March 20, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species.

This document contains exemptions issued by the Department of Labor (the Department) from certain of the prohibited transaction restrictions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA or the Act) and/or the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code). A notice was published in the Federal Register of the pendency before the Department of a proposal to grant such exemption. The notice set forth a summary of facts and representations contained in the application for exemption and referred interested persons to the application for a complete statement of the facts and representations. The application has been available for public inspection at the Department in Washington, DC. The notice also invited interested persons to submit comments on the requested exemption to the Department. In addition the notice stated that any interested person might submit a written request that a public hearing be held (where appropriate). The applicant has represented that it has complied with the requirements of the notification to interested persons. No requests for a hearing were received by the Department. Public comments were received by the Department as described in the granted exemption. The notice of proposed exemption was issued and the exemption is being granted solely by the Department because, effective December 31, 1978, section 102 of Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1978, 5 U.S.C. App. 1 (1996), transferred the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to issue exemptions of the type proposed to the Secretary of Labor.

This document contains a revised initial regulatory flexibility analysis relating to proposed regulations under section 468B of the Internal Revenue Code on the taxation and reporting of income earned on escrow accounts, trusts, and other funds used during deferred exchanges of like-kind property, and proposed regulations under section 7872 regarding below-market loans to facilitators of these exchanges. The proposed regulations affect taxpayers that engage in deferred like-kind exchanges and escrow holders, trustees, qualified intermediaries, and others that hold funds during deferred like-kind exchanges.

An open meeting of the Area 4 Taxpayer Advocacy Panel will be conducted. The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel is soliciting public comment, ideas, and suggestions on improving customer service at the Internal Revenue Service.

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 8857, Request for Innocent Spouse Relief.

This document contains a correction to final and temporary regulations (TD 9264) that were published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, May 30, 2006 (71 FR 30591) affecting taxpayers that file Federal income tax returns. They simplify, clarify, or eliminate reporting burdens and also eliminate regulatory impediments to the electronic filing of certain statements that taxpayers are required to include on or with their Federal income tax returns.

We propose to revise the threshold billing amount that triggers annual onsite reviews of medical providers who conduct consultative examinations (CEs) for our disability programs under titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act (the Act). The proposed revision would raise the threshold amount to reflect the increase in billing amounts since we first established the threshold amount in 1991. This proposed revision is intended to restore the level of oversight originally required by our rules.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is revising its Schedule for Rating Disabilities, Appendices A, B, and C to include all current diagnostic codes. Appendix A is also amended to include all the diagnostic code historical information since the last review.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the public comment period and the availability of the draft economic analysis for the proposed designation of critical habitat for the endangered Hine's emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We are also revising our proposed rule, published on July 26, 2006 (71 FR 42442), to include an additional proposed critical habitat unit in Door County, Wisconsin, and amending the Required Determinations for the proposal. The draft economic analysis forecasts that costs associated with conservation activities for the Hine's emerald dragonfly would range from $16.8 million to $46.7 million in undiscounted dollars over the next 20 years. In discounted terms, potential economic costs are estimated to be $13.3 to $34.5 million (using a 3 percent discount rate) and $10.5 to $25.2 million (using a 7 percent discount rate). In annualized terms, potential costs are expected to range from $0.8 to $2.3 million annually (annualized at 3 percent) and $0.9 to $2.4 million annually (annualized at 7 percent). We are reopening the public comment period to allow all interested parties an opportunity to comment simultaneously on the proposed rule, our revision to the proposed rule, the associated draft economic analysis, and the amended Required Determinations. Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted as they will be incorporated into the public record and fully considered in preparation of the final rule.

The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries (AA), NOAA, announces temporary restrictions consistent with the requirements of the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan's (ALWTRP) implementing regulations. These regulations apply to lobster trap/pot and anchored gillnet fishermen in an area totaling approximately 1,631 nm \2\ (5,594 km \2\) in March and approximately 832 nm \2\ (2854 km \2\) in April, southeast of Boston, MA, for 15 days. The purpose of this action is to provide protection to an aggregation of northern right whales (right whales).