[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 251 (Tuesday, December 31, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 79947]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-33020]


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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. The 2003 fees are based on our actual expenses 
for fiscal year 2002. The fees reflect changes both in our approval 
processing operations and in the costs to process approval actions.

DATES: This fee schedule is effective from January 1, 2003, through 
December 31, 2003.

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), MSHA 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 2003 in accordance with the procedures of that rule. This new fee 
schedule is included below. For approval applications postmarked before 
January 1, 2003, we will continue to calculate fees under the previous 
(2002) fee schedule, published on December 28, 2001.

Fee Computation

    In general, MSHA computed the 2003 fees based on fiscal year 2002 
data. We calculated a weighted-average, direct cost for all the 
services provided during fiscal year 2002 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 
2003.

    Dated: December 26, 2002.
John R. Caylor,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health.

                 Fee Schedule Effective January 1, 2003
                         [Based on FY 2002 data]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Action title                          Hourly rate
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fees for Testing, Evaluation, and Approval of all Mining             $61
 Products\1\............................................
Retesting for Approval as a Result of Post-Approval                   61
 Product Audit..........................................
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                   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.


    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. 02-33020 Filed 12-30-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-43-P