Federal Register/Vol. 84, No. 201/Thursday, October 17, 2019
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55562 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 201 / Thursday, October 17, 2019 / Notices Secretary for Antidumping and Affected Public: Individual or ADDRESSES: NIST and NOAA are using Countervailing Duties, at U.S. Households. the https://www.regulations.gov system Department of Commerce, Room 18022, Frequency: Annually. for the submission and posting of public 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. comments in this proceeding. All Washington, DC 20230. This information collection request comments in response to this notice are Dated: October 9, 2019. may be viewed at reginfo.gov. Follow therefore to be submitted electronically James Maeder, the instructions to view Department of through https://www.regulations.gov, via the web form accessed by following Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping Commerce collections currently under and Countervailing Duty Operations. review by OMB. the ‘‘Submit a Formal Comment’’ link Written comments and near the top right of the Federal [FR Doc. 2019–22692 Filed 10–16–19; 8:45 am] Register web page for this notice. BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: within 30 days of publication of this U.S. survey foot deprecation DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE notice to OIRA_Submission@ resources: https://www.nist.gov/pml/us- omb.eop.gov or fax to (202) 395–5806. surveyfoot. National Institute of Standards and Information on standards Technology Sheleen Dumas, development and maintenance: Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of the Elizabeth Gentry, 301–975–3690, Submission for OMB Review; Chief Information Officer, Commerce [email protected]. Comment Request Department. Technical and historical information [FR Doc. 2019–22620 Filed 10–16–19; 8:45 am] on usage of the foot: Michael Dennis, The Department of Commerce will BILLING CODE 3510–13–P 240–533–9611, Michael.Dennis@ submit to the Office of Management and noaa.gov. Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: information under the provisions of the Background Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. National Institute of Standards and Chapter 35). Technology This action is designed to establish Agency: National Institute of national uniformity in length Standards and Technology (NIST). Deprecation of the United States (U.S.) measurements based on the foot. For Title: Baldrige Performance Excellent Survey Foot more than sixty years, two nearly Program (BPEP) Team Leader Consensus identical definitions of the foot have AGENCY: The National Institute of and Team Leader Site Visit Information been in use in the U.S. for geodetic and Standards and Technology and the land surveys. A Federal Register notice Collections. National Geodetic Survey (NGS), OMB Control Number: 0693–0079. published on July 1, 1959 (24 FR 5348) National Ocean Service (NOS), National Form Number(s): None. by the National Bureau of Standards Type of Request: Extension and Oceanic and Atmospheric (renamed the National Institute of revision of a current information Administration (NOAA), Department of Standards and Technology in 1988) and collection. Commerce (DOC). the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Number of Respondents: Examiner ACTION: Notice; request for comment. (reorganized as the National Geodetic Performance Assessment—40 per year; Survey under the National Oceanic and Team Leader Performance Assessment— SUMMARY: The National Institute of Atmospheric Administration in 1970) 300 per year. Standards and Technology (NIST) and refined the definition of the yard in Average Hours per Response: the National Geodetic Survey (NGS), terms of the International System of Examiner Performance Assessment—20 National Ocean Service (NOS), National Units (SI), commonly known as the minutes; Team Leader Performance Oceanic and Atmospheric metric system. The 1959 notice was Assessment—5 minutes. Administration (NOAA), are taking issued after an international agreement Burden Hours: Examiner Performance collaborative action to provide national among six nations resolved a long- Assessment—13.5 hours; Team Leader uniformity in the measurement of standing difference in the relationship Performance Assessment—25 hours. length. This notice announces a of the U.S. yard to the British yard. The Needs and Uses: The purpose of the decision to deprecate the use of the notice reported that there was a slight information is to help staff collect data ‘‘U.S. survey foot’’ on December 31, difference (2 parts per million) between on the skills of the examiners, including 2022. After that date, the ‘‘U.S. survey the 1959 definition (i.e., one yard = alumni examiners, in order to best foot’’ will be superseded by the ‘‘foot’’ 0.914 4 meter, exactly) and an 1893 manage training and selection. Because (formerly known as the ‘‘international definition (i.e., 1 yard = 3600/3937 the examiner selection is so foot’’), which is already in use meter, or approximately 0.914 401 83 competitive, examiners need to