[Federal Register: December 28, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 248)]
[Notices]
[Page 72696]

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

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Mine Safety and Health Administration

Fee Adjustments for Testing, Evaluation, and Approval of Mining Products

AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice of fee adjustments.

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

SUMMARY: This notice revises our (MSHA Approval and Certification Center (A&CC)) user fees. Fees compensate us for the costs that we incur for testing, evaluating, and approving certain products for use in underground mines. We based the year 2000 fees on our actual expenses for fiscal year 1999. The fees reflect changes both in our approval processing operations and in our costs to process approval actions.

DATES: These fee schedules are effective from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven J. Luzik, Chief, Approval and Certification Center, 304-547-2029 or 304-547-0400.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On May 8, 1987 (52 FR 17506), pursuant to 30 U.S.C. 957, we published a final rule, 30 CFR Part 5--Fees for Testing, Evaluation, and Approval of Mining Products. The rule established specific procedures for calculating, administering, and revising user fees. We have revised our fee schedule for the year 2000 in accordance with the procedures of that rule and include this new fee schedule below. For approval applications postmarked before January 1, 2000, we will continue to calculate fees under the previous (1999) fee schedule, published on December 18, 1998.

Fee Computation

In general, we computed the year 2000 fees based on fiscal year 1999 data. We calculated a weighted-average, direct cost for all the services that we provided during fiscal year 1999 in the processing of requests for testing, evaluation, and approval of certain products for use in underground mines. From this cost, we calculated a single hourly rate to apply uniformly across all of the product approval categories during the year 2000.

Elimination of Flat Rates

Under the provisions of 30 CFR Part 5, three approval areas have been converted from a flat rate to an hourly rate: Statement of Test and Evaluation, Statement of Test and Evaluation Extension, and Mine Wide Monitoring System Barrier Classification. The conversion of these last three approval areas results in a single hourly rate being uniformly applied regardless of product type. See the schedule for the appropriate hourly rate.

Dated: December 22, 1999.
Rebecca J. Smith,
Deputy Director, Office of Standards, Regulations and Variances.

                 Fee Schedule Effective January 1, 2000
                         [Based on FY 1999 data]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Hourly
                          Action title                             rate
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fees for Testing, Evaluation, and Approval of all Mining             $61
 Products \1\..................................................
Retesting for Approval as a Result of Post-Approval Product      .......
 Audit \2\.....................................................

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   30 CFR Part 15--Explosives Testing
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Permissibility Tests for Explosives:
  Weigh-in.....................................................     $462
  Physical Exam: First size....................................      325
  Chemical Analysis............................................    1,977
  Air Gap--Minimum Product Firing Temperature..................      460
  Air Gap--Room Temperature....................................      352
  Pendulum Friction Test.......................................      163
  Detonation Rate..............................................      352
  Gallery Test 7...............................................    7,436
  Gallery Test 8...............................................    5,533
  Toxic Gases (Large Chamber)..................................      805
Permissibility Tests for Sheathed Explosives:
  Physical Examination.........................................      128
  Chemical Analysis............................................    1,044
  Gallery Test 9...............................................    1,944
  Gallery Test 10..............................................    1,944
  Gallery Test 11..............................................    1,944
  Gallery Test 12..............................................    1,944
  Drop Test....................................................      648
  Temperature Effects/Detonation...............................      672
  Toxic Gases..................................................     580
------------------------------------------------------------------------