February 5, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of a currently approved collection and allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on the information needed to verify the actual number of hours worked by a work-study claimant.

This notice announces actions taken by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) pursuant to its assigned responsibilities under 23 U.S.C. 327, as well as certain Federal agencies, are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C.139(l)(1). The actions relate to a proposed highway project, Freeman Gulch Four-Lane project between post miles 45.9 to 62.3 along State Route 14 in Kern County, State of California. Those actions grant approvals for the project.

Under the provisions of Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve the information collection listed below. This proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on November 26, 2007 (Vol. 72, No. 226, p. 65969) and allowed 60 days for public comment. No public comments were received. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment. The National Institutes of Health may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection that has been extended, revised, or implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Proposed Collection: Title: Questionnaire Cognitive Interview and Pretesting. Type of Information Collection Request: New. Need and Use of Information Collection: The purpose of the data collection is to conduct cognitive interviews, focus groups, Pilot household interviews, and experimental research in laboratory and field settings, both for applied questionnaire evaluation and more basic research on response errors in surveys. The most common evaluation method is the cognitive interview, in which a questionnaire design specialist interviews a volunteer participant. The interviewer administers the draft survey questions as written, but also probes the participant in depth about interpretations of questions, recall processes used to answer them, and adequacy of response categories to express answers, while noting points of confusion and errors in responding. Interviews are generally conducted in small rounds of 10-15 interviews. When possible, cognitive interviews are conducted in the survey's intended mode of administration. Cognitive interviewing provides useful information on questionnaire performance at minimal cost and respondent burden. Similar methodology has been adopted by other federal agencies, as well as by academic and commercial survey organizations. There are no costs to respondents other than their time. Frequency of Response: Once. Affected Public: Individuals or households.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain ATR Model ATR42-500 series airplanes. This AD requires removing metallized polyethylene terephtalate (MPET) insulation blankets installed on the left and the right sides of the airplane over frame 24 between stringers 5 and 14. This AD results from reports indicating that burnt spots were found on the MPET insulation blankets installed over frame 24. The actions specified by this AD are intended to ensure that MPET insulation blankets are removed over frame 24. Such MPET insulation blankets, if not removed, could propagate a small fire that is the result of an electrical arc and could lead to a much larger fire.

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service, an Agency within the Rural Development mission area, announces the availability of grants of up to $50,000 per application from the Rural Business Opportunity Grant (RBOG) program for fiscal year (FY) 2008, to be competitively awarded. For multi-state projects, grant funds of up to $150,000 will be available on a competitive basis. These limits do not apply to specific funding as discussed below.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35, as amended), the Rural Utilities Service, an agency delivering the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Utilities Programs, hereinafter referred to as Rural Development and/or Agency, invites comments on this information collection for which Rural Development intends to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

The FDIC, 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 continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35). Currently, the FDIC is soliciting comments concerning the following collection of information titled: Notice of Branch Closure (3064-0109).

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as:

The FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to all EMBRAER Model ERJ 170-100 LR, -100 SE, -100 STD, and -100 SU airplanes; and Model ERJ 190-100 IGW, -100 LR, and -100 STD airplanes. The existing AD currently requires revising the Limitations section of the airplane flight manual (AFM) to prohibit the flightcrew from moving the throttle into the forward thrust range immediately after applying the thrust reverser. This proposed AD would add additional airplanes to the applicability and would require the AFM revision for those additional airplanes. For certain airplanes, this proposed AD would also require installing new, improved full-authority digital engine-control (FADEC) software. This proposed AD results from a report that, during landing, the thrust reverser may not re-stow completely if the throttle lever is moved into the forward thrust range immediately after the thrust reverser is applied. We are proposing this AD to prevent the flightcrew from performing a takeoff with a partially deployed thrust reverser, which could result in reduced controllability of the airplane.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as:

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as:

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 is publishing a direct final notice of deletion of the Industrial Waste Control Superfund Site (Site), located near Fort Smith, Arkansas from the National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL, promulgated pursuant to Section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended, is appendix B of 40 CFR Part 300, which is the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). This direct final deletion is being published by EPA with the concurrence of the State of Arkansas, through the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), because EPA has determined that all appropriate response actions under CERCLA have been completed and, therefore, further remedial action pursuant to CERCLA is not appropriate.

We are superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as distortion of the rudder bars due to rudder control forces during aerobatic operation and nose wheel steering reaction forces. Rudder bar distortion could result in reduced control or loss of control. This AD requires actions that are intended to address the unsafe condition described in the MCAI.

The FAA is superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD), which applies to certain McDonnell Douglas airplanes. The existing AD currently requires an initial general visual or dye penetrant inspection, repetitive dye penetrant inspections, and replacement, as necessary, of the rudder pedal bracket. The existing AD also currently requires, for certain airplanes, replacing the rudder pedal bracket assemblies with new, improved parts, which would terminate the repetitive inspections. For certain airplanes, this new AD requires initial inspection at a reduced threshold, removes an inspection option, and lengthens the repetitive inspection intervals. This AD results from reports of failures of the captain's rudder pedal brackets before reaching the initial inspection threshold identified in the existing AD. We are issuing this AD to prevent failure of the rudder pedal bracket assembly, which could result in the loss of rudder and braking control at either the captain's or first officer's position.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the public comment period on the proposed designation of critical habitat for the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis californiana) and proposed taxonomic revision under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We also announce the availability of the draft economic analysis (DEA) of the proposed critical habitat designation, and an amended required determinations section of the proposal. The DEA provides information about the pre- designation costs and forecasts post-designation costs associated with conservation efforts for Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep. The DEA estimates potential future costs due to conservation efforts (baseline costs) to be approximately $26.7 million and costs associated solely with the designation of critical habitat (incremental costs) to be approximately $135,000 in undiscounted dollars over a 20-year period in areas proposed as critical habitat. The amended required determinations section provides our determination concerning compliance with applicable statutes and Executive Orders that we have deferred until the information from the DEA of the proposal was available. We are reopening the comment period to allow all interested parties an opportunity to comment simultaneously on the proposed rule, the associated DEA, and the amended required determinations section. Comments submitted during the initial comment period from July 25 to September 24, 2007, on the proposed rule (72 FR 40956), or from October 9 to November 23, 2007, during the reopened comment period on the proposed rule (72 FR 57276) have been incorporated into the supporting for this rulemaking and need not be resubmitted. We will incorporate all comments into the supporting record as part of this comment period, and we will fully consider them when preparing our final determination.

The Coast Guard amends the anchorage regulations for Port Everglades, Florida. The amendment modifies the current anchorage area by eliminating that portion of the anchorage closest to sensitive coral reef areas, expands that portion of the anchorage area that poses less risk to these areas, and limits the amount of time a vessel may remain in the anchorage area. These changes ensure all vessels have fair access to the anchorage area, and provide a higher degree of vessel and environmental safety by reducing the possibility of vessels grounding in sensitive coral reef areas.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Eurocopter Model AS 332 L2 helicopters. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the Technical Agent of France, with which we have a bilateral agreement, states in the MCAI: