National Conference on Weights and Measures 101st Interim Meeting, 224-226 [2015-33128]

Download as PDF 224 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 2 / Tuesday, January 5, 2016 / Notices that the Department did not explain how the final rate of 121.22 percent was related to Kam Kiu, and that such a rate appeared punitive in light of the lower rates assigned to the mandatory respondents which were partially based on AFA.10 The Court further held that the Department failed to corroborate its finding that Kam Kiu could have benefited from the ‘‘Export Rebate for Mechanic, Electronic, and High-Tech Products’’ program, and evidence that the mandatory respondents in the review did not use the program detracted from the Department’s finding.11 On remand, the Court instructed the Department to reconsider its corroboration methodology with regard to location-specific subsidy programs included in Kam Kiu’s rate and the ‘‘Export Rebate for Mechanic, Electronic, and High-Tech Products’’ program also included in Kam Kiu’s rate, as well as to explain how the final AFA rate relates to Kam Kiu.12 In its final results of redetermination pursuant to Kam Kiu,13 the Department demonstrated that the AFA rate applied to Kam Kiu in the Final Results was corroborated to the extent practicable and was relevant to Kam Kiu. However, to comply with the Court’s remand order, under protest, the Department adjusted Kam Kiu’s AFA rate to remove all location-specific subsidy programs aside from programs that Kam Kiu could have used based on its mailing address. The Department further explained its corroboration of Kam Kiu’s ability to use the ‘‘Export Rebate for Mechanic, Electronic, and High-Tech Products’’ program to the extent practicable, and demonstrated that the revised AFA rate of 79.80 percent was relevant to Kam Kiu. On December 14, 2015, the Court sustained the Department’s final results of redetermination pursuant to remand.14 asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Timken Notice In its decision in Timken 15 as clarified by Diamond Sawblades, the CAFC has held that, pursuant to section 516A(e) of the Act, the Department must publish a notice of a court decision that is not ‘‘in harmony’’ with a Department determination and must suspend 10 Id., at 22–23. 11 Id., at 23. 12 Id. 13 See Final Results of Redetermination Pursuant to Court Remand—Tai Shan City Kam Kiu Aluminium Extrusion Co., Ltd. v. United States, Court No. 14–00016; Slip Op. 15–21 (CIT 2015), signed August 13, 2015. 14 See Kam Kiu II. 15 See Timken, 893 F.2d at 341. VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:43 Jan 04, 2016 Jkt 238001 liquidation of entries pending a ‘‘conclusive’’ court decision. The Court’s opinion in Kam Kiu II, issued on December 14, 2015, sustaining the Department’s final results of redetermination, constitutes a final decision of the court that is not in harmony with the Department’s Final Results. This notice is published in fulfillment of the publication requirements of Timken. Accordingly, the Department will continue the suspension of liquidation of the subject merchandise pending the expiration of the period of appeal or, if appealed, pending a final and conclusive court decision. Amended Final Results Because there is now a final court decision with respect to the Final Results, the Department amends its Final Results. The Department finds that the following revised net subsidy rate exists: Company Subsidy rate Tai Shan City Kam Kiu Aluminium Extrusion Co. Ltd. 79.80 percent ad valorem Dated: December 29, 2015. Paul Piquado, Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance. [FR Doc. 2015–33164 Filed 1–4–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P 16 See Aluminum Extrusions from the People’s Republic of China: Final Results of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2012, 79 FR 78788 (December 31, 2014). Frm 00006 Fmt 4703 National Institute of Standards and Technology National Conference on Weights and Measures 101st Interim Meeting National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The 101st Interim Meeting of the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM) will be held in San Diego, California, from Sunday, January 10, 2016, through Wednesday, January 13, 2016. This notice contains information about significant items on the NCWM Committee agendas but does not include all agenda items. As a result, the items are not consecutively numbered. SUMMARY: The meeting will be held on Sunday, January 10, 2016, through Tuesday, January 12, 2016, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time, and on Wednesday, January 13, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Pacific time. The meeting schedule is available at www.ncwm.net. DATES: This meeting will be held at the Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, 910 Broadway Circle, San Diego, California 92101. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Carol Hockert, Chief, NIST, Office of Weights and Measures, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 2600, Gaithersburg, MD 20899–2600. You may also contact Ms. Hockert at (301) 975–5507 or by email at carol.hockert@nist.gov. The meeting is open to the public, but a paid registration is required. Please see NCWM Web site (www.ncwm.net) to view the meeting agendas, registration forms, and hotel reservation information. ADDRESSES: Since the Final Results, the Department established a new cash deposit rate for Kam Kiu.16 Therefore, the cash deposit rate for Kam Kiu does not need to be updated as a result of these amended final results. In the event that the Court’s ruling is not appealed, or if appealed, upheld by the CAFC, the Department will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to liquidate entries of subject merchandise that were exported by Kam Kiu, and which were entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption during the period September 7, 2010, through December 31, 2011, at the revised rate of 79.80 percent ad valorem. This notice is issued and published in accordance with sections 516A(e)(1), 751(a)(1), and 777(i)(1) of the Act. PO 00000 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Sfmt 4703 SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Publication of this notice on the NCWM’s behalf is undertaken as a public service; NIST does not endorse, approve, or recommend any of the proposals or other information contained in this notice or in the publications of the NCWM. The NCWM is an organization of weights and measures officials of the states, counties, and cities of the United States, federal agencies, and representatives from the private sector. These meetings bring together government officials and representatives of business, industry, trade associations, and consumer organizations on subjects related to the field of weights and measures technology, administration, and enforcement. NIST participates to E:\FR\FM\05JAN1.SGM 05JAN1 asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 2 / Tuesday, January 5, 2016 / Notices encourage cooperation between federal agencies and the states in the development of legal metrology requirements. NIST also promotes uniformity among the states in laws, regulations, methods, and testing equipment that comprise the regulatory control of commercial weighing and measuring devices, packaged goods, and other trade and commerce issues. The following are brief descriptions of some of the significant agenda items that will be considered at the NCWM Interim Meeting. Comments will be taken on these and other issues during several public comment sessions. At this stage, the items are proposals. This meeting also includes work sessions in which the Specification and Tolerances Committee (S & T Committee) and the Laws and Regulations Committee (L & R Committee) may also accept comments, and where recommendations will be developed for consideration and possible adoption at the NCWM 2016 Annual Meeting. The Committees may withdraw or carryover items that need additional development. Some of the items listed below provide notice of projects under development by groups working to develop specifications, tolerances, and other requirements for devices used in transportation network systems and the establishment of approximate gallon and liter equivalents to diesel fuel that would be used in marketing both compressed and liquefied natural gas. These notices are intended to make interested parties aware of these development projects and to make them aware that reports on the status of the project will be given at the NCWM Interim Meeting. The notices are also presented to invite the participation of manufacturers, experts, consumers, users, and others who may be interested in these efforts. The S&T Committee will consider proposed amendments to NIST Handbook 44, ‘‘Specifications, Tolerances, and other Technical Requirements for Weighing and Measuring Devices.’’ Those items address weighing and measuring devices used in commercial applications, that is, devices that are used to buy from or sell to the public or used for determining the quantity of products or services sold among businesses. Issues on the agenda of the NCWM L&R Committee relate to proposals to amend NIST Handbook 130, ‘‘Uniform Laws and Regulations in the area of Legal Metrology and Engine Fuel Quality’’ and NIST Handbook 133, ‘‘Checking the Net Contents of Packaged Goods.’’ VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:43 Jan 04, 2016 Jkt 238001 225 S&T Committee Hydrogen Gas-Metering Devices The following items are proposals to amend NIST Handbook 44: LPG and Anhydrous Ammonia Liquid-Measuring Devices Item 332–2. S.1.4.3. Provisions for Power Lost, S.1.5.1.1. Unit Price, S.1.5.1.2. Product Identity, S.1.6. For Retail Motor Vehicle Fuel Devices Only, S.1.7. For Wholesale Devices Only, UR. 2.7. Unit Price and Product Identity, and UR.2.8. Item 339–2 Table T.2. Accuracy Classes and Tolerances for Hydrogen Gas-Measuring Devices The NIST Handbook 44, HydrogenGas Measuring Devices code was added to NIST Handbook 44 in 2010 as a ‘‘Tentative Code.’’ As is often the case with a tentative code, it is expected that adjustments will need to be made to the code prior to changing its status to ‘‘permanent’’ as experience is gained by industry and regulatory offices on the operation, testing, and use of the devices covered by that code. The tolerances currently specified in the NIST Handbook 44, Hydrogen-Gas Measuring Devices code are ±1.5% for Acceptance Tolerance and ±2.0% for Maintenance Tolerance. According to the submitter of this proposal, no hydrogen-gas dispenser manufacturers can meet the tolerances currently specified in the tentative code. This item proposes establishing multiple accuracy classes in which Acceptance Tolerances would range from ±1.5% to ±5.0% and Maintenance Tolerances would range from ±2.0% to ±10.0%. The proposal places limits on the installation of certain accuracy classes after specified dates. After January 1, 2020, newly installed devices will be required to meet the current, more stringent tolerances; however, larger tolerances may continue to apply to devices installed prior to that date. This proposal would also permit devices of different accuracies to be used in the same application. Computing Device Retail motor-fuel dispensers used to dispense refined fuels such as gasoline and diesel are regulated under the Liquid-Measuring Devices (LMD) Code in NIST Handbook 44. The LMD Code has been repeatedly revised over the past 20 years to reflect changes in technology and marketing practices surrounding the sale of these fuels; however, corresponding changes have not always been made to the LPG and Ammonia Liquid-Measuring Devices Code: The proposed changes under this item are designed to align the LPG and Ammonia Liquid-Measuring Devices Code with the LMD code and help promote uniformity in device requirements and practices and ensure a level playing field among competing businesses. Mass Flow Meters Item 337–2 Appendix D—Definitions: Diesel Liter and Diesel Gallon Equivalents of Natural Gas In 1994 both liter and gallon ‘‘equivalents’’ for gasoline were established by the NCWM to provide a means for consumers to make value and fuel economy comparisons between compressed natural gas (CNG) and gasoline, and to promote broader acceptance and use of CNG as a vehicle fuel. These ‘‘equivalents’’ are based on a specific weight (mass) per volume, called the gasoline liter equivalent (GLE) and gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE), and are calculated using an estimate of the ‘‘average’’ equivalent energy content—a number provided by industry. For several years, the NCWM Specifications and Tolerances (S&T) and Laws and Regulations (L&R) Committees have deliberated on proposals to establish and/or revise requirements for the method of sale and commercial measurement of LNG and CNG. The purpose of this item is to define acceptable units of measurement and identify requirements for equipment used to commercially measure these products. PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Taximeters Item 354–5 U.S. National Work Group on Taximeters (USNWG)—Taximeter Code Revisions and Global Positioning System (GPS)-Based Systems for Time and Distance Measurement and Item 354–6 Transportation Network Systems—Draft Code For several years, the NIST USNWG on Taximeters has discussed possible approaches for amending the NIST Handbook 44, Taximeters Code to specifically recognize GPS-based time and distance measuring systems that are used to assess charges for transportation services such as taxicabs and limousines. Appropriate specifications, tolerances, and other technical requirements for these devices must be developed for manufacturers and users of these devices, as well for weights and measures officials. Such requirements help ensure accuracy and transparency for customers and a level playing field for transportation service companies, enabling consumers to make value E:\FR\FM\05JAN1.SGM 05JAN1 226 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 2 / Tuesday, January 5, 2016 / Notices comparisons between competing services. In the fall of 2015, the California Division of Measurement Standards submitted a proposal through multiple regional weights and measures associations to establish a separate NIST Handbook 44 code to address ‘‘Transportation Network Services.’’ The S&T Committee will examine these proposals and the result of recent discussions from a November 2015 USNWG meeting to assess how to best address these systems. L&R Committee The following items are proposals to amend NIST Handbook 130 or NIST Handbook 133: NIST Handbook 130—Section on Uniform Regulation for the Method of Sale of Commodities: Item 232–7 Bedding [FR Doc. 2015–33128 Filed 1–4–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–13–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NIST Handbook 133—Chapter 3 Items 260–3 and 260–4 Section 3.14. Firewood—(Volumetric Test Procedures for Packaged Firewood with a Labeled Volume of 113 L [4 ft3] or Less) asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Authority: 15 U.S.C. 272(b). Richard Cavanagh, Acting Associate Director for Laboratory Programs. Section 2.23. Animal The L&R Committee will consider a proposal to recommend adoption of a uniform method of sale for animal bedding that will enhance the ability of consumers to make value comparisons and will ensure fair competition. Animal Bedding is generally defined as any material, except for baled straw, that is kept, offered or exposed for sale or sold to retail consumers for primary use as a medium for any pet or companion or livestock animal to nest or eliminate waste. If adopted, the proposal will require packers to advertise and sell packages of animal bedding on the basis of the expanded volume of the bedding. Most packages of animal bedding are compressed during packaging and the expanded volume is the amount of product that consumers will recover through unwrapping and decompressing the bedding