[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 5 (Monday, January 8, 2001)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 1283]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-434]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

46 CFR Parts 110 and 111

[USCG-2001-8602]


Marine Shipboard Electrical Cable Standards: Incorporation of 
IEEE Standard 45, 1998 Edition

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is considering requests to allow merchant 
vessels to use shipboard cable constructed to meet the requirements in 
Clause 8 (Cable Construction), Clause 9 (Cable Application), and Clause 
10 (Cable Installation) of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics 
Engineers (IEEE) Standard 45, Recommended Practice for Electrical 
Installations on Shipboard-1998 edition. The 1998 edition changes the 
testing requirements for marine shipboard electrical cable from those 
in the 1983 edition. It also requires third party verification. The 
Coast Guard requests comments concerning which edition (the 1983 
edition, the 1998 edition, or both) should be incorporated by 
reference.

DATES: Comments and related material must reach the Docket Management 
Facility on or before March 9, 2001.

ADDRESSES: To make sure your comments and related material are not 
entered more than once in the docket, please submit them by only one of 
the following means:
    (1) By mail to the Docket Management Facility [USCG-2001-8602], 
U.S. Department of Transportation, room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (2) By delivery to room PL-401 on the Plaza level of the Nassif 
Building, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone 
number is 202-366-9329.
    (3) By fax to the Docket Management Facility at 202-493-2251.
    (4) Electronically through the Web Site for the Docket Management 
System at http://dms.dot.gov.
    The Docket Management Facility maintains the public docket for this 
notice. Comments and material received from the public will become part 
of this docket and will be available for inspection or copying at room 
PL-401 on the Plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street 
SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays. You may also find this docket on the Internet 
at http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions on this notice, call 
Dolores Mercier, Project Manager, Office of Design and Engineering 
Standards (G-MSE), Coast Guard, telephone 202-267-0658, fax 202-267-
4816, e-mail [email protected]. For questions on viewing or 
submitting material to the docket, call Dorothy Beard, Chief, Dockets, 
Department of Transportation, phone 202-366-9329.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Request for Comments

    If you submit written comments, please include your name and 
address, and identify the docket number for this rulemaking [USCG-2001-
8602] and the reason for each comment. You may submit your comments and 
material by mail, delivery, fax, or electronic means to the Docket 
Management Facility at the address under ADDRESSES; but please submit 
your comments and material by only one means. Please submit all 
comments and material in an unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 
inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing to the Facility at 
the address under ADDRESSES. If you want acknowledgement of receipt of 
your comments, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or 
envelope. The Coast Guard will consider all comments and materials 
received during the comment period.

Background and Purpose

    On February 8, 2000, a notice of proposed rulemaking was published 
in the Federal Register (65 FR 6111). In this rulemaking the Coast 
Guard proposed to amend its electrical engineering regulations for 
merchant vessels by adding alternative cable standards that were 
equivalent to the existing standards. IEEE Std 45, 1998 edition was not 
included in that rulemaking as an alternative standard. In the comment 
process of that notice we received numerous requests from industry to 
recognize marine shipboard electrical cable that is constructed to IEEE 
Std. 45-1998 edition. We presently recognize cable constructed to the 
IEEE Std. 45-1983 edition. The 1998 edition of IEEE Std. 45 changes the 
testing requirements for marine shipboard electrical cable, and it also 
requires third party verification. We recognize that there are types of 
cable found in IEEE Std. 45-1998, that are not found in IEEE Std. 45-
1983.
    The Coast Guard seeks comments regarding the following three 
proposals:
    1. The Coast Guard should not recognize IEEE Std. 45-1998 edition.
    2. The Coast Guard should recognize IEEE Std. 45-1998 edition and 
should remove the reference to the 1983 edition.
    3. The Coast Guard should recognize IEEE Std. 45-1998 edition and 
should leave the reference to the 1983 edition.
    The Coast Guard encourages the public to submit comments on the 
above three proposals.

    Dated: December 27, 2000.
Joseph J. Angelo,
Director of Standards.
[FR Doc. 01-434 Filed 1-5-01; 8:45 am]
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