[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 204 (Thursday, October 22, 2015)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 63914-63916]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-26850]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

15 CFR Part 950

[Docket No: 150202106-5879-02]
RIN 0648-BE86


Schedule of Fees for Access to NOAA Environmental Data, 
Information, and Related Products and Services

AGENCY: National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service 
(NESDIS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Final rule.

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

SUMMARY: In this final rule, NESDIS establishes a new schedule of fees 
for the sale of its data, information, and related products and 
services to users. NESDIS is revising the fee schedule that has been in 
effect since 2013 to ensure that the fees accurately reflect the costs 
of providing access to the environmental data, information, and related 
products and services. NESDIS is authorized under 15 U.S.C. 1534 to 
assess fees, up to fair market value, for access to environmental data, 
information, and products derived from, collected, and/or archived by 
NOAA. Other than depreciation, costs to upgrade computer hardware and 
software systems will not be included in the fees charged to users. 
NESDIS is updating its schedule of fees for access to NOAA 
Environmental Data, Information, and Related Products and Services as 
costs of providing access have changed since 2013.

DATES: Effective date: November 23, 2015.

[[Page 63915]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Lewis (301) 713-7073.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    NESDIS operates NOAA's National Center for Environmental 
Information (NCEI). Through NCEI, NESDIS provides and ensures timely 
access to global environmental data from satellites and other sources, 
provides information services, and develops science products.
    NESDIS maintains some 1,300 databases containing over 2,400 
environmental variables at NCEI and seven World Data Centers. These 
centers respond to over 2,000,000 requests for these data and products 
annually from over 70 countries. This collection of environmental data 
and products is growing rapidly, both in size and sophistication, and 
as a result the associated costs have increased.
    Users have the ability to access the data offline, online and 
through the NESDIS e-Commerce System (NeS) online store. Our ability to 
provide data, information, products and services depends on user fees.
New Fee Schedule
    In this final rule, NESDIS establishes a new schedule of fees for 
the sale of its data, information, and related products and services to 
users. NESDIS is revising the fee schedule that has been in effect 
since 2013 to ensure that the fees accurately reflect the costs of 
providing access to the environmental data, information, and related 
products and services. The new fee schedule lists both the current fee 
charged for each item and the new fee to be charged to users that will 
take effect beginning November 23, 2015. The schedule applies to the 
listed services provided by NESDIS on or after this date, except for 
products and services covered by a subscription agreement in effect as 
of this date that extends beyond this date. In those cases, the 
increased fees will apply upon renewal of the subscription agreement or 
at the earliest amendment date provided by the agreement.
    NESDIS will continue to review the user fees periodically, and will 
revise such fees as necessary. Any future changes in the user fees and 
their effective date will be announced through notice in the Federal 
Register.
Classification
    This rule has been determined to be not significant for purposes of 
E.O. 12866. The provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (5 
U.S.C. 553) requiring notice of proposed rulemaking and the opportunity 
for public participation are inapplicable because this rule falls 
within the public property exception of subparagraph (a)(2) of section 
553, as it is limited only to the assessment of fees, per 15 U.S.C. 
1534, that accurately reflect the costs of providing access to publicly 
available environmental data, information, and related products. 
Further, no other law requires that a notice of proposed rulemaking and 
an opportunity for public comment be given for this rule. Because a 
notice of proposed rulemaking and an opportunity for public comment are 
not required to be given for this rule under 5 U.S.C. 553 or by any 
other law, the requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 
601 et seq.) are not applicable. Accordingly, no Regulatory Flexibility 
Analysis is required and none has been prepared.

List of Subjects in 15 CFR Part 950

    Organization and functions (Government agencies).

Cherish Johnson,
Chief, Financial Officer (CFO/CAO).
    For the reasons set forth above, 15 CFR part 950 is amended as 
follows:

PART 950--ENVIRONMENTAL DATA AND INFORMATION

0
1. The authority citation for part 950 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  (5 U.S.C. 552, 553). Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 
1970.