throughout the U.S. This notice meter). demonstrate competencies such as describes the plan, resources, training, The 1959 Federal Register notice then understanding the Baldrige Criteria, and other activities of NIST and NOAA adopted a revised value for the foot for team skills, and writing skills. The that will assist those affected by this use throughout the U.S., and identified program also needs to collect peer-based transition, and invites comments and it as the ‘‘international foot’’ to show information to understand an other information from land surveyors, that it corresponded with the foot in use examiner’s skill level in order to make engineers, Federal, State and local by the United Kingdom and other decisions on whether the examiner government officials, businesses, and countries. The notice defined this should be elevated to ‘‘senior examiner’’ any other member of the public engaged international foot as 0.304 8 meter (e.g., and therefore team leader. The blinded in or affected by surveying and mapping equal to 0.999 999 8 of the value for the data will be shared with the team leader operations. foot officially adopted in 1893). for improvement purposes, and for DATES: Comments and other information Additionally, to avoid disrupting the future assignments. must be received by December 2, 2019. surveying practices at the time, the VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:26 Oct 16, 2019 Jkt 250001 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\17OCN1.SGM 17OCN1 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 201 / Thursday, October 17, 2019 / Notices 55563 notice established an interim approach such as those involving rectangular and unnecessary costs to the users, the that permitted the limited use of the plane coordinates of SPCS 83. In these States, and professionals in the historic 1893 value of the foot cases, the difference between the two surveying, mapping, and engineering exclusively in the field of geodetic definitions can also result in large fields. No compelling justification to surveys. It was identified as the ‘‘U.S. direction and position location errors, in maintain two definitions for the foot survey foot’’ with the defined value of many cases reaching tens of feet for exists. 0.304 800 61 meter (approximately). The SPCS 83 coordinates. Notice From the Director of the 1959 notice specifically stated that the Because of this situation, there has National Institute of Standards and ‘‘U.S. survey foot’’ should be used been a long history of Technology Regarding the Deprecation ‘‘until such a time as it becomes misunderstandings and confusion over of the ‘‘U.S. Survey Foot’’ on December desirable and expedient to readjust the which definition of the foot was used to 31, 2022 basic geodetic survey networks in the carry out a specific land survey or civil United States, after which the ratio of a engineering project. There have been Under Article 1, Section 8 of the yard, equal to 0.914 4 meter, shall many instances where software or United States Constitution, Congress apply.’’ electronic surveying devices default to retains the power to ‘‘fix the Standard As announced in a Federal Register one or the other foot definitions, but of Weights and Measures.’’ Throughout notice published on March 24, 1977 (42 users incorrectly assume the actual unit that section, the words ‘‘uniform FR 15943), NOAA officially adopted the of measure in use. This ongoing throughout the United States’’ are used meter as the unit for length in the ambiguity has resulted in professional in conjunction with many of the other National Spatial Reference System liability by the inadvertent violation of duties and responsibilities that are (NSRS). However, U.S. surveying and State law, the introduction of systematic listed. The ‘‘fixing’’ or defining the mapping practitioners continued to use errors in surveying and engineering standards of weights and measures is the ‘‘U.S. survey foot,’’ including when projects, misreported position and intrinsic to ensure uniform they employed the NGS-defined State location, land sale and project delays, measurement across the U.S., as well as Plane Coordinates System of 1927 and boundary disputes, additional costs with the rest of the world. In 1866, 1983 (SPCS 27 and SPCS 83, associated with correcting unit Congress acted to make the metric respectively). Because the ‘‘international mistakes, and other unintended system of measurement (now known as foot’’ is the basis for all other length consequences. Because State the International System of Units (SI)) measurements and calibrations in the jurisdictions with different legal legal for use in the United States (15 U.S., it is no longer necessary to definitions of the foot share borders, U.S.C. 204). On May 20, 1875 the U.S. continue to maintain two unit values for mapping projects in these geographic signed the Meter Convention (known as the foot. zones may experience elevated error the ‘‘International Treaty of the Meter’’), risks as a surveyor transitions between which established the International Consequences for Surveying, Mapping, a State that uses the ‘‘U.S.