[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 245 (Thursday, December 22, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78650-78652]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-27874]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


National Conference on Weights and Measures 2023 Interim Meeting

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The 2023 Interim Meeting of the National Conference on Weights 
and Measures (NCWM) will be held in-person at the Hyatt Regency 
Savannah in Savannah, Georgia from Sunday, January 8 through Wednesday, 
January 11, 2023. This notice contains information about significant 
items on the NCWM Committee agendas but does not include all agenda 
items. As a result, the items are not consecutively numbered.

DATES: The 2023 Interim Meeting will be held from Sunday, January 8, 
2023, through Wednesday, January 11, 2023. The meeting schedule is 
tentatively: Sunday, January 8 from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Monday, 
January 9 from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Tuesday, January 10 from 7:30 
a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; and Wednesday, January 11 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 
p.m. Eastern Time. The meeting schedule will be available on the NCWM 
website at www.ncwm.com.

ADDRESSES: This meeting will be held in-person at the Hyatt Regency 
Savannah, in Savannah, Georgia, 2 W Bay Street, Savannah, Georgia 
31401.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Katrice Lippa, NIST, Office of 
Weights and Measures, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 2600, Gaithersburg, MD 
20899-2600. You may also contact Dr. Lippa at (301) 975-3116 or by 
email at [email protected]. The meeting is open to the public, but 
the payment of a registration fee is required. Please see the NCWM 
website (www.ncwm.com) to view the meeting agendas, registration forms, 
and hotel reservation information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Publication of this notice on the NCWM's 
behalf is undertaken as a public service and does not itself constitute 
an endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology 
(NIST) of the content of the notice. NIST participates in the NCWM as 
an NCWM member and pursuant to 15 U.S.C. 272(b)(10) and (c)(4) and in 
accordance with Federal policy (e.g., OMB Circular A-119 ``Federal 
Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus 
Standards'').
    The NCWM is an organization of weights and measures officials of 
the states, counties, and cities of the United States, and 
representatives from the private sector and federal agencies. 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 hosted the first meeting of the 
NCWM in 1905. Since then, the conference has provided a model of 
cooperation between Federal, State, and local governments and the 
private sector. NIST participates to encourage cooperation between 
federal agencies and the states in the development of legal metrology 
requirements. NIST also promotes uniformity in state laws, regulations, 
and testing procedures used in the regulatory control of commercial 
weighing and measuring devices, packaged goods, and for other trade and 
commerce issues.
    The NCWM has established multiple committees, task groups, and 
other working bodies to address legal metrology issues of interest to 
regulatory officials, industry, consumers, and others. The following 
are brief descriptions of some of the significant agenda items that 
will be considered by some of the NCWM Committees 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 accept comments, and where recommendations will be developed for 
consideration and possible adoption at the NCWM 2023, 108th Annual 
Meeting. The Committees may withdraw or carryover items that need 
additional development.
    These notices are intended to make interested parties aware of 
these development projects and to make them aware that reports on the 
status of the project will be given at the Interim Meeting. The notices 
are also presented to invite the participation of manufacturers, 
experts, consumers, users, and others who may be interested in these 
efforts.
    The following are brief descriptions of some of the significant 
agenda items that will be considered at the 2023 NCWM Interim Meeting. 
Comments will be taken on these and other recommendations to amend NIST 
Handbook 44, ``Specifications, Tolerances, and other Technical 
Requirements for Weighing and Measuring Devices'' (NIST Handbook 44 or 
HB 44), NIST Handbook 130, ``Uniform Laws and Regulations in the areas 
of Legal Metrology and Fuel Quality'' (NIST Handbook 130 or HB 130), 
and NIST Handbook 133, ``Checking the Net Contents of Packaged Goods'' 
(NIST Handbook 133 or HB 133). These NIST Handbooks are regularly 
adopted by reference or through the administrative procedures of all 
the states.

NCWM S&T Committee (S&T 2023 Interim Meeting)

    The Specifications and Tolerances Committee (S&T Committee) will 
consider proposed amendments to 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 products or services sold among businesses.

