February 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rio Puerco Field Office, Albuquerque, New Mexico, intends to prepare a Resource Management Plan Revision for the Rio Puerco Field Office with an associated Environmental Impact Statement, and by this notice is announcing public scoping meetings. The Resource Management Plan Revision will replace the existing Rio Puerco Resource Management Plan as currently maintained and amended.

This rule revises the procedure for notifying the beneficiary of an immigrant visa petition of the termination of the immigrant visa registration because of the failure of the beneficiary to pursue the application within a specified time, by providing that such notification will be made by National Visa Center directly to the beneficiary.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) publishes this notice requesting comments on the proposed establishment of an accreditation program for laboratories that perform biometric testing including interoperability, performance, and conformance using internationally recognized standards developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), NIST, and by the International Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITES). Additional standards may be identified throughout the development of the accreditation program technical requirements.

EPA will convene a public meeting to discuss opportunities for industry-government partnerships to foster greater public awareness of the environmental attributes of household and institutional consumer products and help make consumers aware of efforts on the part of consumer product manufacturers to improve the environmental performance of their products and production facilities. The primary purpose of this initial meeting is to establish a dialog among government, industry, and public stakeholders leading to formation of a Consumer Products Environmental Partnerships Working Group. Once formed, the working group will identify and develop possible partnership approaches such as product labeling, consumer education programs, environmental information Web sites, product stewardship programs, and manufacturer recognition programs.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit a request to renew an existing approved Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This ICR is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2008. Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described below.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is amending its decision regarding the transportation method that DOE will use to relocate uranium mill tailings and other contaminated materials (residual radioactive material) at the Moab milling site and vicinity properties in Utah. In its Record of Decision for the Remediation of the Moab Uranium Mill Tailings, Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah (70 FR 55358; September 21, 2005), DOE had decided to relocate the residual radioactive material using predominately rail, with truck transport for some oversized materials. Under this amended Record of Decision (ROD), DOE will use either truck and/or rail for all materials. This ROD amendment is essential to give DOE flexibility needed to expedite completion of the Moab, Utah, Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project. Expediting completion is in accordance with Congressional direction (Section 3402 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2008 (Pub. L. 110-181)). This ROD amendment meets the strong stakeholder desire to relocate the residual radioactive material as soon as practicable by accelerating the date of the first shipment because truck shipments could start sooner since the logistics of initiating the rail alternative would require time to safely implement (i.e. building the hillside loadout infrastructure). In addition long-term risks would be reduced through earlier completion, and reducing total project costs would be reduced through greater flexibility and competition between rail and truck transporters. DOE analyzed several transportation methods in its Remediation of the Moab Uranium Mill Tailings, Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah, Final Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS-0355)(Final EIS), issued in August 2005. An all truck option was among the reasonable alternative methods analyzed in the Final EIS for transporting the residual radioactive material. This ROD amendment allows an increase in the quantity to be shipped by truck. All other aspects of DOE's original decision remain unchanged, including that DOE will relocate the residual radioactive material at the Moab site and vicinity properties to a new disposal site 30 miles north at Crescent Junction, Utah, and will conduct active remediation of contaminated groundwater at the Moab site. This ROD amendment has been prepared in accordance with the regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] parts 1500-1508) for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and DOE's NEPA Implementing Procedures (10 CFR part 1021). Based on information previously provided in the Final EIS, DOE has determined that no further review under NEPA is required.

This notice announces a meeting of the Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee (NEAC) Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of these meetings be announced in the Federal Register.

On January 18, 2008, a public notice was published in the Federal Register on pages 3495-3496 requesting public comments by February 15, 2008, on whether each beneficiary country exporting certain hand-loomed carpets is taking steps to eliminate the worst forms of child labor, including the use of bonded child labor, in the production of certain carpets imported under the U.S. GSP program. The GSP Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee has decided to extend the deadline to March 14, 2008, for receipt of public comments for this review.

The Department of Energy (DOE) is cancelling the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for a proposal by Babcock Borsig Power to design, construct, and operate an advanced pulverized coal-fired power facility using a low emission boiler system (LEBS) at Elkhart, Illinois. The proposed project would have been developed and operated by Cornbelt Energy and would have been built on land adjacent to an existing underground coal mine owned and operated by Turris Coal Company on a site in central Illinois. DOE's proposed action was to provide cost-shared funding of approximately $33.5 million (about 23.5% of the total expected project cost of approximately $142.5 million). DOE announced its intent to prepare an EIS in the Federal Register on December 19, 1996 (61 FR 67003). DOE issued a Draft EIS (DEIS) for public comment on March 5, 2004 (69 FR 10442). Subsequently, the industrial participant communicated to DOE that it was unable to secure the funds needed to complete the proposed project. Accordingly, DOE has determined to not pursue the proposed action, and is terminating the NEPA review process for the proposed project.

The action being taken is the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the issuance of both the 408 permission to the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and 404 Permit to Three Rivers Levee Improvement Authority (TRLIA) for their work on the Feather River Levee Repair Project (FRLRP). Under 33 U.S.C. 408, the Chief of Engineers grants permission to alter an existing flood control structure if it is not injurious to the public interest and does not impair the usefulness of such work. Under section 404 of the Clean Water Act, the District Engineer permits the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States if the discharge meets the requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency's 404(b)(1) guidelines and is not contrary to the public interest. The FRLRP is located in Yuba County, CA. TRLIA is requesting this permission and permit in order to complete construction along the east levee of the Feather River.

The Department of the Navy is amending a system of records notice in its existing inventory of record systems subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing that a temporary permit has been issued to Florida's Natural Growers, to market test a product designated as ``Frozen Concentrate for Lemonade 3+1 Ratio'' that deviates from the U.S. standard of identity for frozen concentrate for lemonade. The purpose of the temporary permit is to allow the applicant to measure customer acceptance of the product, identify mass production problems, and assess commercial feasibility.

Background. Notice is hereby given of the final approval of proposed information collections by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) under OMB delegated authority, as per 5 CFR 1320.16 (OMB Regulations on Controlling Paperwork Burdens on the Public). Board-approved collections of information are incorporated into the official OMB inventory of currently approved collections of information. Copies of the Paperwork Reduction Act Submission, supporting statements and approved collection of information instruments are placed into OMB's public docket files. The Federal Reserve 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.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 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 a proposed revised information collection. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks comments concerning State Hazard Mitigation Plan requirements to support State administration of FEMA Mitigation grant programs.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 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 this information collection. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks comments concerning the Property Acquisition and Relocation for Open Space process as part of the administration of FEMA's mitigation grant programs.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 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 this information collection. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks comments concerning Severe Repetitive Loss Program (SRL) Appeals process as part of the administration of the SRL program.

This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

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

The Board directs the Administration of the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development, including soliciting, accepting, and disposing of gifts, bequests, and other properties for the benefit of the Institute. The Institute, established under Public Law 99-498 (20 U.S.C. 4411 et seq.), provides scholarly study of and instruction in Indian art and culture, and establishes programs which culminate in the awarding of degrees in the various fields of Indian art and culture. The Board consists of thirteen members appointed by the President of the United States, by and with the consent of the U.S. Senate, who are American Indians or persons knowledgeable in the field of Indian art and culture. This notice requests nominations to fill seven expiring terms and one vacancy on the Board of Trustees.