according to the instructions provided by the packer. See also Item 260–5, Section 3.15. Test Procedure for Verifying the Usable Volume Declaration on Packages of Animal Bedding. The current test procedure in NIST Handbook 133, Section 3.14., Firewood—(Volumetric Test Procedure for Packaged Firewood with a Labeled Volume of 113 L [4 ft3] or Less) has provided different test results when applied in various state inspections. If adopted, this proposal would clarify the test procedure and improve the accuracy of length determinations when VerDate Sep<11>2014 determining the volume of wood in bags, bundles and boxes. Improving the test procedures will help ensure that consumers can make value comparisons and reduce unfair competition. Also Item 232–4, NIST Handbook 130, Method of Sale of Sale of Commodities Regulation, Section 2.4. Fireplace and Stove Wood, is being considered for revision to recognize traditional industry labeling practice and eliminate language that appears to conflict with the requirements of the Uniform Packaging and Labeling Regulation. 18:43 Jan 04, 2016 Jkt 238001 National Institute of Standards and Technology Genome in a Bottle Consortium— Progress and Planning Workshop National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce. ACTION: Notice of public workshop. AGENCY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announces the Genome in a Bottle Consortium—Progress and Planning Workshop to be held on Thursday, January 28, 2016, and Friday, January 29, 2016. The Genome in a Bottle Consortium is developing the reference materials, reference methods, and reference data needed to assess confidence in human whole genome variant calls. A principal motivation for this consortium is to enable performance assessment of sequencing and science-based regulatory oversight of clinical sequencing. The purpose of this workshop is to update participants about progress of the consortium work, continue to get broad input from individual stakeholders to update or refine the consortium work plan, continue to broadly solicit consortium membership from interested stakeholders, and invite members to participate in work plan implementation. Topics of discussion at this workshop will include progress and planning of the Analysis Group, which is analyzing and integrating the large variety of sequencing data for four candidate NIST Reference Materials (RMs), with a particular focus on challenging types of variants and challenging regions of the genome. Other potential NIST RMs that SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 might be developed by the consortium will also be discussed. DATES: The Genome in a Bottle Consortium workshop will be held on Thursday, January 28, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time, and Friday, January 29, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Attendees must register by 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, January 21, 2016. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held on the second floor of the Li Ka Shing Conference Center, Stanford University, 291 Campus Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94305. Please note admittance instructions under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information contact Justin Zook by email at jzook@nist.gov or by phone at (301) 975–4133 or Marc Salit by email at salit@nist.gov or by phone at (650) 350–2338. To register, go to: https:// web.stanford.edu/∼saracl/GIAB2016.fb SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Clinical application of ultra high throughput sequencing (UHTS) for hereditary genetic diseases and oncology is rapidly growing. At present, there are no widely accepted genomic standards or quantitative performance metrics for confidence in variant calling. These standards and quantitative performance metrics are needed to achieve the confidence in measurement results expected for sound, reproducible research and regulated applications in the clinic. On April 13, 2012, NIST convened the workshop ‘‘Genome in a Bottle’’ to initiate a consortium to develop the reference materials, reference methods, and reference data needed to assess confidence in human whole genome variant calls (www.genomeinabottle.org). On August 16–17, 2012, NIST hosted the first large public meeting of the Genome in a Bottle Consortium, with about 100 participants from government, academic institutions, and industry. This meeting was announced in the Federal Register (77 FR 43237) on July 24, 2012. A principal motivation for this consortium was to enable science-based regulatory oversight of clinical sequencing. At the August 2012 meeting, the consortium established work plans for four technical working groups with the following responsibilities: (1) Reference Material (RM) Selection and Design: Select appropriate sources for whole genome RMs and identify or design synthetic DNA constructs that could be spiked-in to samples for measurement assurance. (2) Measurements for Reference Material Characterization: Design and carry out experiments to characterize E:\FR\FM\05JAN1.SGM 05JAN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 2 (Tuesday, January 5, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 224-226]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-33128]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


