[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 244 (Tuesday, December 22, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68045-68046]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-30421]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


National Conference on Weights and Measures 95th Interim Meeting

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM) 95th 
Interim Meeting will be held January 24 to 27, 2010. Publication of 
this notice on the NCWM's behalf is undertaken as a public service; 
NIST does not endorse, approve, or recommend any of the proposals 
contained in this notice or in the publications of the NCWM mentioned 
below. The meetings are open to the public but a paid registration is 
required. Please see registration information in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section below.

DATES: The meeting will be held on January 24 to 27, 2010.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Hilton Nashville Downtown, 
121 Fourth Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee 37201.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carol Hockert, Chief, NIST, Weights 
and Measures Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 2600, Gaithersburg, MD 
20899-2600 or by telephone (301) 975-5507 or by e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NCWM is an organization of weights and 
measures officials of the states, counties, and cities of the United 
States, federal agencies, and private sector representatives. These 
meetings bring together government officials and representatives of 
business, industry, trade associations, and consumer organizations on 
subjects related to the field of weights and measures technology, 
administration and enforcement. NIST participates to promote uniformity 
among the states in laws, regulations, methods, and testing equipment 
that comprise the regulatory control of commercial weighing and 
measuring devices and other trade and commerce issues. To register to 
attend the meeting, please see NCWM Publication 15 ``Interim Meeting 
Agenda'' at http://www.ncwm.net or http://www.nist.gov/owm that 
contains meeting agendas, registration forms and hotel reservation 
information.
    The following are brief descriptions of some of the significant 
agenda items that will be considered along with other issues at the 
NCWM Interim Meeting. Comments will be taken on these and other issues 
during several public comment sessions. At this stage, the items are 
proposals. This meeting also includes work sessions in which the 
Committees may also accept comments and where they will finalize 
recommendations for NCWM consideration and possible adoption at its 
Annual Meeting to be held at the Crown Plaza St. Paul Riverfront in St. 
Paul, Minnesota on July 11 to 15, 2010. The Committees may withdraw or 
carry over items that need additional development.
    The Specifications and Tolerances Committee (S&T Committee) will 
consider proposed amendments to NIST Handbook 44, ``Specifications, 
Tolerances, and other Technical Requirements for Weighing and Measuring 
Devices (NIST Handbook 44).'' Those items address weighing and 
measuring devices used in commercial applications, that is, devices 
that are used to buy from or sell to the public or used for determining 
the quantity of product sold among businesses.
    Issues on the agenda of the NCWM Laws and Regulations Committee 
(L&R Committee) relate to proposals to amend NIST Handbook 130, 
``Uniform Laws and Regulations in the area of legal metrology and 
engine fuel quality'' and NIST Handbook 133 ``Checking the Net Contents 
of Packaged Goods.''

NCWM Specifications and Tolerances Committee

    The following items are proposals to amend NIST Handbook 44:

General Code

    Item 310-1. G-S.8. Provision for Sealing Electronic Adjustable 
Components, G-S.8.1. Access to Calibration and Configuration 
Adjustments, and G-S.8.2.--The S&T Committee will consider a proposal 
to add new requirements to G-S.8. intended to improve the security of 
access to the calibration and other configuration features on weighing 
or measuring devices. The purpose of the proposal is to ensure that 
prohibited features cannot be activated and that the accuracy of the 
device cannot be altered after a weights and measures official applies 
security seals or another approved means of providing security.
    Item 310-3. Software, G-S.1. Identification--The S&T Committee will 
consider a proposal that is intended to amend the identification 
requirements for all electronic devices manufactured after a specified 
date by requiring metrological software version or revision 
information. Additionally, the proposal will list other optional 
methods for providing the required information.

Liquid-Measuring Devices Code

    Item 360-1. Tentative Code for Hydrogen Gas-Measuring Devices--The 
S&T Committee will consider a proposal to establish legal metrology 
requirements for gaseous hydrogen refueling dispensers. These devices 
are in operation in 24 states and these requirements will provide state 
weights and measures programs and manufacturers with specifications, 
tolerances and other technical requirements for these measuring 
devices.
    Item 330-1. Automatic Temperature Compensation for Liquid-Measuring 
Devices--The S&T Committee will consider a proposal to add provisions 
to Handbook 44 to allow retail motor-fuel dispensers to be equipped 
with the automatic means to deliver engine fuels with the volume 
compensated to a reference temperature.
    Item 331-2. For Vehicle Mounted Measuring Devices, UR.2.5.2.1. 
Automatic Temperature Compensation for Refined Petroleum Products--The 
S&T Committee will consider a proposal to add user requirements to NIST 
Handbook 44 related to measuring devices equipped with automatic 
temperature compensators. If adopted, users would be required to 
operate the compensators on a year round basis and all measuring 
devices used at a single business location would be required to be 
equipped with compensators to ensure all of the fuels sold from that 
location are dispensed on the same basis.

NCWM Laws and Regulations Committee

    The following items are proposals to amend NIST Handbook 130 or 
NIST Handbook 133:

NIST Handbook 133

    Item 260-1. Guidance on Allowing for Moisture Loss and Other 
Revisions--The L&R Committee will consider proposals to revise and 
update the 4th Edition of this handbook that was last revised in 2005. 
Some proposed changes will clarify guidance on moisture allowances and 
inspection procedures and others will correct errors in the current 
edition.

Method of Sale of Commodities Regulation

    Item 270-4. Method of Sale and Engine Fuel Quality Requirements for 
Hydrogen--The L&R Committee will consider a proposal to adopt a uniform 
method of sale and preliminary engine

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fuel quality standards for hydrogen used to refuel highway vehicles.
    Item 270-5. Seed Count for Agricultural Seeds--The L&R Committee 
will consider a proposed method of sale and related test procedures for 
the inspection of packaged agricultural seed (specifically corn seed, 
soybean seed, field bean seed, and wheat seed) by ``count.'' (This item 
also includes proposed changes to NIST Handbook 133.)
    Item 270-6. Polyethylene Products, Method of Sale Regulation 
Section 2.13.4. ``Declaration of Weight.''--The L&R Committee will 
consider a proposal to revise the density values used to calculate the 
net weights on some packages of polyethylene products to recognize that 
heavier density plastics are now being used in some sheeting and bags. 
(See also Item 270-7 Handbook 133, Chapter 4.7. Polyethylene Sheeting--
Test Procedure--Footnote to Step 3.)
    Item 270-9. Packaged Printer Ink and Toner Cartridges--The L&R 
Committee will consider a proposed method of sale that would clarify 
the labeling requirements for packaged inkjet and toner cartridges to 
ensure that consumers are informed about the net quantity of contents 
of these products so that value comparisons can be made.
    Item 270-11. Measurement of the Volume of Bagged Mulch--The L&R 
Committee will consider a proposal to revise the procedures used to 
verify the net quantity of contents of packaged mulch. The revisions 
include a proposal to require open dating so that allowances for 
moisture loss and decomposition can be made.

    Dated: December 17, 2009.
Patrick Gallagher,
Director.
[FR Doc. E9-30421 Filed 12-21-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P