[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 243 (Friday, December 18, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70163-70164]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-33553]


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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.

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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 1999 fees on our actual expenses for 
fiscal year 1998. 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, 1999 through 
December 31, 1999.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On May 8, 1987 (52 FR 17506), 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 1999 in accordance with the procedures of that rule and include 
this new fee schedule below. For approval applications postmarked 
before January 1, 1999, we will continue to calculate fees under the 
previous (1998) fee schedule, published on December 24, 1997.

Fee Computation

    In general, we computed the 1999 fees based on fiscal year 1998 
data. We calculated a weighted-average, direct

[[Page 70164]]

cost for all the services that we provided during fiscal year 1998 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 1999.

Elimination of SNAP and SRA Programs

    Effective September 1998, we eliminated the Stamped Notification 
Acceptance Program (SNAP) and Stamped Revision Acceptance (SRA) 
programs. Under these programs, we charged only a nominal fee for the 
acceptance of certain changes to approvals. All requests for acceptance 
of proposed changes to approved products now require only:
    (1) A letter of application describing the proposed changes, and
    (2) The new or revised drawings and specifications that document 
the proposed changes.
    As with original requests for approval, we will charge a single 
hourly rate for processing all future requests for acceptance of 
proposed changes to approved products.
    In addition, we require you (applicant) to pre-authorize the 
expenditure of at least $500 for fees. If the complexity of the 
proposed change requires more time to evaluate than you pre-authorized, 
we will prepare an estimate of the total cost and send it to you. If 
you agree to the additional cost, we will complete the approval 
process. We will bill you for the actual cost of processing your 
application at the conclusion of the investigation.
    We will continue to administer and bill certain tests and services 
at a flat rate. We have listed our hourly and flat-rate fees for 1999 
in the following fee schedule.

    Dated: December 14, 1998.
J. Davitt McAteer,
Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health.

                 Fee Schedule Effective January 1, 1999
                         [Based on FY 1998 data]
 
              Action title                  Hourly rate      Flat rate
 
Fees for Testing, Evaluation, and
 Approval of all Mining Products \1\....             $59
Retesting for Approval as a Result of
 Post-Approval Product Audit \2\........  ..............
Statement of Test and Evaluation (ST&E).  ..............            $105
Statement of Test and Evaluation (ST&E)
 Extension..............................  ..............              83
Mine Wide Monitoring System (MWMS)
 Barrier Classification.................  ..............              89
 


                   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
 
\1\ Full approval fee consists of evaluation cost plus applicable test
  costs.
\2\ Fee based upon the approval schedule in effect at the time of
  retest.
 
Note: When the nature of the product requires that we test and evaluate
  it at a location other than our premises, you must reimburse us for
  the traveling, subsistence, and incidental expenses of our
  representative in accordance with standardized government travel
  regulations. This reimbursement is in addition to the fees charged for
  evaluation and testing.

[FR Doc. 98-33553 Filed 12-17-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-43-P