National Conference on Weights and Measures 101st Interim Meeting

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The 101st Interim Meeting of the National Conference on 
Weights and Measures (NCWM) will be held in San Diego, California, from 
Sunday, January 10, 2016, through Wednesday, January 13, 2016. This 
notice contains information about significant items on the NCWM 
Committee agendas but does not include all agenda items. As a result, 
the items are not consecutively numbered.

DATES: The meeting will be held on Sunday, January 10, 2016, through 
Tuesday, January 12, 2016, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time, 
and on Wednesday, January 13, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Pacific 
time. The meeting schedule is available at www.ncwm.net.

ADDRESSES: This meeting will be held at the Westin San Diego Gaslamp 
Quarter, 910 Broadway Circle, San Diego, California 92101.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Carol Hockert, Chief, NIST, Office 
of Weights and Measures, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 2600, Gaithersburg, MD 
20899-2600. You may also contact Ms. Hockert at (301) 975-5507 or by 
email at carol.hockert@nist.gov. The meeting is open to the public, but 
a paid registration is required. Please see NCWM Web site 
(www.ncwm.net) to view the meeting agendas, registration forms, and 
hotel reservation information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Publication of this notice on the NCWM's 
behalf is undertaken as a public service; NIST does not endorse, 
approve, or recommend any of the proposals or other information 
contained in this notice or in the publications of the NCWM.
    The NCWM is an organization of weights and measures officials of 
the states, counties, and cities of the United States, federal 
agencies, and representatives from the private sector. These meetings 
bring together government officials and representatives of business, 
industry, trade associations, and consumer organizations on subjects 
related to the field of weights and measures technology, 
administration, and enforcement. NIST participates to

[[Page 225]]

encourage cooperation between federal agencies and the states in the 
development of legal metrology requirements. NIST also promotes 
uniformity among the states in laws, regulations, methods, and testing 
equipment that comprise the regulatory control of commercial weighing 
and measuring devices, packaged goods, and other trade and commerce 
issues.
    The following are brief descriptions of some of the significant 
agenda items that will be considered at the NCWM Interim Meeting. 
Comments will be taken on these and other issues during several public 
comment sessions. At this stage, the items are proposals. This meeting 
also includes work sessions in which the Specification and Tolerances 
Committee (S & T Committee) and the Laws and Regulations Committee (L & 
R Committee) may also accept comments, and where recommendations will 
be developed for consideration and possible adoption at the NCWM 2016 
Annual Meeting. The Committees may withdraw or carryover items that 
need additional development.
    Some of the items listed below provide notice of projects under 
development by groups working to develop specifications, tolerances, 
and other requirements for devices used in transportation network 
systems and the establishment of approximate gallon and liter 
equivalents to diesel fuel that would be used in marketing both 
compressed and liquefied natural gas.
    These notices are intended to make interested parties aware of 
these development projects and to make them aware that reports on the 
status of the project will be given at the NCWM Interim Meeting. The 
notices are also presented to invite the participation of 
manufacturers, experts, consumers, users, and others who may be 
interested in these efforts.
    The S&T Committee will consider proposed amendments to NIST 
Handbook 44, ``Specifications, Tolerances, and other Technical 
Requirements for Weighing and Measuring Devices.'' Those items address 
weighing and measuring devices used in commercial applications, that 
is, devices that are used to buy from or sell to the public or used for 
determining the quantity of products or services sold among businesses. 
Issues on the agenda of the NCWM L&R Committee relate to proposals to 
amend NIST Handbook 130, ``Uniform Laws and Regulations in the area of 
Legal Metrology and Engine Fuel Quality'' and NIST Handbook 133, 
``Checking the Net Contents of Packaged Goods.''

