) centrifuge; and (4) belt filter press. Of the four
technologies, the District determined that a rotary sludge press is the
desired technology because it ranked the highest in terms of meeting
the key criteria highlighted above. According to data submitted by the
District's design engineers and reviewed by USDA, the foreign made
rotary press sludge dewatering unit meets the District's technical
specifications for design and performance of a rotary press sludge
dewatering unit as part of its wastewater treatment plant improvement
project.
[[Page 5565]]
The technical specifications for the proposed wastewater treatment
facility states: ``[t]he Contractor shall furnish, install and field
test a complete rotary press sludge dewatering system.'' According to
the District, the only rotary press sludge dewatering unit that meets
that above described technical specifications is not manufactured in
the United States. As a result, the District requested a waiver of the
ARRA Buy American provisions on the basis of nonavailability of a U.S.
manufactured product that will meet the design and performance criteria
specified for this rotary press sludge dewatering unit.
II. Nonavailability Finding
The Secretary has determined that, based on the information
available, and to the best of USDA's knowledge, there do not appear to
be other rotary press sludge dewatering units manufactured in the
United States that are available at this time to meet the District's
design specifications and performance requirements for this project.
The evaluation by USDA's technical review team and engineers
supports the District's claim that a suitable rotary press sludge
dewatering unit which meets the specifications for this project is not
available in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities
of a satisfactory quality that is manufactured in the United States.
USDA's technical review team and engineers reviewed a memorandum
submitted by the District describing the foreign equipment that fits
the technical specifications for the rotary press sludge dewatering
unit and the process the District followed in adopting the rotary press
design. USDA's technical review team and engineers conducted a
nationwide review of equipment vendors, manufacturers' representatives,
and associated resources typically relied on by engineers who design
wastewater treatment facilities. The purpose of USDA's review process
was to determine whether there were any sludge dewatering rotary
presses manufactured in the United States that meet the District's
design specifications and performance requirements. In addition, USDA's
technical review team and engineers interviewed the District's design
engineer and sales engineers for a United States manufacturer that
produced a dewatering rotary press. It was determined that the one
domestically manufactured rotary press located by USDA engineers was
not suitable for the District's performance requirements. As a result
of its review, to the best of the USDA's knowledge there are no sludge
dewatering presses manufactured in the United States that meet the
District's design specifications and performance requirements for the
District's wastewater treatment plant.
The Rural Development Buy American Coordinator has reviewed this
waiver request and has determined that the supporting documentation
provided by the District established a proper basis that the
manufactured good was not available from a producer in the United
States able to meet the design specifications and performance
requirements for the proposed project.
III. Waiver
Having established a proper basis that this manufactured good was
not available from a producer in the United States, the District is
hereby granted a waiver from the Buy American requirements of Section
1605(a) of Public Law 111-5. This waiver permits use of ARRA funds for
the purchase of the specified Fournier Industries 6 channel rotary
press sludge dewatering unit documented in District's waiver request
submittal dated October 7, 2009 as part of its wastewater treatment
plant improvements. This supplementary information constitutes the
detailed written justification required by Section 1605(c) for waivers
``based on a finding under subsection (b).''
Authority: Public Law 111-5, section 1605.
Thomas J. Vilsack,
Secretary, United States of America.
[FR Doc. 2010-2217 Filed 2-2-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