[[Page 78651]]

    The following items are proposals to amend NIST Handbook 44:
Item Block 2 (B2) A Define True Value for Use in Error Calculations
BLK-2: (SCL-20.3, SCL-20.4, SCL-20.5, SCL-20.6, SCL-20.7, and SCL-20.8)
    The S&T Committee will further consider a proposal that has been 
designated as an ``Assign'' item meaning that these items have merit 
but are found to need further development. This ``block'' proposal 
includes six individual items related to the application of NIST 
Handbook 44 requirements based on the values of a scale's verification 
scale division ``e'' or the minimum scale division ``d''. Adoption of 
this proposal would have a great significant impact on scales, 
particularly in cases where the values of ``e'' and ``d'' are not 
equal.
Item Block 4 (B4) D Electronically Captured Tickets or Receipts
    The S&T Committee will further consider a proposal to allow for the 
expanded use of electronic captured tickets and receipts by amending 
NIST HB 44 Sections 1.10. General, 3.30. LMD, 3.31. VTM, 3.32. LPG, 
3.34. CLM, 3.37. MFM, 3.38. CDL, 3.39. HGM, 3.35. Milk Meters, and the 
definition of ``recorded representation'' in Appendix D, Definitions. 
The Committee amended this carry-over block of items during the 2020 
Interim Meeting based on comments it received expressing a continued 
need for printed tickets. As a result, the proposal now references NIST 
HB 44 paragraph G-S.5.6. in various specific codes. At the 2021 NCWM 
Annual Meeting, the S&T Committee designated this block proposal as 
Developing for further comment and consideration. At the 2022 Interim 
and Annual Meetings the S&T Committee designated a Developing status 
for this block of items to provide stakeholders the opportunity for 
further review and additional comments on the various devices affected 
by this proposal.
VTM--Vehicle Tank Meters
VTM-18.1 S.3.1.1. Means for Clearing the Discharge Hose and UR.2.6. 
Clearing the Discharge Hose
    The S&T Committee will further consider this item, which proposes 
to provide specifications and user requirements for manifold flush 
systems designed to eliminate product contamination on VTMs used for 
multiple products. This proposal would add specifications on the design 
of VTMs under S.3.1.1. ``Means for Clearing the Discharge Hose.'' and 
add a new user requirement UR.2.6. ``Clearing the Discharge Hose.'' 
During open hearings of previous NCWM meetings, comments were heard 
about the design of any system to clear the discharge hose of a product 
prior to the delivery of a subsequent product which could provide 
opportunities to fraudulently use this type of system. At the 2021 NCWM 
Annual Meeting the Committee agreed to keep this item Developing for 
further comments and consideration. At the 2022 Interim Meeting the 
Committee agreed to add a new paragraph UR.2.6.2., Minimizing Cross 
Contamination, to address issues raised about the possibility of cross 
contamination in receiving tanks with the use of this equipment. The 
Committee designated a Voting status for this item. At the 2022 Annual 
Meeting this item failed to receive an adequate number of votes to pass 
and was returned to the S&T Committee.
WIM--Weigh-In-Motion Systems
WIM-23.1: All subsections (A, S, N, T, UR) within Section 2.25. Weigh-
In-Motion Systems Used for Vehicle Enforcement Screening--Tentative 
Code
    The S&T Committee will consider a proposal to convert the current 
Tentative Code of Section 2.25 Weigh-In-Motion Systems Used for Vehicle 