S&T Committee

    The following items are proposals to amend NIST Handbook 44:
    LPG and Anhydrous Ammonia Liquid-Measuring Devices Item 332-2. 
S.1.4.3. Provisions for Power Lost, S.1.5.1.1. Unit Price, S.1.5.1.2. 
Product Identity, S.1.6. For Retail Motor Vehicle Fuel Devices Only, 
S.1.7. For Wholesale Devices Only, UR. 2.7. Unit Price and Product 
Identity, and UR.2.8.

Computing Device

    Retail motor-fuel dispensers used to dispense refined fuels such as 
gasoline and diesel are regulated under the Liquid-Measuring Devices 
(LMD) Code in NIST Handbook 44. The LMD Code has been repeatedly 
revised over the past 20 years to reflect changes in technology and 
marketing practices surrounding the sale of these fuels; however, 
corresponding changes have not always been made to the LPG and Ammonia 
Liquid-Measuring Devices Code: The proposed changes under this item are 
designed to align the LPG and Ammonia Liquid-Measuring Devices Code 
with the LMD code and help promote uniformity in device requirements 
and practices and ensure a level playing field among competing 
businesses.

Mass Flow Meters

Item 337-2 Appendix D--Definitions: Diesel Liter and Diesel Gallon 
Equivalents of Natural Gas

    In 1994 both liter and gallon ``equivalents'' for gasoline were 
established by the NCWM to provide a means for consumers to make value 
and fuel economy comparisons between compressed natural gas (CNG) and 
gasoline, and to promote broader acceptance and use of CNG as a vehicle 
fuel. These ``equivalents'' are based on a specific weight (mass) per 
volume, called the gasoline liter equivalent (GLE) and gasoline gallon 
equivalent (GGE), and are calculated using an estimate of the 
``average'' equivalent energy content--a number provided by industry. 
For several years, the NCWM Specifications and Tolerances (S&T) and 
Laws and Regulations (L&R) Committees have deliberated on proposals to 
establish and/or revise requirements for the method of sale and 
commercial measurement of LNG and CNG. The purpose of this item is to 
define acceptable units of measurement and identify requirements for 
equipment used to commercially measure these products.

Hydrogen Gas-Metering Devices

Item 339-2 Table T.2. Accuracy Classes and Tolerances for Hydrogen Gas-
Measuring Devices

    The NIST Handbook 44, Hydrogen-Gas Measuring Devices code was added 
to NIST Handbook 44 in 2010 as a ``Tentative Code.'' As is often the 
case with a tentative code, it is expected that adjustments will need 
to be made to the code prior to changing its status to ``permanent'' as 
experience is gained by industry and regulatory offices on the 
operation, testing, and use of the devices covered by that code.
    The tolerances currently specified in the NIST Handbook 44, 
Hydrogen-Gas Measuring Devices code are 1.5% for Acceptance 
Tolerance and 2.0% for Maintenance Tolerance. According to 
the submitter of this proposal, no hydrogen-gas dispenser manufacturers 
can meet the tolerances currently specified in the tentative code. This 
item proposes establishing multiple accuracy classes in which 
Acceptance Tolerances would range from 1.5% to 5.0% and Maintenance Tolerances would range from 2.0% 
to 10.0%. The proposal places limits on the installation of 
certain accuracy classes after specified dates. After January 1, 2020, 
newly installed devices will be required to meet the current, more 
stringent tolerances; however, larger tolerances may continue to apply 
to devices installed prior to that date. This proposal would also 
permit devices of different accuracies to be used in the same 
application.

