White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security; Open Meeting

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security; Open

Meeting

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: The White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security

will hold its final meeting to discuss aviation safety and security

issues. Part of the meeting is open to the public and part is not. The

meeting was originally scheduled for January 28, 1997, but a new date

has been set.

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 28, 1997, from 9:00

am-12:00 noon and 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place in the Commerce Department

Auditorium, 14th Street, between Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues,

NW, Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard K. Pemberton, Administrative

Officer, Room 6210, GSA Headquarters, 18th & F Streets, NW, Washington,

DC 20405; telephone 202.501.3863; telecopier 202.501.6160.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee

Act (5 USC Appendix), DOT gives notice of a meeting of the White House

Commission on Aviation Safety and Security (``Commission''). The

Commission was established by the President to develop advice and

recommendations on ways to improve the level of civil aviation safety

and security, both domestically and internationally. The principal

purpose of the meeting on February 11, which was postponed from its

original date of January 28, is to formulate the Commission's final

recommendations to the President.

The portion of the meeting from 9:00 am-12:00 noon, during which

the Commissioners will formulate their recommendations on measures to

improve aviation security, will be closed to the public pursuant to the

following exemptions in the Government in the Sunshine Act, which apply

to public meetings under the Federal Advisory Committee Act:

Exemption 1: Classified information. In order properly to formulate

their recommendations, the Commissioners may need to discuss or refer

to information properly classified in the interest of national

security, which may not be done in public.

Exemption 3: Information exempted from public disclosure by some

other statute. Under 49 USC 40119(b), the Administrator of the Federal

Aviation Administration (FAA) may prohibit public disclosure of certain

categories of information relating to aviation security, if disclosure

would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, reveal

company confidential information, or create a risk to the safety of

individuals traveling in inter-or intra-state air transportation. These

categories are described at 14 CFR Part 191. Such information will be

discussed or referred to at the meeting.

Exemption 4: Company confidential information. There is competition

in the aviation industry in many forms: among carriers, among equipment

manufacturers, and among software manufacturers, among others. Public

discussion of some of these matters could violate 18 USC 1905, which

makes it a crime to reveal improperly company confidential information

that has come into the possession of the Government.

Exemption 9: Premature disclosure would lead to frustration of

proposed agency action. The final recommendations of the Commission

have not been formulated; it is possible, however, that public

knowledge of some of the security recommendations may frustrate their

acceptance and implementation by the FAA and other agencies. The

Commission is authorized to protect against this possibility.

Limited seating for the public portion of the meeting is available

on a first- come, first-served basis. The public may submit written

comments to the Commission at any time; comments should be sent to Mr.

Pemberton at the address and telecopier number shown above.

Issued in Washington, DC, on January 24, 1997.

Nancy E. McFadden,

General Counsel, Department of Transportation.

[FR Doc. 97-2336 Filed 1-29-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910-62-P