Enforcement Screening to Permanent and to expand the code to include 
``and Enforcement''. This also includes (but is not limited to): (1) 
the addition of an Accuracy Class ``E'' WIM scale (in addition to Class 
A) in the specifications (S); (2) the addition of test procedures to 
address the new Accuracy Class E in the test procedures (N) section for 
the determination of test speeds, dynamic test loads, and vehicle 
positions; (3) the designation of more stringent tolerances (T) for 
Accuracy Class E as compared to those for Accuracy Class A and a 
designation noting Accuracy Class E tolerances are to be applied to WIM 
scales used for enforcement purposes; and (4) the addition of a Class E 
weighing application in the user requirements (UR) for the explicit 
enforcement of vehicles based on axle, axle group, and gross vehicle 
weights. Assessments during the 2022 regional weights and measures 
association meetings recommended a Developing status to allow the 
submitters to address questions raised regarding the application of 
tolerances and test procedures; allow input regarding the use of the 
code for enforcement purposes (rather than screening) from those 
jurisdictions impacted by the proposed change in scope and status as 
well as input from other scale manufacturers.
    The submitters of this proposal submitted a revised version of 
these proposed changes to the NCWM following the publication of NCWM 
Publication 15.
EVF--Electric Vehicle Fueling Systems
EVF-23.1: S.2.5.1., S.8
    The S&T Committee will consider a proposal that will further refine 
electric vehicle fueling systems code requirements in NIST Handbook 44 
Specifications, Tolerances, and Other Technical Requirements for 
Weighing and Measuring Devices Section 3.40 Electric Vehicle Fueling 
Systems Code to: (1) remove the ``megajoule'' unit of measurement 
definition and all references to the term cited in the design 
specifications; (2) base the computation of the total sales price on a 
more appropriate quantity interval that does not exceed 0.01 kWh rather 
than a 0.1 kWh; (3) decrease the permissible sizes of the minimum 
measured quantity (MMQ) to those that are more appropriate quantities 
for AC and DC systems deliveries and result in a shorter duration for 
the light load test procedure; and (4) no longer require an accuracy 
test and the applicable test tolerances at no load and at starting 
load.
GMA--Grain Moisture Meters 5.56. (A)
GMA-19.1 D Table T.2.1. Acceptance and Maintenance Tolerances Air Oven 
Method for All Grains and Oil Seeds
    The S&T Committee will further consider a proposal that would 
reduce the tolerances for the air oven reference method in the Grain 
Moisture Meter Code. The proposed new tolerances would apply to all 
types of grains and oil seeds. This item is a carry-over proposal from 
2019 and would replace the contents of Table T.2.1. with new criteria. 
Additional inspection data will be collected and reviewed to assess 
whether or not the proposed changes to the tolerances are appropriate. 
At the 2022 Annual Meeting the Committee recommended a Developing 
status to allow for consideration of additional data.
TMS/TNMS--Taxi Meters and Transportation Network Measurement Systems
Item BLOCK 3 (B3): Tolerances for Distance Testing in Taximeters and 
Transportation Network Systems
    The S&T Committee will further consider changes included in this 
block affecting the HB 44 Taximeters Code