Taximeters

Item 354-5 U.S. National Work Group on Taximeters (USNWG)--Taximeter 
Code Revisions and Global Positioning System (GPS)-Based Systems for 
Time and Distance Measurement and

Item 354-6 Transportation Network Systems--Draft Code

    For several years, the NIST USNWG on Taximeters has discussed 
possible approaches for amending the NIST Handbook 44, Taximeters Code 
to specifically recognize GPS-based time and distance measuring systems 
that are used to assess charges for transportation services such as 
taxicabs and limousines. Appropriate specifications, tolerances, and 
other technical requirements for these devices must be developed for 
manufacturers and users of these devices, as well for weights and 
measures officials. Such requirements help ensure accuracy and 
transparency for customers and a level playing field for transportation 
service companies, enabling consumers to make value

[[Page 226]]

comparisons between competing services. In the fall of 2015, the 
California Division of Measurement Standards submitted a proposal 
through multiple regional weights and measures associations to 
establish a separate NIST Handbook 44 code to address ``Transportation 
Network Services.'' The S&T Committee will examine these proposals and 
the result of recent discussions from a November 2015 USNWG meeting to 
assess how to best address these systems.

L&R Committee

    The following items are proposals to amend NIST Handbook 130 or 
NIST Handbook 133:
    NIST Handbook 130--Section on Uniform Regulation for the Method of 
Sale of Commodities:

Item 232-7 Section 2.23. Animal Bedding

    The L&R Committee will consider a proposal to recommend adoption of 
a uniform method of sale for animal bedding that will enhance the 
ability of consumers to make value comparisons and will ensure fair 
competition. Animal Bedding is generally defined as any material, 
except for baled straw, that is kept, offered or exposed for sale or 
sold to retail consumers for primary use as a medium for any pet or 
companion or livestock animal to nest or eliminate waste. If adopted, 
the proposal will require packers to advertise and sell packages of 
animal bedding on the basis of the expanded volume of the bedding. Most 
packages of animal bedding are compressed during packaging and the 
expanded volume is the amount of product that consumers will recover 
through unwrapping and decompressing the bedding according to the 
instructions provided by the packer. See also Item 260-5, Section 3.15. 
Test Procedure for Verifying the Usable Volume Declaration on Packages 
of Animal Bedding.

NIST Handbook 133--Chapter 3

Items 260-3 and 260-4 Section 3.14. Firewood--(Volumetric Test 
Procedures for Packaged Firewood with a Labeled Volume of 113 L [4 
ft\3\] or Less)

    The current test procedure in NIST Handbook 133, Section 3.14., 
Firewood--(Volumetric Test Procedure for Packaged Firewood with a 
Labeled Volume of 113 L [4 ft\3\] or Less) has provided different test 
results when applied in various state inspections. If adopted, this 
proposal would clarify the test procedure and improve the accuracy of 
length determinations when determining the volume of wood in bags, 
bundles and boxes. Improving the test procedures will help ensure that 
consumers can make value comparisons and reduce unfair competition. 
Also Item 232-4, NIST Handbook 130, Method of Sale of Sale of 
Commodities Regulation, Section 2.4. Fireplace and Stove Wood, is being 
considered for revision to recognize traditional industry labeling 
practice and eliminate language that appears to conflict with the 
requirements of the Uniform Packaging and Labeling Regulation.

    Authority: 15 U.S.C. 272(b).

Richard Cavanagh,
Acting Associate Director for Laboratory Programs.
[FR Doc. 2015-33128 Filed 1-4-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-13-P
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.