0
2. Appendix A to Part 950 is revised to read as follows:

Appendix A to Part 950--Schedule of User Fees for Access to NOAA 
Environmental Data

------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name of product/data/publication/
           information/service              Current fee       New fee
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOAA National Center for Environmental
 Information:
    Department of Commerce Certification          $86.00          $16.00
    General Certification...............           72.00           92.00
    Paper Copy..........................            2.00            3.00
    Data Poster.........................           18.00           18.00
    Shipping Service....................            4.00            8.00
    Rush Order Fee......................           60.00           60.00
    Super Rush Order Fee................          100.00          100.00
    Foreign Handling Fee................           67.00           43.00
    NEXRAD Doppler Radar Color Prints...           14.00           21.00
    Paper Copy from Electronic Media....            6.00            8.00
    Offline In-Situ Digital Data........          124.00          175.00
    Microfilm Copy (roll to paper) per             14.00           20.00
     frame from existing film...........
    Satellite Image Product.............           73.00           92.00
    Offline Satellite, Radar, and Model           615.00          753.00
     Digital Data (average unit size is
     1 terabyte)........................
    Conventional CD-ROM/DVD.............           60.00          110.00
    Specialized CD-ROM/DVD..............          131.00          208.00
    CD-ROM/DVD Copy, Offline............           30.00           43.00
    CD-ROM/DVD Copy, Online Store.......           15.00           16.00
    Facsimile Service...................           78.00           89.00
    Order Handling......................            8.00           11.00
    Non-Digital Order Consultation......            6.00           10.00
    Digital Order Consultation..........           18.00           28.00
    Non-Serial Publications.............           27.00           32.00
    Non-Standard Data; Select/Copy to              59.00           77.00
     CD, DVD or Electronic Transfer,
     Specialized, Offline...............
    Digital and Non-Digital Off-the-                9.00           13.00
     Shelf Products, Online.............
    Digital and Non-Digital Off-the-               11.00           17.00
     Shelf Products, Offline............
    Order Consultation Fee..............            2.00            4.00
    Handling and Packing Fee............            8.00           12.00
    World Ocean Database-World Ocean               15.00               *
     Atlas 2009 DVDs....................
    Mini Poster.........................            1.00            2.00

[[Page 63916]]

 
    Icosahedron Globe...................            1.00            1.00
    Convert Data to Standard Image......            6.00            8.00
    Single Orbit OLS & Subset...........           18.00           19.00
    Single Orbit OLS & Subset,                      5.00            6.00
     Additional Orbits..................
    Geolocated Data.....................           47.00           50.00
    Subset of Pre-existing Geolocated              28.00           32.00
     Data...............................
    Global Nighttime Lights Annual             74,032.00       74,924.00
     Composite from One Satellite.......
    Most Recent DMSP-OLS Thermal Band/            259.00               *
     Cloud Cover Mosaics from Multiple
     Satellites.........................
    Daily or Nightly Global Mosaics               241.00          332.00
     (visible & thermal band, single
     spectral band or environmental
     data)..............................
    Global Nighttime Lights Lunar Cycle.        6,531.00        8,259.00
    Radiance Calibrated Global DMSP-OLS        82,075.00               *
     Nighttime Lights Annual Composite
     from One Satellite.................
    Research Data Series CD-ROM/DVD.....           25.00           25.00
    Custom Analog Plotter Prints........           60.00               *
    NOS Bathymetric Maps and                        7.00            8.00
     Miscellaneous Archived Publication
     Inventory..........................
    Global Annual Composite of Nighttime        8,305.00       10,794.00
     Lights in Monthly Increments From
     One Satellite......................
    High Definition Geomagnetic Model...       20,060.00       20,262.00
    Provision of Global Nighttime VIIRS   ..............       55,727.00
     day/night band data in geotiff
     format.............................
    Provision of Global Nighttime VIIRS   ..............       27,888.00
     day/night band data in HDF5 Format.
    Provision of regional data from the   ..............       14,306.00
     VIIRS instrument on a daily basis..
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Reflects a product no longer offered.


[FR Doc. 2015-26850 Filed 10-21-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P