[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 234 (Thursday, December 7, 2017)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 57688-57689]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-26416]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau

27 CFR Part 24

[Docket No. TTB-2016-0010; Notice No. 164B; Re: Notice No. 164 and 
Notice No. 164A]
RIN 1513-AB61


Wine Treating Materials and Related Regulations; Comment Period 
Extension

AGENCY: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, Treasury.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is 
extending for an additional 90 days the recently-reopened comment 
period for Notice No. 164, Wine Treating Materials and Related 
Regulations, a notice of proposed rulemaking published in the Federal 
Register on November 22, 2016. TTB is taking this action in response to 
a request from a wine industry trade association.

DATES: Written comments on Notice No. 164 are now due on or before 
April 9, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Please send your comments on Notice No. 164 to one of the 
following addresses:
     https://www.regulations.gov (via the online comment form 
for Notice No. 164 as posted within Docket No. TTB-2016-0010 at 
Regulations.gov, the Federal e-rulemaking portal);
     U.S. Mail: Director, Regulations and Rulings Division, 
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, 1310 G Street NW., Box 12, 
Washington, DC 20005; or
     Hand delivery/courier in lieu of mail: Alcohol and Tobacco 
Tax and Trade Bureau, 1310 G Street NW., Suite 400, Washington, DC 
20005.
    See the Public Participation section of Notice No. 164 for specific 
instructions and requirements for submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kara Fontaine, Regulations and Rulings 
Division, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, 1310 G Street NW., 
Box 12, Washington, DC 20005; phone (202) 453-1039, ext. 103.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In Notice No. 164, a notice of proposed 
rulemaking published in the Federal Register on November 22, 2016 (81 
FR 83752), the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) requested 
public comment on amendments to its regulations pertaining to the 
production of wine and in particular in regard to the permissible 
treatments that may be applied to wine and to juice from which wine is 
made. TTB issued the proposed amendments in response to requests from 
wine industry members to authorize certain wine treating materials and 
processes not currently authorized by TTB regulations. In Notice No. 
164, TTB invited comments on the proposed regulatory changes and the 
wine treatments and materials issues addressed in that document. The 
60-day comment period for Notice No. 164 originally closed on January 
23, 2017. In Notice No. 164A, published in the Federal Register on 
October 11, 2017 (82 FR 47167), TTB reopened the comment period for 
Notice No. 164 for an additional 90 days in response to industry member 
requests.
    On October 24, 2017, TTB received a letter via the Regulations.gov 
Web site posting for Notice No. 164 from the Wine Institute, a large 
wine industry trade association based in San Francisco, California, 
requesting a 90-day extension of the comment period on the wine 
treating materials regulatory amendments proposed in Notice No. 164. In 
its letter, the Wine Institute stated that its members required 
additional time to consider the ``complex and far reaching'' proposals 
contained in Notice No. 164, as well as the document's request for 
input on other regulatory issues. The Wine Institute stated that TTB 
reopened the comment period for Notice No. 164 during the recent 
Northern California wildfires, which caused many of its members to 
experience calamitous personal and business losses. The Wine Institute 
also noted that TTB's proposal is open for comment during the holiday 
season, when many stakeholders will be unavailable due to commercial 
and family commitments. The Wine Institute's letter is posted as 
Comment 13 to Notice No. 164 within Docket No. TTB-2016-0010 on the 
Regulations.gov Web site at https://www.regulations.gov).
    In response to this request, TTB is extending the comment period 
for Notice No. 164 for an additional 90 days. Therefore, comments on 
Notice No. 164 are now due on or before April 9, 2018. Comments on 
Notice No. 164 may be submitted as described above in the ADDRESSES 
section of this document.

Drafting Information

    Kara Fontaine of the Regulations and Rulings Division drafted this 
notice.


[[Page 57689]]


    Signed: November 17, 2017.
John J. Manfreda,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2017-26416 Filed 12-6-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810-31-P