[[Page 78652]]

(Section 5.54.) and the Transportation Network Measurement Systems 
(TNMS) Code (Section 5.60.) that would amend the value of tolerances 
allowed for distance tests. The changes proposed in this item would 
change the Taximeters Code requirement T.1.1. ``On Distance Tests'' by 
increasing that tolerance to 2.5% when the test exceeds one mile. The 
change to the TNMS Code affects requirement T.1.1. ``Distance Tests'' 
by reducing the tolerance allowed on overregistration under T.1.1.(a) 
from the current 2.5% to 1% when the test does not exceed one mile and 
would increase the tolerance for underregistration in T.1.1.(b) from 
2.5% to 4%. These changes if adopted would align the tolerances values 
for distance tests allowed for taximeters and TNMS. At the 2021 NCWM 
Annual Meeting it was noted that these items were being discussed with 
the USNWG and the Committee agreed to a Developing status for this item 
for further comment and consideration. At the 2022 NCWM Annual Meeting 
the item retained its Developing status.

NCWM L&R Committee (L&R 2023 Interim Meeting)

    The Laws and Regulations Committee (L&R Committee) will consider 
proposed amendments to NIST Handbook 130 and NIST Handbook 133.
    Item MOS-20.5 Section 2.21 Liquefied Petroleum Gas. The L&R 
Committee will further consider a proposal to clarify the existing 
language for the method of sale of Liquefied Petroleum Gas. This will 
include changes to the existing language within NIST HB 130 that 
references a value of ``15.6 [deg]C'' for temperature determinations in 
metric units.
    According to the current industry practice for sales of petroleum 
products, the reference temperature for sales in metric are based on 15 
[deg]C rather than the exact conversion from 60 [deg]F (which is 15.6 
[deg]C). Thus, the temperature reference in metric should be 15 [deg]C. 
This will also add language for metered sales with a maximum capacity 
equal to or greater than 20 gal/min will have a metering system that 
automatic temperature compensates. For metering systems with a maximum 
capacity less than 20 gal/min adding an effective date of January 2030 
to all metered sales shall be accomplished using a metering system that 
automatic temperature compensates.
    Item 22.1. Uniform Labeling Regulation for Electronic Commerce 
(referred as e-commerce) Products. The L&R Committee will further 
consider a proposal that has been designated as an ``Assigned'' item, 
meaning that further development will be done by the NCWM Packaging and 
Labeling Subcommittee. This proposal would add a new regulation into 
NIST HB 130 that pertains to the labeling of products in e-commerce for 
consumer commodities and non-consumer commodities. This regulation will 
provide guidance to industry, as well as those states that adopt this 
regulation for the purpose of inspecting ecommerce websites. This 
regulation would also lay out the terms that shall appear on an e-
commerce website including product identity, net quantity, responsible 
party, unit price and price information. The development of this item 
will include outreach to stakeholders, including federal agencies. 
Online businesses shall have this regulation implemented 18 months 
after adoption. Stakeholder input and feedback is being asked.
    Cannabis--Item NET-22.1 HB133, Section 1.2.6. Deviations Caused by 
Moisture Loss or Gain and Section 2.3.8. Table 2-3 Moisture Allowances 
provides for a 3% moisture allowance for Cannabis plant material 
containing more than 0.3% total delta-9 THC (Cannabis, Marijuana, or 
Marihuana) or containing 0.3% less total delta-9 THC (hemp).\1\
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    \1\ In contrast to hemp, marijuana, defined as cannabis with a 
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of more than 0.3 percent on 
a dry weight basis, remains a Schedule I substance under the 
Controlled Substances Act (CSA). 21 U.S.C. 812(d); 21 CFR 
1308.11(d)(23).
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    Item Block 3 Cannabis--B3: PALS -22.1. Section XX. Cannabis and 
Cannabis-Containing Products.\2\ The Committee will further consider 
proposals to establish definitions within NIST HB 130 Packaging and 
Labeling Requirements for Cannabis and Cannabis containing products. In 
addition, PAL-22.2 Section 10.XX. Cannabis and Cannabis-Containing 
Products will establish labeling requirements. B3: MOS-22.2. HB130 
Section 1.XX. and Section 2.XX. Cannabis and Cannabis-Containing 
Products. The Committee will consider a proposal to amend these two 
sections to include language for a method of sale for Cannabis. 
Included within this proposal is also a water activity limit of 0.60 
( 0.05), when unprocessed Cannabis is sold or transferred.
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    \2\ See footnote 1.
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    Item NET-22.2 Section 3. X. Gravimetric Test Procedure for Viscous 
and Non-Viscous Liquids by Portable Digital Density Meter.
    The L&R Committee will further consider a proposal to develop a 
test procedure to allow the use of portable digital density meters for 
net content package testing of viscous and non-viscous liquids labeled 
in fluid volume. This gravimetric test procedure could be used as a 
substitute for some of the current test procedure found in NIST 
Handbook 133 (e.g., 3.2. Gravimetric Test Procedure for Non-Viscous 
Liquids, 3.3. Volumetric Test Procedure for Non-Viscous Liquids and 
3.4. Volumetric Test Procedures for Viscous Fluids--Headspace) 
providing a time savings and reducing destructive testing.

Alicia Chambers,
NIST Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2022-27874 Filed 12-21-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P